2010

Leading Local Governments Share Their Green Building Strategies

Did you miss ICLEI's six-part Green Building Webinar Series, hosted in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council? You can now view free recorded versions of all the webinars.

The series, which ran from February to April, featured staff from leading local governments around the country, including New York, Seattle, Boston, Dallas, and El Paso. Check out the recordings for insights on these cities' green building strategies and programs, and how to replicate their successes. (Click "Read More" to view webinar descriptions and links to play back each webinar.)

Local Governments in Georgia Receive EECBG Funding

Congratulations to Georgia-based ICLEI members Chatham County, Decatur, Morgan County, and Tybee Island.

All these communities applied for and were awarded funding under the state-administered competitive Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) funds from the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority. Add these successes to the fact that Atlanta, Athens-Clarke County and Savannah were all awarded formula grants under the EECBG program, and 100 percent of Georgia’s ICLEI membership received EECBG funding.

For details on the award amounts and scopes, please visit the GEFA’s website.

High-Speed Train Manufacturer Arrives at Milwaukee's "Greenlight District"

The Talgo 350 high-speed train, pictured above, can reach speeds up to 350 km/h. Photo credit: Talgo

Every local government wants to attract "green" manufacturing jobs, and Milwaukee stands out as one that is having success. Earlier this month, Mayor Tom Barrrett welcomed Talgo, a high-speed train manufacturer to the 30th Street Industrial Corridor, or the “Greenlight District.”

Like many cities in the Midwest, Milwaukee lost many manufacturing businesses over the past decades and is working to attract green technology manufacturiers to the city and in particular to vacant spaces in the 30th Street Industrial Corridor. Since the 19th century, businesses traditionally located in the 30th Street Industrial Corridor, a rail corridor, because they had the ability to move raw materials and finished goods in/out of Milwaukee.

Talgo’s office will be located in Century City, an 84-acre city-owned business park once the home of two local business institutions, among others: A.O. Smith and Tower Automotive manufacturing operations. Talgo will perform final manufacturing and assembly of high-speed trains on-site, in a completely refurbished building. The City forecasts up to 1,000 long-term jobs if the vacant properties are occupied.

Local Action Roundup

• Somers, NY, Receives $432K to Reduce Costs and Share Energy Efficiency (Town of Somers)
• Westchester, NY, Consortium Lands $379,800 in Stimulus Funds to Share Energy Efficiency Services  (NWEAC)
• Boulder, CO, to Host Inaugural Climate Summit (Daily Camera)
• Iowa City, IA; Johnson County, IA, Get Block Grants (Press Citizen)
• Pittsburgh’s, PA, Biking Moment (Next American City)
• U.S. Officials Eager to Climb Aboard Villaraigosa's L.A., Transit Plan (LA Times)
• Portland's, OR, Sewers Right as Rain (USA Today)
  

Call for Collaborators on New Climate Decision Tool

The University of Michigan School of Public Health, an ICLEI partner, is seeking local government and public health stakeholders to provide input on a new decision tool dealing with climate change, heat waves and human health. The tool would allow users to develop community-specific mitigation and adaptation strategies to reduce health threats posed by heat waves.

This tool will build on capabilities offered by such existing tools as ICLEI's Climate and Air Pollution Planning Assistant (CAPPA) and EPA's BenMap, to estimate how local programs will impact both temperature and greenhouse gas emissions, and in turn affect heat-related morbidity and mortality.

Interested parties should contact Robert Kononowech at robertwk@umich.edu.  

Updates From Washington on HUD and a New Senate Climate Bill

Funding Notice Coming Soon for HUD's Sustainable Communities Planning Grants

HUD has received input on the Sustainable Communities Planning Grants Program and is currently structuring the grants program with the notice of funding availability scheduled to be released the week of April 12. Many ICLEI members submitted comments to HUD, helping to inform the process. ICLEI held a national webinar with HUD and an expert panel provided information to HUD on the program and additionally helped ICLEI members begin to strategize for the competitive process. ICLEI will continue to keep our membership updated about this opportunity. To learn more, view ICLEI's Sustainable Communities Initiative webpage, where you can also access a recording of our recent webinar.

Climate Bill Expected to be Released Next Month

The long-awaited Senate climate bill is now expected to be released Earth Day Week in mid-April. Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Lindsay Graham (R-SC), and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) plan to release companion legislation to match Waxman Markey, the climate bill that passed out of the House of Representatives last summer. The Senate bill is expected to be different from the House bill in regulatory structure of carbon pollution -- with a larger portion of money generated by the program distributed in the form of direct rebates to consumers. 

How this legislation might affect local governments is yet to be seen. ICLEI will continue to track these developments. While the new draft Senate climate bill is expected to be different, the senators released a framework for the bill in December. Read ICLEI’s policy analysis.

Mayor Hays Speaks on Sustainability at the World Urban Forum in Brazil

Last week Patrick Hays, ICLEI USA Board Chair and Mayor of North Little Rock, AR, represented ICLEI USA at the World Urban Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At a session moderated by Laurel Blatchford, Chief of Staff at HUD, Mayor Hays spoke about the global importance of cities in addressing climate change, and the efforts of ICLEI to build capacity for local sustainability success.  Mayor Hays also highlighted two key ways ICLEI is empowering local sustainability efforts: our Sustainability Planning Toolkit and the forthcoming STAR Community Index.

Mayor Hays was part of the largest and most diverse U.S. delegation at any global forum on sustainability. This attendance speaks to the growing interest in local sustainability across the United States.

Audiences in Rio and beyond are tuning in to what ICLEI USA's leadership has to say. The U.S. delegation in Rio also included ICLEI USA Board member Valerie Brown, who spoke on urban issues at a round table discussion. Mayor Hays also shared his views on the prospects for COP-16 at the Colloquium on Climate Change in Rio, and discussed U.S. domestic climate initiatives such as the Reinvestment and Recovery Act and its clean energy investments exceeding $80 billion, efficiency standards for automobiles, and GHG accounting.

As Competition Grows, Los Angeles Still Ranks No. 1 for Energy-Efficient Buildings

Los Angeles. Photo credit: kla4067 via Flickr Creative Commons

For the second straight year, EPA released its rankings of cities with the most Energy Star-rated buildings, and once again, Los Angeles topped the list. In a blog post last year, we offered a few reasons why LA and San Francisco led the pack.

This year, the most interesting story seems to be what's happening below Los Angeles on the list, as more cities catch up to last year's leaders and commit to constructing energy-efficient buildings or retrofitting existing buildings. Washington D.C. moved into second place on the list, Denver jumped up to No. 4, and New York broke the top 10 for the first time.

Overall, EPA reports that in 2009, nearly 3,900 commercial buildings earned the Energy Star rating, an increase of 40 percent over 2008 totals. The energy-efficiency of 3,900 buildings accounts for annual savings of more than $900 million in utility bills and more than 4.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Since 1999, nearly 9,000 buildings have earned the Energy Star rating.

Our congratulations go out to the many ICLEI member local governments represented on this list, all of whom are national leaders on climate, energy, and sustainability action.

Take a look at the list below to compare the city rankings for 2009 (released March 23, 2010) and 2008. You'll see which cities are greening their buildings the fastest. (ICLEI members are bolded.) See EPA's full list for more details on the number of buildings, floor space, and cost savings.

Local Action Roundup

• Somerville, MA, to Turn Off Lights for Earth Hour and Asks You to do the Same (Wicked Local)
• Davis, CA, Aims To Become a Carbon Neutral City (American City and County)
• EPA Ranks U.S. Cities with the Most Energy Efficient Buildings (Energy Star)
• Halfway to a Green Taxi Fleet in San Francisco (Hybrid Cars)
• Rock Island, IL, Releases Green House Gas Emissions Report (Nashua Telegraph)
• In San Francisco, a Former Freeway Turns into a Farm (Good.is)
• Hayward, CA, Leaders Hear Methods of Shoreline Defense Against Sea-Level Rise (Inside Bay Area)
• Hillsboro, OR, Hopes Its Electric Charging Stations Entice Alternative Energy Industry (OregonLive)
• Northeast/Mid-Atlantic ICLEI Members Awarded Climate Showcase Communities Grant (US EPA)
• 14 Municipalities Come Together to Create Northern Westchester Energery Action Consortium (NWEAC)
• Boston's $63m Push to Retrofit Housing (Boston.com)
  
• EPA Honors Gainesville Regional Utilities for Energy Efficiency Program (GRU)
  

Syracuse, NY, Hosts Sustainable Communities Partnership Workshop

Photo credit: City of Syracuse website

Guest Blogger: Andrew Maxwell, Director of Planning & Sustainability, City of Syracuse, NY

On March 5, local, state, and federal agencies gathered in Syracuse, NY, to cut the ribbon on the new Syracuse Center of Excellence building, and they also took the opportunity to hold a key workshop on sustainability planning.

The exciting opening of this LEED Registered building (which is expected to achieve the LEED rating) created a perfect opportunity to connect local leaders with state and federal agencies in discussing the potential of the federal Sustainable Communities Partnership.  Announced in June 2009 by President Barack Obama, this federal initiative is “an intergovernmental partnership between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Transportation, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that seeks to integrate housing, transportation, water infrastructure, and land use planning and investment. At its core, the Sustainable Communities Partnership is an agreement between EPA, DOT, and HUD to align their programs to maximize the benefits of their combined investments in the economic, environmental, and cultural richness of American communities.”