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.