NEW CITY DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENT HIRED

NEW CITY DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENT HIRED

Oliver Sellers-Garcia brings background in sustainability planning for cities, outreach efforts

SOMERVILLE

– Oliver Sellers-Garcia has taken the position of Director of

Sustainability and Environment for the City’s Office of Sustainability

and Environment as of July 1, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone announced today.

Sellers-Garcia

has a distinguished background in developing sustainability plans for

cities, institutions and non-profits, while effectively communicating

the facts about climate change and leading discussions about

sustainability planning. He most recently served as project manager at

the environmental consulting firm CDM Smith, where he led

interdisciplinary teams that developed planning studies and engagement

programs on sustainability, urban development and climate change for

municipal, institutional and non-profit clients. Among the projects he

undertook were helping the City of Salem develop a climate change

vulnerability and adaptation plan; helping create Asheville, North

Carolina’s plan to reduce the city’s energy consumption and greenhouse

gas emissions; and supporting Logan Airport’s projects on sustainable

planning and design.

Prior

to taking on the project manager role, Sellers-Garcia served as an

urban planner with CDM Smith, which included leading public meetings,

stakeholder outreach and focus groups in English and Spanish. A

Somerville resident, Sellers-Garcia holds a bachelor’s degree in urban

studies and French from Columbia University and a master’s in city

planning and certificate in urban design from MIT.

“As

the Director of Sustainability and Environment, Mr. Sellers-Garcia will

play a critical role in the City reaching our ambitious 2050 net zero

carbon emissions target, looking at solutions inside our city boundary,

as well as our role in curbing emissions around the globe,” said Mayor

Curtatone. “Cities are collectively responsible for over 70 percent of

greenhouse gas emissions across the planet. If each city sweats the

small, local stuff, we can make a big global change. Our investments in

sustainability are not only better for the planet and our health, but

for our taxpayers’ wallets, saving the City millions in energy costs.

Mr. Sellers-Garcia brings impressive experience to Somerville that will

propel our efforts around sustainability.”

“The

role of a sustainability director is to be a teacher and advocate, a

strategic thinker, and a technical resource for city officials,

municipal departments, residents, and stakeholders. After working with

many cities across the country and the world, I have learned that

sustainability is as much about communication and management as it is

about the environment,” Sellers-Garcia said. “Embracing sustainability

saves money and increases efficiency. Climate change forecasts are based

on complicated modeling, but we can make this information

understandable and usable for our City. The City of Somerville’s

excellent management and growth potential provide tremendous opportunity

for sustainable development—as well as the need for a careful use of

resources and a prudent response to climate change. I am excited to

contribute to this effort in my hometown.”

Mayor

Curtatone established the Office of Sustainability in Environment in

2006, committing Somerville to action designed to reduce energy use and

harmful carbon emissions, and promote best practices for a sustainable

city. Six years ago, the City invested over $7 million in energy

efficiency and clean energy projects in Somerville city buildings, and

over four years, the City’s energy performance contract with Honeywell

International has saved Somerville over $2 million in energy costs. As a

designated Massachusetts Green Community, the City updated its building

code to require a 20 percent higher energy efficiency standard for all

new construction, and has committed to higher fuel efficiency standards

for its vehicle fleet. Also, the Somerville Residential Energy

Efficiency Program launched in 2011, and since then 500 energy audits

have been conducted and more than 65 direct grants have been awarded to

residents for energy efficiency upgrades.