Host: County of Monterey
Region: Bay Area
Openings: 1
Project Focus: Transportation / Mobility, Climate Mitigation, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Waste Management
Skills Needed: Community Engagement, Community Outreach, Communication

Service Needs & Plans

The County of Monterey is in the process of developing a Climate Action Plan. For the upcoming service year, the County will need assistance with the drafting and editing of the plan as well as stakeholder engagement. The plan will address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and social equity in its strategies to reduce emissions through interaction with an Equity Panel and the development of a Community Action Toolkit.

Project Description

The goals of the Climate Action Plan are to reduce the County’s emissions by 40% by 2030 through a variety of policies and programs designed to decrease vehicle miles traveled, increase regenerative agricultural practices, and provide access to clean energy and transportation. The Fellow will assist with Phase 3 of the Climate Action Plan Development, which includes lining up private sector entities to engage in the deployment of the strategies as well as drafting and editing the final plan. The Community Action Toolkit is a big outcome from this effort, and ensures that the ideas in the plan will be implemented as mentioned. The toolkit connects individuals in the community to the strategies in the plan to help us achieve the goals. This network of individuals will have help to deploy the policies and programs and provide support for their implementation through advocacy and direct action.

Desired Skills

We are looking for a Fellow who is passionate about climate action and has community organizing skills. We are seeking someone who is not afraid to pick up the phone and call an organization and pitch our climate action plan to them. We are also seeking someone who has experience with equity considerations and who can be patient while eliciting feedback from community members, while also bringing energy to the conversation.

Organization & Community Highlights

Monterey County is a culturally diverse place with many of our communities speaking Spanish as their first language. The County is a great place to serve with plenty of work/life balance including the ability to work remotely and have flexible hours. Fellows who come live in Monterey will get to enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings including the majestic coast line of Big Sur and the myriad of hikes near by as well as some of the most beautiful beaches and year-round enjoyable weather. Serving in a local government setting will give the Fellow a chance to see the intersection between policy and programs and demonstration and deployment of climate mitigation activities. It is both challenging and exciting work that will serve to give Fellows a realistic expectation of what can be achieved with limited resources.

Remote or On-Site Placement

The County prefers a Fellow that will be local to support community engagement activities. However, staff work remotely most days, so the Fellow will have the opportunity to do the same.