Sustainable Sonoma sessions continue

Next in series of Valley-wide discussions tonight in Glen Ellen|

A consequential “listening tour” of Sonoma Valley continues in June with two more public sessions. The location of the Glen Ellen session on June 14 has been moved to downtown Glen Ellen, at the Glen Ellen Community Church at 6 p.m. The Kenwood session will now be on Tuesday, June 19, at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church.

The listening sessions are part of an ongoing effort by Sustainable Sonoma to gather community input on the future of the Valley, with the purpose of using that information to tackle the region's most serious challenges. Already, organizers have heard from the Springs community, residents of southern Sonoma Valley, and other stakeholders. The upcoming sessions will focus more on the Valley's central and northern regions, but all members of the public are invited to attend. Child care and translation services will be provided.

“Many residents worry that Sonoma Valley is headed down the wrong road,” said Caitlin Cornwall of Sonoma Ecology Center, which spearheaded Sustainable Sonoma and is currently helping to organize the listening sessions. “Sustainable Sonoma was formed to solve that, by getting many different interest groups to work together. But first they need to hear the public's point of view, and that's where the listening sessions come in.”

The listening sessions gather people's responses to eight questions – for example, “What problems in our community most concern you?” – as part of a Valley-wide discussion. By canvassing the region and examining its “big picture” issues, Sustainable Sonoma's 35 diverse interest groups – which include business organizations, health organizations, nonprofits, philanthropies, organized labor and local government entities – are attempting to identify shared priorities among these groups and the public.

Once priorities are agreed upon, the groups will find new ways to work together to create a more resilient and sustainable future for the Valley.

For more information, visit sustainablesonoma.net or email kim@sustainablesonoma.net. For a video on Sustainable Sonoma produced by KRCB, see above or go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKEgT6OPqnc.

Sonoma Valley residents also can join the conversation by going to sustainablesonoma.net/this-is-my-vision.

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