The City of Sonoma has met with the Community Services and Environment Commission regarding instituting environmentally friendly city wide events, transportation and beautification. The Sonoma City Council recently approved animal drawn vehicle transportation around the Plaza which will shuttle passengers from the Sebastiani Winery to Sonoma City. This is not the only change to affect the Sonoma City Plaza, bike racks will also be installed by Public Works and the council hopes that a state grant will help alleviate some of the expense for the racks.
The council also has planned to include Class 3 bicycle lanes throughout the plaza and surrounding city areas which will also be possibly paid for through a state grant. The Sonoma Art Commission is also supportive of the greening of the city and plans to hold a contest for local artists to submit a public art piece that can double as a bicycle rack. The public piece would be installed in the center of the plaza.
A green recycling policy is being discussed concerning city events such as the Kathmandu Festival held in the city plaza and the Vintage Festival also held in the plaza. The recycling program would include the use of compostable utensils, cups and plates along with a partnership between the festival and earth-friendly waste disposal companies. The council is also considering multiple ways to measure the cities carbon emissions. Sonoma County has already instated carbon emission monitoring and the city of Sonoma hopes to follow suit within the year.
