Sustainable Sonoma has questions for you

“What problems in our community most concern you? What do you believe is most important for our community when it comes to housing availability and affordability? What do you think is most important when it comes to our natural environment and your quality of life in Sonoma Valley?”

These and other questions will be posed on Friday, June 1, as Sustainable Sonoma holds the first of three public listening session at the Sonoma Community Center, starting at 6 p.m.

The purpose of the listening sessions is to gather community input about the future of the Sonoma Valley. “Sustainable Sonoma is a fairly simple concept,” explained Sonoma Ecology Center director Richard Dale. “By bringing people and their interests together from multiple sectors of our community, building a framework for safely sharing interests, and finding common goals and tools for measuring progress, we can act together to solve complex issues. If we set up the process well, it will continue to help us in the future as new issues arise.”

This meeting is geared toward the southern Sonoma Valley – Carneros, City of Sonoma, Temelec, Vineburg, Schellville and surrounding areas – but all Valley residents are invited to attend. Childcare and translation services will be provided.

The listening sessions ask people to respond to eight questions such as those above as part of a Valley-wide discussion. By exploring these “big-picture” issues, and helping to coordinate organizations and groups already working on specific issues, Sustainable Sonoma aims to uncover common goals shared throughout the community that all interest groups agree need to be addressed.

Already, at previous meetings, organizers have heard from the Springs community, Sonoma Valley High School teens, the Affordable Housing Group, the Tourism Improvement District and the Visitors Bureau. More listening sessions are planned.

Sustainable Sonoma is an example of the SEC’s history of bringing people together to solve problems and build a more resilient community. "Sustainable Sonoma’s goal is to help Sonoma Valley’s nonprofit, government, and business sectors work together more effectively toward a common vision of a more sustainable, thriving, and equitable future," said Kim Jones, the coordinator for Sustainable Sonoma.

For details, visit sustainablesonoma.net or email kim@sustainablesonoma.net.