Sacramento Sustainability Forum

is a monthly venue for connecting businesses, non-profits, government and interested citizens in the Sacramento region in order to promote sustainability, share insights and resources, and support movement towards a more sustainable future.

September Topic Speakers:

"Water, Nature & Agriculture"

JP Tindell

J.P. Tindell, Manager of Park Planning & Development, City of Sacramento J.P. Tindell has spent the majority of the last 30 years serving local government and nonprofits as a planner, specializing in parks, open space and recreation in California. She was principal consultant to the City of Sacramento to complete a comprehensive update to Sacramento's Parks & Recreation Master Plan, and spent nearly 15 years doing similar work for the City of San Jose. J.P. holds both an M.S. degree in Recreation & Park Management and a Graduate Certificate in Urban Planning Management from San Jose State University.  She serves on many "core teams" doing Sustainability work for the City of Sacramento.

Matt Baker

Matthew Baker has been the Habitat Director for the Environmental Council of Sacramento since 2007, working in tandem with Habitat 2020, the Habitat Conservation Committee of ECOS.

Habitat 2020 is a coalition of environmental organizations, including the Audubon Society, California Native Plant Society, Friends of Swainson’s Hawk, Save the American River Association, Save Our Sandhill Cranes, the Sierra Club, Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge Association, and the Sacramento Area Creeks Council.

   Russell van Loben Sels

Owner, Amistad Ranches

President, Sacramento County Farm Bureau

Board of Directors, California Pear Growers Association & California Pear Advisory

Russell van Loben Sels is a lifelong resident of the Delta where he has farmed with his brother for more than 40 years. The van Loben Sels currently farm 2,500 acres of pears, wine grapes, tomatoes, corn, wheat, safflower, and alfalfa as Amistad Ranches. Parts of the farming operation are on land that has been owned by the family for more than 130 years.

Russell is the president of the Sacramento County Farm Bureau, California Pear Growers Association Board of Director and California Pear Advisory Board of Director.

About our September Host:

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District is a publicly owned electric utility governed by a seven-member Board of Directors. Serving 592,000 customers and a total population of about 1.1 million, SMUD is the sixth-largest public utility in the country. SMUD’s 900-square-mile service territory encompasses Sacramento County and a small portion of Placer County.