Katharine Lange_Redacted — File 24-0781

3/29/24, 9 39 AM Somerville Committee Application 2024 https //forms office com/Pages/DesignPageV2 aspx?origin NeoPortalPage&subpage design&groupid ef7344a0 29a4 40bb a8ff f7ed4169b50c&id 2/2 Why are you interested in serving on the PTAC/SBAC? 8. As a car-free resident, I rely on the city providing good mobility pathways for me to get to work, to see friends, and go about my life. I have been so grateful to use all of the infrastructure that Somerville has provided so far, and I've also seen where there remain gaps. I'm excited to be living here and want to know more about the city planning process. Please describe any relevant experiences. This could include employment responsibilities, volunteer work, club leadership, community organizing, or personal transit/biking/pedestrian enthusiasm. 9. Employment: Policy Director, Massachusetts Rivers Alliance. My full time job is in statewide environmental advocacy, focusing on water, so I have relationships with Somerville's legislative delegation, and staff at DEP, DCR, and EEA. Some of the content areas I work on are: - green infrastructure for stormwater management, urban cooling, and pollinator health. - sewage pollution, including combined sewer overflows. - the state budget. Every budget cycle I advocate for increases to state environmental agencies (in FY24, this resulted in a $40M increase in spending for those agencies!) Volunteer: Staff at the Somerville Bike Kitchen. After attending, then volunteering, I've recently become "staff" (which is an unpaid volunteer position) at SBK. The Bike Kitchen is a DIY space where folks can come in and use bike shop-quality tools to fix their bike, and learn how their bike works, all by donation. It's a welcoming space that I've found very helpful in increasing my own mechanical confidence, and now as staff I help run the open shops every Tuesday & Thursday, in addition to special events and behind the scenes administration. Personal: This past summer, I completed my first bike tour from Key West to Calais, Maine, following the East Coast Greenway route, during which I got to experience the best and worst of American street design. Thank you for your consideration, and for your advocacy!