Laserfiche WebLink
Form #: B-52 <br />7/18/91 <br />DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE <br />REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION <br />Office of Sustainability, Climate, Equity & <br />DEPARTMENT: Resilence (OSCER) DATE: <br />11 /8/24 <br />STAFF CONTACT: Bethany Morrison PHONE: (808) 865-8671 <br />A. REQUEST: <br />A resolution to accept grant funds from the Urban Sustainability Director's Network Emergent Learning <br />Funds in the amount of $23,750.00, and an ordinance amending Ordinance No. 24-32, the operating budget <br />for the County of Hawai'i for the 2024-2025 to appropriate the funds. <br />B. BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION (USE ADDITIONAL SHEETS AS NEEDED}: <br />The Urban Sustainability Director's Network has awarded the County of Hawai'i (Office of Sustainability, <br />Climate, Equity & Resilience) $23,750.00 for the project period 10/17/2024 through 06/13/2025. <br />Funds will be used to conduct a pilot train -the -trainer project to train county staff and partner community - <br />based organizations in participatory storytelling around relationship to place and what sustainability and <br />climate action means to our island community during community outreach. This project will serve to deepen <br />partnerships with historically marginalized and underserved community members and pilot pathways for <br />equitable, place -based community engagement, serving as an example for future engagement for the Office. <br />Such training and partnerships are essential for ensuring that OSCER can embed equity in the goals and <br />projects of the Office. <br />In the 2023 Integrated Climate Action Plan, one of the identified focus areas needed to improve the County's <br />climate action work was establishing regular stakeholder engagement, including rooting engagement and <br />County action in place -based knowledge. The plan specified that "the County must engage communities for <br />place -based feedback and qualitative data to guide implementaiton priorities and decision -making... [and)... <br />Establishing partnerships and ongoing relationshps with communities in implementing climate action is <br />essential to prioritizing place -based knowledge." This funding allows OSCER to build its capacity and the <br />capacity of partner organizations in rooting future engagement and County work in place -based knowledge. <br />SIGNED: DATE: 11 /8/2024 <br />Department Head <br />