Re: Agenda 21

[Otmar Ebenhoech]



I’ve changed the subject line since I don’t want to distract from today’s need to show our voice and friendly support at tonight’s meeting  

Agenda 21 seems to me like a deeper education and investigation. 

This is the first I’ve heard of Agenda 21, I watched some of the videos. 

The accusations are large and I don’t know yet what to trust. I am curious and I wanted a quick overview that hopefully has low bias. I asked AI and I found it interesting (and succinct) enough that I figured I’d share. FWIW I’ll paste it below my comments. 

I don’t know what’s true in all this, though the video months ago of an unelected advisory committee ignoring our input made me angry and suspicious. 

Myself, I’m easily overwhelmed by complex legal language and planning documents, but also feel it’s worthy learning about what’s going on to protect our quality of life and freedoms. In general the steamrolling of government “progress” makes me angry when our concerns are ignored.

In case it’s interesting to any of you, here is what AI replied when I asked “What is Agenda 21 and how does it affect us today?”

What is Agenda 21?

Agenda 21 is a non-binding, voluntary action plan adopted by 178 governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the “Earth Summit”) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 1992. Its full title is Agenda 21: A Programme of Action for Sustainable Development.

Key features:

• It is a ~500-page document organized into 40 chapters covering virtually every area of human activity (poverty, health, population, forests, oceans, agriculture, waste management, human settlements, etc.).
• The core idea is “sustainable development” — meeting the needs of the present without compromising future generations — with a heavy emphasis on environmental protection, social equity, and economic development (the “three pillars”).
• It explicitly calls for changes in consumption patterns (especially in wealthy countries), stronger roles for NGOs and local governments, technology transfer from rich to poor nations, and national strategies to implement its goals.
• It is not legally binding. Countries were encouraged to create their own national sustainable-development strategies, but there is no enforcement mechanism and no international treaty obligation.

Local Agenda 21 and “Smart Growth”

The most visible part of Agenda 21 for ordinary citizens was Chapter 28, which urged every local authority to adopt its own “Local Agenda 21” (LA21) through consultation with citizens. Thousands of cities and counties around the world did exactly that in the 1990s and 2000s. These local plans often morphed into modern “comprehensive plans,” “climate action plans,” “smart growth,” “complete streets,” “vision zero,” “15-minute cities,” and regional planning efforts.

How does it affect us today?

1. It never really went away — it evolved
• In 2000 → Millennium Development Goals
• In 2015 → 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (with 17 Sustainable Development Goals — SDGs)
• In 2016 → Paris Climate Agreement and the New Urban Agenda (Habitat III) The 2030 Agenda explicitly states that it “builds on” and “completes” the unfinished business of Agenda 21. The same language, concepts, and many of the same organizations are still active.
2. Concrete policy areas that trace back to Agenda 21 recommendations
• Land-use planning: restrictions on suburban sprawl, promotion of high-density mixed-use development, transit-oriented development, urban growth boundaries (all originally recommended in Agenda 21 chapters 7 and 10).
• Regional governance: unelected regional planning bodies that override local zoning (common in the U.S., EU, and elsewhere).
• “Sustainability” mandates in building codes, energy codes, water-use restrictions, greenbelts, and wetland protections.
• Public–private partnerships and heavy NGO involvement in local policy (exactly as Agenda 21 encouraged).
• Education for “sustainable development” curricula in schools (UNESCO has been pushing this since the mid-1990s).
3. The controversy and conspiracy angle
• Starting around 2010–2012, Agenda 21 became a major target of conservative and libertarian activists in the United States who saw it as a UN plot to abolish private property, force people into high-density cities, destroy suburbs, confiscate land, and impose global socialism. The Republican National Committee officially condemned Agenda 21 in 2012 as a “destructive and insidious scheme.”
• Critics point to phrases in the document about “changing consumption patterns,” “redistribution of wealth,” and the need to “reorient” human settlements as evidence of a hidden anti-property, anti-car, anti-freedom agenda.
• Defenders (UN, ICLEI, most city planners) insist it is purely voluntary and simply good environmental planning.
4. Current real-world impact (2025 perspective)
• Most people encounter the descendant ideas under different names: “15-minute cities,” “complete communities,” net-zero building codes, low-carbon zones, congestion pricing, bike-lane expansion, removal of single-family zoning (e.g., California, Oregon, Minneapolis), or regional carbon-reduction plans.
• International bodies (UN, OECD, World Bank, EU) still fund and promote these policies; the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs are referenced in thousands of national and local laws and budgets.
• In the United States, federal grants (Department of Transportation “Reconnecting Communities,” HUD, EPA “sustainable communities” initiatives) often require recipients to align with SDG-style targets, even though Agenda 21 itself was never ratified as law.

Bottom line

Agenda 21 as a specific 1992 document is technically obsolete, but its core concepts and implementation mechanisms were folded into the 2030 Agenda and dozens of subsequent agreements. Many of the urban-planning and environmental policies that restrict new suburban development, push density, limit car use, or impose “sustainability” requirements in building and land-use codes today can legitimately trace their intellectual and institutional lineage back to the ideas and networks that Agenda 21 launched. Whether you see that as sensible environmental stewardship or creeping global governance depends on your point of view.

That’s the AI (Grok) response to my question. Possibly something to think about and discuss. 

Otmar Ebenhoech

2255 SE Crystal Lake Dr.

On Dec 10, 2025, at 8:28 AM, luna singer <1016d...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello All!
I have spent hours reading the City of Corvallis and the Benton County
website re: the Southtown Area Plan and SouthTown Renewal Plan.
Here is what I have found.
This plan is actually part of a much,  much, much bigger picture, and
the forces behind it are quite formidable.
Players include:
Pierre Omidyar (eBay billionaire) via his Sunrise Movement's Corvallis
branch organization. Sunrise is giving orders to the local and
regional governments re: all Climate Action Plan. (I used to have the
links for this, but my laptop was lost in a move, and I haven't had
the time to recover all the info I had on my drive--if anyone wants me
to provide info about this, I will try to find the links, hopefully
they are not broken or have not been taken down).
Bill Gates, via Republic Services (which is owned by Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation's Cascade Asset Management)
https://cascadeassetmanagement.com/. Republic Services just gave a
huge sum of money to the Southtown Renewal Project last year.
The Federal Reserve Bank (see the attachment below and note that JIM
MOOREFIELD, in the capacity of a land DEVELOPER, is working with many
people, INCLUDING a Federal Reserve Bank Rep on housing)
Also, it is important for everyone to know the details of the
Corvallis Sustainability Plan because that is the core of the
Southtown Area Plan, and it will change every single aspect of your,
and my, and every other Corvallis resident's life, for the WORSE. It
covers land use, energy use, water use, food, transportation, the
economy (no longer a consumer economy but will be a circular economy,
etc., no more single person owned vehicles, no more natural gas, etc.)
file:///C:/Users/LBCADULT/Downloads/2018_Action_Framework_251207_152703.pdf
DevNW is also a player in this, they will run the food hub (no more
grocery stores for us!), etc.
https://www.devnw.org/
The Southtown Area Plan, Southtown Renewal Plan and the Climate
Friendly Area plan all overlap.  I have attended meetings re: Climate
Friendly Areas, too.
Here is a video of Rosa Koire, the world's authority on land use and
sustainable development speaking at the New Hampshire Legislature
about what Sustainability really means in terms of land, water,
energy, transportation, etc. This lecture contains info that pertains
DIRECTLY to what is going on in Southtown.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8-bcAwc28s
Her lecture in Denmark is excellent, and gives a really brilliant
overview of this stuff:
I HIGHLY recommend that you watch it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ykELwj1Ta8&t=766s




On Tue, Dec 9, 2025 at 2:03 PM 'Sue Hirsch' via South Corvallis
<south-c...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

There was square block designated for retail/coffee shops, (where Willamette Landing intersects with the very large Mountain View Apartment complex) on Midvale.  It sat vacant for the entire life span of Willamette Landing, until recently.  Now it is apartments.  It was said that  no retailer ever became interested.  That area was already pretty darn dense and the excuse was that there was no customer base big enough for a coffee shop.

On 12/9/2025 10:46 AM, Molly Monroe wrote:

Here's a link to an email from Jim Moorefield on Dec 6 with mention of a loose format for tomorrow's meeting:

Ward 3 Meeting Wednesday December 10

________________________________

From: Keenan Bloom <keena...@gmail.com>

Sent: Monday, December 8, 2025 4:35 PM

To: monro...@hotmail.com <monro...@hotmail.com>

Cc: South Corvallis listserve <south-c...@googlegroups.com>; patricia...@aol.com <patricia...@aol.com>

Subject: Re: [south-corvallis] South Corvallis Area Plan

Hello Molly and All,

You are speaking to two different areas they are proposing changes to in the South Corvallis Area plan. Area 10 (Crystal Lake Drive) and Area 11 (the rectangular area between Goodnight and Park, Midvale and Herron View/Willamette park)

Because many vocal people are concerned about area 10, and rightfully so, area 11 often gets forgotten. Area 10 and 11 are deeply connected and what happens to one area will affect the other area. Area 11 would make it possible to have shops on the bottom and multi storied apartments on top right next to the community gardens at willamette park and where crystal lake and park make a T-junction

Does anyone know the format for the meeting on Wednesday?

Keenan

On Mon, Dec 8, 2025 at 3:24 PM Molly Monroe <monro...@hotmail.com> wrote:

Hello,

I've been trying to keep up with emails (my apologies if this has already been shared), but I think it's important for everyone to be look through and be familiar with the different scenarios being proposed for different sections of South Corvallis in preparation for Wednesday's meeting, please scroll through the plans and look closely at the various options (and subscribe to the mailing list for updates):

South Corvallis Area Plan Project Page

The proposals to update Crystal Lake as a 'feeder' tie directly to the scenarios that could change the zoning and use of residential areas to mixed/high density. Somewhere in there I even heard talk about a coffee shop/cafe at the end of Park/Goodnight after Crystal Lake is continued all the way to Goodnight.

As always, there are pros and cons for all of the options and I'm so glad to see everyone engaged and ready to chime in with ideas on how to preserve and improve upon our favorite aspects of South town.

M-

________________________________

From: 'patricia...@aol.com' via South Corvallis <south-c...@googlegroups.com>

Sent: Sunday, December 7, 2025 9:01 PM

To: South Corvallis listserve <south-c...@googlegroups.com>

Subject: [south-corvallis] New point I hope someone will make on Wednesday

I can't make it to the Wednesday meeting because of a prior commitment.  I hope I can convey this clearly to some of you and that someone will make the point at the meeting.

Southtown has absolutely no need for additional feeder roads because there are NO bottlenecks anywhere that need to  be corrected.  The only bottleneck in the entire area is at the bridge over the Marys River.  That spot would not be corrected by making Crystal Lake Drive a feeder.  Even that doesn't clog up often.  But if it did, given additional traffic from further development in the area, there would be no purpose to re-routing traffic through our neighborhoods, because it will all collect at the bridge anyway.  It is better and safer to keep our neighborhood roads narrow and slow and safe.

Thanks to all of you (and my wife) who are attending the meeting.

Patricia Parcells

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Corvallis" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to south-corvall...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/south-corvallis/1013293003.2639042.1765170100082%40mail.yahoo.com.

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Corvallis" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to south-corvall...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/south-corvallis/PH8PR11MB6780650E39940B695127532BA0A2A%40PH8PR11MB6780.namprd11.prod.outlook.com.

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Corvallis" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to south-corvall...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/south-corvallis/PH8PR11MB6780F634AEFBAD61689B609DA0A3A%40PH8PR11MB6780.namprd11.prod.outlook.com.

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Corvallis" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to south-corvall...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/south-corvallis/d2320913-aafd-49e8-b55d-bbd2c672d876%40zoho.com.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Corvallis" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to south-corvall...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/south-corvallis/CAM9OQ_4bc7DqwyJTAHHM6Pv1X4kqt69KQRt5gfH4MwfYefOtqw%40mail.gmail.com.

<Federal Reserve Benton County _9.jpg>

[patricia...@aol.com]

Thank you for the summary.  The speaker in the videos appears to have a very conservative conspiracy-theory based viewpoint, and it helps me to understand why so many people are suspicious of anyone with a social-justice point of view.

Patricia Parcells

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/south-corvallis/4A599F20-6EDE-4865-AF01-BDE877163041%40gmail.com.

[mark willhoit]

Thanks Omar. Mark w

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/south-corvallis/4A599F20-6EDE-4865-AF01-BDE877163041%40gmail.com.

[Torsten Pihl]

The summary was generated by Grok "Mecha Hitler" AI.

Torsten

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/south-corvallis/1393397919.1185864.1765402675279%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Dan Crall]

Frankly, following his clear Nazi salute, I'm surprised Musk isn't more maligned and shunned by the general public, including his questionable "Grok" robot.  Collective amnesia and apathy are very useful tools. No thanks!

dan

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/south-corvallis/Bgy68TZEE8_305pyNm0UUpGSZH87SzBzLCQvi9NJQqSIAEkeWtgz0dw_e_AXjNQNel7JRSBPXM0qSZcFZL_JmeGCJDtTK1hcdddchWz70Cs%3D%40proton.me.