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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCM Beacon AwardAgenda Item No: 3, b �Meeting Date: October 21, 2013 6 -ill wq11i 1 RECOMMENDATION: Accept presentation and accept award - -T : ITO-1 F201 In 2006 San Rafael was one of the early signatories to the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, committing the City to working towards meeting the goals of the Kyoto Protocol. To provide a roadmap on how the City can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its own municipal operations as well as influence residents and businesses in San Rafael to reduce their emissions, the City Council called for the preparation of a Climate Action Plan. In March, 2008 the City Council appointed a 14 -member Green Ribbon Committee comprised of volunteers with diverse expertise but a common interest in sustainability to prepare a draft plan utilizing extensive community input. The Council also appointed volunteer subject experts to "Green Teams 71 which tackled issues such as transportation, waste reduction, land use, green building, energy conservation and adaptation. The result of this community planning effort is the San Rafael Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) which was adopted by the City Council on April 20, 2009. This document lays out the goals and implementation plan for achieving a 25% reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) by 2020, and an ambitious 80% reduction by 2050 to meet state targets. The Implementation Pla is broken down into several distinct areas of action- Lifestyles, Buildings, Environment, Economy, Community Outreach, and City Operations. I In October 2010 San Rafael signed up to be the first participant in the Institute for Local Government's Beacon Award: Local Leadership Toward Solving Climate Change program. Since that time, over 50 cities throughout California have signed up to participate. Many cities have since received Interim Awards for partial completion of the program, and in 2011 San Rafael received an Interim Award for completing at least one sustainability activity in each of the Institute's ten Sustainability and Climate Action Best Practice Areas. Council Meeting.- C Disposition: 0 kqlii� 111 111! 111 1 11 0 • Being one of the early signers to the Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement • Coordinating the county -wide Single Use Plastics Advisory Committee • Leading and coordinating the five agency Franchisors, Group for refuse and recycling services Developing and leading the county -wide BERST Green Building ordinance Leading the effort to develop a comprehensive single use bag environmental review and model ordinance that can be utilized by all cities and towns in Marin Chairing and serving on the Executive Committee of Marin Climate Energy Partnership Being the Lead Agency on the Solar SEED Fund program for three North Bay Counties On September 19, 2013, Council Member Connolly received the award in Sacramento at the League of California Cities Conference. Tonight Yvonne Hunter from the League of California es will formally present the Beacon Award to the City Council. ATTACHMENTS: Attachment A- Institute for Local Government press release 19MINS"'I"I"'FUJI FoR LOC,AL GOVEP.,NMENTSM 1000"OWI Promoting Good Government at the Local Level 1400 K Street, Suite 205 * Sacramento, California 9581 Phone: (916) 658-8208 Fax-, (916) 444-7531 wwwca-ilg.orol Contact: Yvonne Hunter, (916) 658-8242, yhunter@ca-*Ilg.org City of San Rafael Wins Statewide Award for Efforts to Address Climate Change Sacramento — The Institute for Local Government and the Statewide Energy Efficiency Collaborative honored the city of San Rafael with a Beacon Award for Local Leadership toward Solving Climate Change. The award was presented last week during the 2013 League of California Cities Annual Conference in Sacramento. The first of its kind in California, the Beacon Award recognizes cities and counties that achieve measurable greenhouse gas reductions, energy savings and implement sustainability best practices. San Rafael is the first-ever winner of a Beacon Award at the Silver Level, which celebrates the following achievements: 5 percent Agency Energy Savings (2005-2011) 5 percent Greenhouse Gas Reductions in Agency and Community (2005-2010) 10 Completed Sustainability Best Practices "San Rafael's accomplishments are a testimony to the effectiveness of voluntary climate action at the local level, 1) said League of California es Executive Director Chris McKenzie who presented the award. "Congratulations to the city of San Rafael and its residents for your leadership and commitment to addressing climate change. 77 San Rafael's greenhouse gas reductions are the equivalent of taking nearly 7,000 passenger vehicles off the road for one year. The city also saved enough electricity in its own facilities to power approximately 44 average California homes for a year "We are pleased to support the City of San Rafael in their efforts to become a leader in energy efficiency, 71 said Pacific Gas and Electric Company Manager Randy De Caminada. "We applaud the city for this truly important commitment to the environment and the community. )) "The City of San Rafael is delighted to have the distinction of being the first Beacon Award winner i California. This is strong validation of our community's sustainability efforts, " said San Rafael City Council Member Damon Connolly. "We're proud of the great progress that's been made and we wi continue to work closely with our community and partners in order to achieve our greenhouse gas reduction target of 25 percent by 2020 and other sustainability goals. 11 1 A local presentation of the award is scheduled for the Oct. 21, 2013 meeting of the San Rafael City Council at 7-00 p.m. I nc anc R U 111 C RatalP sw liam !)Ilaborative & the Beacon Prc