Submitted by San Juan County.

San Juan County is currently seeking qualified applicants for positions on the new Climate and Sustainability Advisory Committee. The committee will advise on policy, projects, and priorities, to help harness the momentum of County work and support its climate action plan. The goal is to provide opportunities to better integrate climate and sustainability efforts throughout San Juan County.

The committee will gather a diversity of perspectives as it looks through the lens of climate impacts, including thoughtful consideration of the socio-economic impacts which cut across age, race, gender, and class. The committee will work from the best available science on climate change, as well as draw on traditional knowledge systems and climate action leadership of local Tribes who have incorporated adaptive capacity into their lifeways since time immemorial. The County will work with Tribes on a government-to-government basis to gather input and facilitate engagement with the formation of the County’s Climate Action Plan.

The committee will be comprised of a core citizens’ group encompassing backgrounds in critical sectors. Core committee membership shall be composed of eight to twelve members with a minimum of two and max of three members from each residency district, plus one County staff and one youth representative. An auxiliary group of technical experts from existing County advisory committees will act as liaisons for their respective committees.

Desirable candidates will bring a multi-faceted perspective to round out the expertise areas represented by the Committee Liaisons. We are seeking to recruit candidates with an intersection of backgrounds in the following areas: renewable energy, construction and green building, transportation, agriculture, economic development, ecology and climate change.

To apply, complete the Citizen Advisory Committee Application (https://www.sanjuanco.com/DocumentCenter/View/1684/Citizen-Advisory-Committee-Application-PDF?bidId=) by Feb. 15, 2022 and submit to Ingrid Gabriel at ingridg@sanjuanco.com. Interviews will be ongoing, and recommendations for appointment to the committee are expected to be brought to the County Council in early March. All committee members must provide proof of Covid-19 vaccination per San Juan County requirements, and all committee members must be registered voters in San Juan County, except for the youth representative.