What We Learned: Climate and the Environment with Director Debbie Raphael

As the world shut down in early 2020, the environment saw a glimpse of relief.

Climate change is here and making an impact in our daily lives. Now, as we return to relatively normal life, have we learned anything about our relationship with the environment and the opportunities to save it?

Did quarantine actually make any significant effect on the environment?

Can we apply any lessons that we may have learned while staying home?

Are people more conscious of their effects on the natural world now?

What policies can be implemented now as a result of our learnings?

In the next installment of the "What We Learned" series, Manny's welcomes Debbie Raphael, the Director of the San Francisco Department of the Environment to discuss.

The structure of this event will be about 45 minutes of discussion with Director Raphael followed by small break out groups where YOU can meet some new folks and discuss what you just heard. We hope to help solicit a more collaborative discussion and hear the diverse stories in our city.

Manny's never turns away anyone for lack of funds. To receive a complimentary ticket just email the word "grapefruit" and the title of this event to tomas@welcometomannys.com.

This event will be in person at Manny's but there will also be a Zoom link ticket for those who'd like to tune in digitally from the comfort of their home.

About Director Debbie Raphael:

Debbie Raphael is the Director of the San Francisco Department of the Environment and believes that cities can take bold action to address environmental harm. A scientist by training and public servant by profession, Debbie has spent most of her career working in government to ensure that everyone has an equal right to a safe and healthy environment.

At the City of Santa Monica and City and County of San Francisco, Debbie crafted first-in-the-nation policies on toxics reduction, green building, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), healthy nail salons, and championed the precautionary principle – a decision-making framework that protects the public from exposure to harm, even in the face of scientific uncertainty. In 2011, Governor Edmund G. Brown appointed Debbie as Director of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. While there, Debbie implemented the state’s groundbreaking Safer Consumer Products Law to better regulate which chemicals can be used in products sold or manufactured in California.

As Director of the San Francisco Department of the Environment, Debbie is focusing on leading the City’s efforts on tackling climate change and ensuring a healthy environment for all. She has led the most significant update to the City’s recycling and composting program in over 15 years, the launch of an industry-funded safe disposal program for unused medicines, and pioneering policies for rooftop solar panels and electric vehicle charging capacity in all new construction. In partnership with the Mayor, Board of Supervisors, and fellow city departments, Debbie has helped steer the city towards greater greenhouse gas emission reductions, including setting a new audacious goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Named one of the world’s 100 most influential people in climate policy, Debbie is a frequent keynote speaker at international climate conferences and a national spokeswoman on environmental issues. She serves as President of the Urban Sustainability Directors’ Network, an External Advisor to the Global Climate Leadership Council of the University of California Office of the President, and Board Member of Strategic Energy Innovations. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master’s Degree in Physiological Plant Ecology from UCLA.