LopezRocks - Item

More than 150 islanders from Lopez, Shaw, Orcas, and San Juan have participated in Climate COMPASS (Comprehensive Plan Outreach for Meaningful Public Action & Sustainable Solutions), a hands-on, interactive climate exercise designed to educate, engage, and empower the community in shaping local climate policies.

Each Climate COMPASS session provides context on the San Juan County Comprehensive Plan and its new Climate Element. Sessions incorporate local climate projections and emissions data in a dynamic, card-based format. Participants map cause and effect, share lived experiences, brainstorm solutions, and write individual comment letters on Climate Element. COMPASS is a project of the Madrona Institute in collaboration with Friends of the San Juans. It is supported by a Department of Commerce grant.

To date, COMPASS participants have generated 539 ideas and ranked them by importance. These have been compiled, recurring ideas identified and synthesized in a report which was submitted to the Planning Commission and County Council. The top 10 climate-related priorities identified in COMPASS sessions are:

1. Expand Solar Energy - Expand local production through incentives and reduced regulations while prioritizing installation on buildings and impervious surfaces.

2. Encourage Sustainable Forestry - Enhance forest resilience, strengthen tree protection and reforestation.

3. Home Size - Incentivize smaller footprint homes and de-incentivise or limit large footprint single-family residences.

4. Public Transportation - Increase public transportation services and link them to the mainland.

5. Culture - Strengthen local communities and nurture a culture that celebrates the natural world and promotes mindful consumption.

6. Local Food - Increase local food production and consumption.

7. Ferries - Reduce ferry emissions by electrifying ferries and shifting toward smaller passenger ferries.

8. Non-car Transport - Encourage walking and biking by connecting trails, safe bike paths and promotion of e-bikes.

9. Tourism - Reduce the climate impacts of tourism while supporting the diversification of the local economy.

10. Community Engagement - Ensure accountable and inclusive climate planning and enhance community engagement with regular public progress reports.

The county released the first Climate Element draft on March 7. It was reviewed and comments were submitted by the Madrona Institute to the Planning Commission and County Council with recommendations to better align it with COMPASS participant’s priorities.

The Comprehensive Plan is a community-driven document - and every voice matters! The next step of the process is a review of the current Climate Element draft by the Planning Commission. Now is the time to make your voice heard with written comments or during public comment at the March 21st meeting.

Submit Written Comments:

Send feedback to [email protected] by March 20 at noon to ensure it’s included in the March 21 Planning Commission meeting.

Speak at the March 21 Planning Commission Meeting:

The Planning Commission will review the Climate Element on March 21 at 8:30 AM. Public comments are limited to 3 minutes per person and happen at the beginning of the meeting. Pro tip: Write out your comments for clarity and impact. If you've submitted written comments, feel free to read them aloud! To join the meeting:

In Person - Council Legislative Hearing Room, 55 Second St., Friday Harbor

Online - Click here to join the meeting

By Phone - Call 360-726-3293, then enter Conference ID: 426 092 278#

Learn more about Climate COMPASS and view resources at

Each Climate COMPASS session provides context on the San Juan County Comprehensive Plan and its new Climate Element. Sessions incorporate local climate projections and emissions data in a dynamic, card-based format. Participants map cause and effect, share lived experiences, brainstorm solutions, and write individual comment letters on Climate Element. COMPASS is a project of the Madrona Institute in collaboration with Friends of the San Juans. It is supported by a Department of Commerce grant.

To date, COMPASS participants have generated 539 ideas and ranked them by importance. These have been compiled, recurring ideas identified and synthesized in a report which was submitted to the Planning Commission and County Council. The top 10 climate-related priorities identified in COMPASS sessions are:

Expand Solar Energy - Expand local production through incentives and reduced regulations while prioritizing installation on buildings and impervious surfaces.

Encourage Sustainable Forestry - Enhance forest resilience, strengthen tree protection and reforestation.

Home Size - Incentivize smaller footprint homes and de-incentivise or limit large footprint single-family residences.

Public Transportation - Increase public transportation services and link them to the mainland.

Culture - Strengthen local communities and nurture a culture that celebrates the natural world and promotes mindful consumption.

Local Food - Increase local food production and consumption.

Ferries - Reduce ferry emissions by electrifying ferries and shifting toward smaller passenger ferries.

Non-car Transport - Encourage walking and biking by connecting trails, safe bike paths and promotion of e-bikes.

Tourism - Reduce the climate impacts of tourism while supporting the diversification of the local economy.

Community Engagement - Ensure accountable and inclusive climate planning and enhance community engagement with regular public progress reports.

The county released the first Climate Element draft on March 7. It was reviewed and comments were submitted by the Madrona Institute to the Planning Commission and County Council with recommendations to better align it with COMPASS participant’s priorities.

The Comprehensive Plan is a community-driven document - and every voice matters! The next step of the process is a review of the current Climate Element draft by the Planning Commission. Now is the time to make your voice heard with written comments or during public comment at the March 21st meeting.

Submit Written Comments
Send feedback to [email protected] by March 20 at noon to ensure it’s included in the March 21 Planning Commission meeting.

Speak at the March 21 Planning Commission Meeting
The Planning Commission will review the Climate Element on March 21 at 8:30 AM. Public comments are limited to 3 minutes per person and happen at the beginning of the meeting. Pro tip: Write out your comments for clarity and impact. If you've submitted written comments, feel free to read them aloud! To join the meeting:

In Person - Council Legislative Hearing Room, 55 Second St., Friday Harbor

Online - Click here to join the meeting

By Phone - Call 360-726-3293, then enter Conference ID: 426 092 278#

Learn more about Climate COMPASS and view resources at

www.madrona.org/compass

Climate COMPASS - Madrona Institute