Mayor John Cooper today announced the names of 48 members of the Nashville community who will serve on the Sustainability Advisory Committee. The Mayor announced the establishment of the Sustainability Advisory Committee during his announcement of multiple initiatives to combat climate change and promote sustainability in Dec. 2019.
The Committee will provide advice on a range of sustainability issues and review active proposals as they are being advanced and implemented by the Mayor and Metro Council through legislation, executive orders, policy changes and practices. The Committee will start by advising and supporting the City’s commitment pursuant to the Global Covenant of Mayors to develop a Climate Action Plan for the city of Nashville.
“The Sustainability Advisory Committee will have an active role in addressing climate change and alternative energy challenges in Metro Government,” said Mayor Cooper. “I’m tremendously grateful to all members of the Committee – dedicated Nashvillians with diverse skill sets and a combined wealth of real-world experience who will help address the multiplying threats to our environment and shore up protections for our limited natural resources.”
Vanderbilt University Vice Chancellor for Administration Eric Kopstain and Vanderbilt Law School lecturer Linda Breggin, a senior attorney with the Environmental Law Institute in Washington, D.C., and project director for the Nashville Food Waste Initiative, have been named co-chairs of the Committee.
“It is an honor and a pleasure to serve in this capacity and to work with a talented and passionate group of community leaders on this committee,” said Kopstain. “I know a lot of work has already been done in our city surrounding sustainability-related issues, and I look forward to continuing the momentum surrounding this critically important topic.”
“The Mayor’s recent initiatives on sustainability are critical to ensuring that the City continues to prosper and are consistent with the efforts of other cities in our state—and around the world—that are positioning their communities to thrive in the face of climate change,” added Breggin.
Six subcommittees will review and augment, as appropriate, the work that already has been done to develop and implement sustainability plans and recommendations for the city—including the work of Livable Nashville, NashvilleNext, the Green Ribbon Committee and Plan to Play.
Subcommittees will address the components of the climate action plan—mobility, energy, waste reduction, green buildings, natural resources and climate adaptation and resilience.
The complete list of the Sustainability Advisory Committee members follows:
| Name | Organization | Subcommittee |
|---|---|---|
| Linda Breggin | Environmental Law Institute and NRDC’s Nashville Food Waste Initiative | Co-chair |
| Eric Kopstain | Vanderbilt University | Co-chair |
| David Bailey | Hastings Architecture | Green Buildings |
| Holly Baird | MilePost Consulting | Green Buildings |
| Sue Ballard de Ruiz | Tennessee State University | Mobility |
| Darek Bell | Bell Construction | Green Buildings |
| Jason Carney | Tennessee Solar Energy | Energy |
| Michael Connolly | CSX | Mobility |
| Terry Cook | The Nature Conservancy | Natural Resources |
| Anne Davis | Attorney | Energy |
| Mark Deutschmann | Village Real Estate Services, Core Development Services; ULI | Mobility |
| Paul Farley | Waste Management | Waste Reduction |
| Bob Freeman | State representative; Freeman Applegate Partners | Green Buildings |
| Dodd Galbreath | Lipscomb University | Natural Resources |
| Brian Gant | SCS Engineers; Chamber of Commerce representative | Mobility |
| Amanda Garcia | Southern Environmental Law Center | Green Buildings |
| Gary Gaston | Nashville Civic Design Center | Mobility |
| Beth Prichard Geer | Office of Al Gore/The Carthage Group | Natural Resources |
| Andrea George | Vanderbilt University, Sustainability and Environmental Management | Waste Reduction |
| Erin Hafkenschiel | Vanderbilt University, Mobility | Mobility |
| Brad Hall | Office of Al Gore/The Carthage Group | Energy |
| Sizwe Herring | EarthMatters Tennessee | Waste Reduction |
| Rob Horton | Trap Garden | Natural Resources |
| Mekayle Houghton | Cumberland River Compact | Natural Resources |
| Daniel Joranko | Vanderbilt University, Divinity School | Energy |
| Nora Kern | Walk Bike Nashville | Mobility |
| Steve Law | Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation | Natural Resources |
| David Lawrence | Hines | Natural Resources |
| Todd Lawrence | Urban Green Lab | Waste Reduction |
| Geoff MacDonald | Vanderbilt University, Athletics | Energy |
| Liz Edsall McLaurin | Land Trust for Tennessee | Resilience/Adaptation |
| Jaclyn Mothupi | Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation | Resilience/Adaptation |
| Jenny Park | The Trust for Public Land | Natural Resources |
| Katie Poss | Turner Construction Company | Waste Reduction |
| David Proffitt | Metro Nashville Public Schools | Energy |
| Ian Prunty | Building Robotics Inc. | Green Buildings |
| John Sherman | Solid Waste Board | Waste Reduction |
| Kim Shinn | TLC Engineering Solutions | Green Buildings |
| Ryan Stanton | Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation | Energy |
| Grace Stranch | Sierra Club, Middle Tennessee | Waste Reduction |
| David ter Kuile | Vanderbilt University, Business Services | Waste Reduction |
| Mary Vavra | Transit Now Nashville | Mobility |
| Robert Waits | Hodgson Douglas | Natural Resources |
| Ed Wansing | The Compost Company | Waste Reduction |
| Erica Weeks | Hastings Architecture | Green Buildings |
| Tiffany Wilmot | Wilmot Inc. | Energy |
| Robert Wingfield | Fisk University | Energy |
| Manuel Zeitlin | Manuel Zeitlin Architects | Green Buildings |