The Emeryville Connection: A news magazine published by the Emeryville Chamber of Commerce
Business Briefs
Chamber’s Healthy City Initiative Embraces, Connects Entire Community
“Big Tent” is a phrase used often in political discourse. Whether justified or not, both major political parties repeatedly use this phrase, especially during election season, to imply that their party is “inclusive,” welcoming, and open to a broad array people and ideas.
In our continuing process of self-examination and reinvention, the Emeryville Chamber of Commerce resolved to adopt a new initiative that we believe truly captures the real spirit and meaning of the “Big Tent.”
Our Chamber specializes in networking and establishing connections. Expanding on that core competency, we decided to develop an initiative that is, in a very real sense, a Citywide mega-connection.
The project is formally entitled the Healthy City Initiative, and we take great pride in announcing this new program to the Emeryville community. In its final form, the program is comprised of five key components:
1. Educational Health – Strong schools and lifelong learning. This element will include: every Emery School student adopted and mentored; a new sub-program, “BALL” (Books and Life Long Literacy), to provide books and encourage literacy in the Emery Schools; reauthorization of Measure A, the parcel tax that supports the School District; helping Emery achieve its 90/90/90 Target goals outlined by Superintendent Tony Smith; and strong linkages with local higher education institutions, including, but not limited to, U.C. Berkeley, Cal State – East Bay; Berkeley City College, and Ex’pression College for Digital Arts.
2. Environmental Health – Creating Green businesses and a Green community. This element will include: Encouraging use of clean technologies; expanded use of solar and other renewable energy resources; establishing Citywide Bay Area Green Business Program Goals; increased recycling rates; expanded transit options; adoption and promotion of green building construction standards; and continued promotion of the Bay Area Green Business Program.
3. Wellness and Physical Health, including promotion of recreation and exercise; nutrition and healthy eating; substance abuse education, wellness at work programs, ergonomics and stress reduction.
4. Economic Health – A vibrant local economy and balanced economic growth, including economic expansion, a diversified economic base, attracting and retaining clean and sustainable businesses and technologies of the future, an expanded hospitality industry, and increased job opportunities for qualified Emeryville residents.
5. Civic Health – Citizen participation, voting, and disaster preparedness. This element will include: increased voter registration and participation; Citywide disaster preparedness; enhanced community communications/connections/
e-communications; Leadership Program; and support for the Emeryville Center for Community Life.
Each component will be rolled out, citywide, over the next two years. The Chamber has already begun work on several of the elements, such as promoting the Green Business Program and the Red Cross’s Prepare Bay Area Program. The Chamber has or is in the process of establishing formal partnerships, linkages and sponsorships with credible third-party organizations for each of the Healthy City elements, including the American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, Bay Area Green Business Program, the American Red Cross, the California Office of Emergency Services, StopWaste, the N. Oakland/Emeryville Rotary Club, PG&E and Waste Management of Alameda County, to name just a few. Other credible organizations are welcomed to join us, and we’ll be developing a more formalized partnership and sponsorship packet of information in the near future.
The goal: to build a stronger, healthier, better community.
I firmly believe that Emeryville’s compact size and centralized location is the perfect venue for the Healthy City Initiative. But there is another element that is equally important: Emeryville’s spirit, and the strength of our business community, whose leadership and generosity is the font of so much of the prosperity we all enjoy.
By uniting as a community, we can continue to make Emeryville a better place to live, work, go to school and do business. The Emeryville Chamber of Commerce accepts the challenge of connecting our community and is proud to take the lead in the creation and implementation of the Healthy City Initiative. Like other leading Chambers of Commerce, we are stepping outside our traditional role as a business association to remake ourselves as a civic and community leadership organization. We feel our Health City Initiative is the perfect platform to make our City and our region the best and the healthiest it can possibly be.
The Healthy City Initiative represents a major step forward in the Emeryville Chamber’s progress and reinvention. We still retain our core mission: to build a better community through the strength of business and a strong private sector economy. The Healthy City Initiative expands upon this mission by providing the tools, resources and tangible structure that will help us accomplish that noble goal. We’re extremely excited about this new venture, and invite all interested and credible parties and organizations to join us in this landmark effort. We’re stronger working together, and we welcome everyone to join us under our “Big Tent” of civic progress.
Bob Canter is President & CEO of the Emeryville Chamber of Commerce.
3980 Harlan Street · Emeryville, CA 94608 · Phone: 510-652-5223 · Fax: 510-652-4223 · info@emeryvillechamber.com
©2007 Emeryville Chamber of Commerce.