Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation

Under this Leadership Grant, Doug Johnson, Executive Director of the California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC), will spend a portion of his time acting as Chair of the California Invasive Species Advisory Committee.  The Committee is the working group of the Invasive Species Council of California, created in February, 2009, comprised of the secretaries of six state agencies.  Under Doug’s direction, the Committee will develop a comprehensive list of invasive species currently found in California as well as those expected to arrive in California, and to draft the strategic plan for managing them based on input from a 24-member Advisory Committee which includes diverse stakeholders from government agencies, farming groups, NGOs, universities and nursery growers, among others.

Dr. Michael P. Wilson received a second year of funding to continue his role as a public interest research scientist in chemicals policy at UC Berkeley.  Mike will serve in his new role as Executive Director of UC Berkeley’s new Center for Green Chemistry.  He will continue to play a leadership role in the adoption of Green Chemistry as a discipline and as a unifying concept for applied science and practice at Berkeley.  Mike’s objectives for the second year will include providing leadership for the Center for Green Chemistry’s institutional structure, curriculum development and research initiatives; strengthening relationships with labor, business and NGOs on worker-training curriculum and chemicals policy reform; providing technical support to California EPA and the state legislature and serving on scientific advisory panels and legislative committees; and continuing his outreach role in public speaking, publication, and media engagement.

Beckie Menten will work as a consultant with the California Public Utilities Commission in researching and developing energy efficiency implementation strategies to incorporate the goals of the recently adopted Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan into state and local government policies.  Beckie will work closely with city and county officials in California to help them design, implement, and finance building energy efficiency programs.  In the absence of Congressional action on climate policy, California has been a national leader in the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, passing the Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32) which requires the state to reduce GHGs to 1990 levels by 2020.  Energy efficiency improvements in the building sector represent a significant untapped reservoir of energy savings and GHG reductions.  With the combination of AB32 requirements, stimulus funding, and new municipal financing programs, California is poised to launch the nation’s largest building retrofit program and achieve dramatic energy savings.  Beckie will take the lead role within the Energy and Efficiency Planning Section to monitor and facilitate local government participation in retrofit programs.

To build on the success of Dustin's first year researching the safety and sustainability of the solar photovoltaic industry, expanding the investigation of solar energy manufacturing and recycling and to make the information accessible to industry, workers, legislators, investors, and the public.  Based on Dustin’s research so far, SVTC is ready to move into the next phase of this campaign, calling for an industry-wide take-back and recycling initiative.  A second year of funding will allow Dustin to expand his work to include the issue of toxics and the potential for green chemistry in the solar industry, collaborating with colleagues at UC Berkeley and UCLA.