1. Acknowledgments
I would like to extend my fullest gratitude to Councilwoman
Kuby, her entire staff the additional professionals that I had the
privilege of working with for their time and kindness. This has
proven to be an invaluable experience and look forward to
staying in touch with the countless stakeholders I have met and
follow them in the progressive sustainably projects they
embark on. I would also like to thank Caroline Savalle for her
amazing guidance throughout this entire transformational
process.
The Tempe City Council
is committed to:
Local legislation on or relating to
Urban Sustainability:
Through my internship with Councilwomen Kuby I had the opportunity to
learn about and work on many local policy issues that have direct ties to
sustainability and governance. Some of the projects I had the opportunity
to participate in include the following:
• Earned Sick Days for Tempe workers
• Stopping SB1248 and HB 2113 – Puppy Mills
• Campaign finance reform ballot measure
• HB 2130 and HB 2131 Single-use plastic bag ban and
Energy Benchmarking Ordnance.
• Inaugural Summit of the WaterNow Alliance 2016
• Tempe Bike Count 2016
This internship has awoken a love to policy within me that I did not know
existed. I have had the chance to go down to City Hall and the State
Capital and speak out on many of the topics listed here and publicly state
how I feel on these issues. I have learned the importance of citizen
involvement and witnessed the frustration that comes from bumping
against some of the many barriersto entry that currently exist. While my
internship will come to an end this May, my involvement in local
government is just beginning.
Local government and the role it
has in fostering Sustainability
“Cities drive innovation”- as stated by former New York City
Mayor Michael Bloomberg - and this makes them windows of
opportunity for transformational sustainability on a global
scale!
Change can be difficult to implement, particularly when
unsustainable systems prove to be their own special form of
resilient.
This is why it is vital that we have champions who can help us
pave the way to a better tomorrow. This internship has shown
me that my place in sustainability may actually be within
government as such a champion. It has also shown me that the
way to work towards a better tomorrow beings today, with
local and frequent participation from the community. We will
never get to the world as it should be without hard work and
dedication. To end on an uplifting, and very popular quotation;
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
City Sustainability Initiatives Researcher for the Tempe City Council, under
Councilwoman Lauren Kuby
Zoë Stein, BA in Sustainability, Society and Sustainability Track—Tempe City Council
Literature cited
"Mayor and City Council." City of Tempe, AZ :. N.p., n.d.
Web. 12 Apr. 2016..
Dallocchio, Michelle. Papago Park Greeting Card. N.d.
Http://fineartamerica.com/, Tempe.
2016. Tempe. Azfamily.com. By Amanda Goodman. Web.
Fig. 1(a-c). These three photos (from the left) are of a iconic
view in Papago Park; the Harkin’s Theater on Mill advertising
the documentary Dog by Dog about the life of dogs that come
from mills, and of the Tempe City Hall building.
Silence never won rights. They are not handed down from
above; they are forced by pressures from below. – Roger Nash
Baldwin
Papago Park (Fig. 1a). There has been tremendous grass roots
momentum behind turning Papago park into a Tempe preserve. City
residents from the North Tempe Neighborhood Association have been
working to gather signatures on their petitions, setting up meetings with
the Tempe City Council and even reaching out the the ASU student
community. These residents advocate for keeping the park an open green
space for the benefit of people and the environment alike.
Dog by Dog (Fig. 1b). This documentary was shown on Mill in the
midst of the debate over the bill that allowed for the city to ban the
commercial sale of dogs from Puppy Mills. This documentary was
about exposing the public to the hidden horrors of the industry and
to shed light on the profligate monetary support behind this system
that allows irresponsible breeders to make large profits at the
expense of the lives of millions of healthy dogs.
For further information
Please contact me at Z.stein01@gmail.com,
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoebstein
Or Lauren Kuby at Lauren_Kuby@tempe.gov
1.Ensuring a safe and secure community through a
commitment to public safety and justice.
2.Developing and maintaining a strong community
connection by emphasizing the importance of open
government, customer service and communication
with community members.
3.Enhancing the quality of life for all Tempe residents
and workers through investment in neighborhoods,
parks, the arts, human services, and city amenities,
with an emphasis on equity and diversity.
4.Implementing sustainable growth and development
strategies, including improving Tempe’s public transit
system to meet future needs, by actively seeking
innovative technologies and leading the way in
creating a more sustainable community.
5.Maintaining long term financial stability and vitality
by focusing on economic development, business
retention and generating employment to create a
robust and diverse economic base.*
*
City Hall (Fig. 1c.) City Hall is where Councilwomen Kuby has
her office, where bills are heard and decided upon, and where
the Sustainability Commission meetings (which I attend as an
observer) are located.
Fig. 2. (Above) The Sustainability Circle, organized by Councilwoman
Kuby, is an example of stakeholder engagement. In my internship I was
able to gain hands on experience in “building social capital” and see
what it really takes to create resilient communities. Bringing people
together, and receiving input from a diverse array of stakeholders is
vital when trying to ensure a healthy level of equity within any
community.
Fig. 3. (Below) This photo is of me speaking about my
support for both energy benchmarking and a ban on
local control over single- use plastics (HB 2130 and HB
2131) at the capital to the Commerce Committee. These bills
were put last on the agenda, despite them having the most
public interest out of all the bills heard that day.