Claremont’s Sustainable City Plan, adopted in 2008, included establishing a community organization to work closely with the city on sustainability education and implementation.
The Sustainable City Plan delegated more than 50 responsibilities to what became Sustainable Claremont, incorporated in 2009, for the purposes of promoting environmental, social and economic sustainability in Claremont and beyond.
Sustainable Claremont has done quite well. Among many accomplishments are the annual Claremont Earth Day celebration, the Water Action Group that leads strategies such as the recent Low-Water Landscape Expos to combat our drought, an active Energy Group including the expansion of the CHERP program, creation of the Claremont Energy Challenge and leading the competition for the Cool California Challenge.
A schools group, led by School Green Teams in sustainability curriculum and labs, was also created to help establish school gardens and reclamation/reuse centers. The Claremont Garden Club emphasizes water-wise landscaping appropriate for our area and the Tree Action Group has championed Heritage Tree preservation and an Urban Forest Master Plan.
Sustainable Claremont maintains an active social presence as well with monthly Demystifying Sustainability articles, monthly Sustainability Dialog presentations and discussions, an active website, monthly e-newsletters and regular updates on social media.
Sustainable Claremont was recognized as the Outstanding Community Organization of the year by the 2012 Independence Day Committee.
This past year, Sustainable Claremont — with generous donations from the city of Claremont and public utilities, as well as extensive fundraising — opened the Sustainability Resource Center in space donated by the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. The center has supported sustainability initiatives throughout the city by providing energy and environmental information, answering questions, making referrals, facilitating public outreach, interacting with other sustainability-oriented entities, in addition to providing support for Sustainable Claremont’s programs.
These donations also provided for a landmark change. For the first time in its existence, Sustainable Claremont was able to hire an employee to support the center and operations of Sustainable Claremont.
Though working only part-time, as the newly-hired sustainability coordinator, Alexis Reyes did an exemplary job helping shepherd the various action group projects, keeping the board activities moving and building the Sustainability Resource Center, literally from nothing.
She was so fantastic at her job that she was recently hired as the full-time Sustainability Program Manager for Harvey Mudd College, necessitating another search for a sustainability coordinator.
If you have a keen interest in sustainability, enjoy working with volunteers passionate about all things sustainable, would enjoy helping plan and grow the Sustainability Center and have the energy and excitement necessary to help grow our organization in Claremont, then this currently part-time position may be the opportunity you have been looking for.
Requirements: BA or BS preferred; demonstrated organizational skills; an ability to interact effectively with the public and in public speaking; media and computer proficiency in programs like Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as online media tools. Some knowledge of accounting and QuickBooks desirable.
Responsibilities include preparing and managing outreach and public interest information; responding to public inquiries; supporting Sustainable Claremont activities; fundraising; staffing the Sustainability Resource Center and providing operational support to the Sustainable Claremont board including Meeting preparations, agendas, minutes and documentation.
Applications will be accepted until Saturday, September 26. Please provide a resume and cover letter by email to info@SustainableClaremont.org. For further information, contact Barnabas Path, chairperson, Sustainable Claremont, at bpath@pathenergy.com.
Demystifying Sustainability is an initiative of Sustainable Claremont (susustainableclaremont.org).