Twenty five cities and counties participating in the Beacon Award program received recognition at a special meeting held at the recent League of California Cities annual conference in San Diego.
Over thirty city officials attended a special Beacon Award program meeting at the
League of California Cities Annual Conference in San Francisco in
September. The local officials gathered to share information
about their agencies’ best practice activities to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, save energy and promote sustainability
as part of their participation in the Beacon Award: Local
Leadership toward Solving Climate Change recognition program.
Cities and counties throughout California are participating in
the Institute for Local Government’s sustainability and climate
change recognition program, the Beacon Award: Local Leadership Toward
Solving Climate Change. Launched in August 2010 as the first
of its kind in California, the Beacon Award recognizes and
celebrates cities and counties that:
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
Save energy;
Adopt policies and programs to address climate change; and
California, like the rest of the nation, has been weathering a severe economic downturn that has resulted in near-record levels of unemployment, widespread home foreclosures and lost income. Local costs for safety-net programs and other essential services have grown while state and federal revenues have fallen, leading to chronic budget shortfalls and fiscal distress. This whitepaper looks at two very different California cities’ examples of pioneering efforts to chart a more sustainable economic future.
As California’s communities seek ways to maximize resources in
economically challenging times, energy efficiency offers a number
of money-saving advantages. Cities and counties are making great
strides in reducing energy use at agency facilities through
traditional building audits and retrofits. At the same time, they
are advancing community energy efficiency through collaboration
and outreach activities.
Sustainability is all about making communities more livable — creating healthy, dynamic places to live and work while simultaneously saving money, energy and resources and helping the local economy. Cities and counties throughout California are demonstrating leadership in creating active, lively communities by adopting policies and programs that support sustainability. This diverse range of activities brightens the future of their communities.
The Beacon Award is sponsored by the Statewide Energy Efficiency
Collaborative, which offers no-cost resources to support the
energy and climate initiatives of California local governments.
Click here to learn more.
