HomeMy WebLinkAboutCM Beacon AwardAgenda Item No: 3, b
�Meeting Date: October 21, 2013
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RECOMMENDATION:
Accept presentation and accept award
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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.-
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Disposition:
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• 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.
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