Last month, represented a milestone in the history of both the City of Los Altos and GreenTown. Six years ago, GreenTown Los Altos started with the goal of engaging the City in taking action to mitigate global warming. On Tuesday evening, September 24, City Council voted unanimously to direct staff to develop a final Climate Action Plan.
Six Years In The Making
In January 2008, with more than 700 signatures in hand, representatives of GreenTown asked the Los Altos City Council to sign the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Then Mayor Val Carpenter and the City Council agreed and in doing so set the City on a course to measure greenhouse gas emissions from municipal operations and from the community, adopt a greenhouse gas emission reduction goal, and develop and implement a Climate Action Plan.
On Sept. 24, the Council asked staff to finalize it’s Draft Climate Action Plan. The plan represents a significant effort on the part of City staff (in particular, Zach Dahl), its consultant, PMC, and members of the Environmental Commission. GreenTown expresses its sincere appreciation for their efforts. The measures included in the plan, such as improving bicycle infrastructure and encouraging energy efficiency, have multiple benefits in addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including increased safety and reducing costs.
“The plan is a roadmap, not a blueprint,” says Gary Hedden, Member of the Environmental Commission and GreenTown volunteer. “The devil is in the details. Staff can now begin work on developing an implementation plan. And one of the key things that Council will be asked to do is set priorities. To succeed by 2020, these measures need to be given the highest possible priority.”
GreenTown Los Altos looks forward to working with the City of Los Altos to implement the plan and reduce the carbon footprint of our community. Our volunteers are working daily to educate and mitigate our community’s negative environmental impacts and highlight the positive ways we can create a healthier planet.
GreenTown is calling on residents interested in developing specific recommendations to support implementation of the Climate Action Plan. Please contact energy@greentownlosaltos.org if you are interested in participating.
About GreenTown Los Altos
GreenTown Los Altos is a local non-profit environmental organization. Founded in 2007, its mission is to educate and inspire the people of Los Altos and Los Altos Hills to take action that will make our communities more environmentally healthy and vibrant today and for future generations. For more information, please visit www.GreenTownLosAltos.org and become a fan on Facebook. GreenTown Los Altos is a fiscally-sponsored project of Acterra, a 501(c)3 which supports action for a healthy planet.
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