Councilwoman Steps Down from Sustainable Fairfax

Fairfax councilwoman Pam Hartwell-Herrero stepped down from her job as Executive Director of the popular nonprofit last week and announced she would be taking on a role as Executive Director of Tara Firma Farms up in Petaluma.

“After six years of working at the best job ever, it is bittersweet for me to step down as the Executive Director of Sustainable Fairfax,” said Hartwell-Herrero.

Sustainable Fairfax, one of the most prominent of the sustainability organizations in each Marin town, is undergoing a number of changes right now .

“We will continue to provide community education events that support local economy, teach sustainable practices and build community,” said Acting Executive Director Elzabeth Baker. “We are committed to providing information and being advocates on such issues as zero waste, toxins, climate change, food, transportation and other sustainability topics.”

Baker takes over for Hartwell-Herrero after serving in the development committee, co-chair of the Sustainability Center, and Vice President. Hartwell-Herrero will continue to serve in a consultant capacity and be involved in sustainability issues in the county through her role on the town council.

“My passion and commitment to Sustainable Fairfax made the Acting Executive Director position a smooth transition,” she said.

“I am stepping away with such amazing confidence in the board and the leadership that Elizabeth will provide through the transition,” said Hartwell-Herrero.

Hartwell-Herrero also looked back at all Sustainable Fairfax has accomplished or helped accomplished:

“We opened the first and only community-supported Sustainability Center and Sustainable backyard -- demonstrating best practices inside and outside a home; we stood in the rain teaching about Rainwater Harvesting; we voted as citizens and became the only town in the U.S. to approve a Plastic Bag Ban by ballot initiative; we cheered as Charles McGlashan flipped the switch on Marin Clean Energy, creating the first Community Choice Aggregation in the state; we helped our hauler to pilot curbside food composting; we applied and became the second community in the U.S. to reach Cittaslow (slow town) accreditation; we launched the FairBuck to bring attention to supporting a vibrant local economy; and we educated and advocated on issues of zero waste, native plants, natural building, food security, sense of place, alternative transportation, reskilling, climate change, victory gardens, landfill expansion, seed saving, desalination, GMO's, raising chickens, toxins in our lives, and making your mom a wormbin.

“And those are just the highlights,” she said.

The sustainability nonprofit was also recently honored with a proclamation from Sen. Mark Leno, said Baker. Fairfax is now the 99th officially recognized transition town in the country. Transition towns will focus on local community resilience.

The next big event for the organization is the annual, featuring local, hand-made, and sustainable holiday gifts, at the Pavilion on Dec. 10.

“We’re not going anywhere, but staying here and thriving,” said Baker.