CFE 020904 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

LOCAL ACTION MOVES THE WORLD n August 20 , 2002, Sonoma became the first county in emissions produced by all sectors in the jurisdiction , or first one the nation where 100 percent of the local govern - and then the other. Sonoma jurisdictions have chosen to " lead by ments—the County and all nine cities—pledged to example, " focusing on internal governmental operations first measure and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions . These local elected officials acted with vision and boldness for The County of Sonoma and the City of Santa Rosa completed their e One—in 2002 . The County also set a resent and future generations . They are part of Cities for Climate GHG inventories—Mileston P Protection ®, a campaign led by the International Council for Local target—Milestone Two—to reduce the emissions produced by its Environmental Initiatives - 1CLE1. Over 550 cities and counties per- internal operations by 20 /o from 2000 to 2010 . ticipate in this campaign worldwide, with over 140 of them in the The remainingeight Sonoma cities decided to work together or United States . They are proving that, Local action moves the their GHG inventories . The County of Sonoma provided $ 25 , 00( world . " for this effort . All cities contributed to the collaboration, too, by pur Local governments follow a program with five steps or chasing custom inventory software and committing staff time . Sever g cities also spent on average $ 4000 each for the project for ICLE Milestone 1 : Inventory greenhouse gas emissionultants, etc . The Sonoma County Wash production membership, interns, cons Milestone 2 : Set a target for emission reduction Management Agency, a joint powers authority in which all Sonom Milestone 3 : Create a plan for meeting the target cities and the County participate, served as project administrato Milestone 4 : Implement the plan SCWMA contracted with Sustainable North Bay which assemble a team of consultants and Sonoma State University interns to in Milestone 3 : Monitor progress and adjust as appropriate plement the project. SSU 's Environmental Technology Center serve Using a personal weight program as a metaphor, a GHG inventory as the project's home base . is like stepping on the scale to find out how much you weigh as the This close and effective collaboration among all jurisdictions in starting point for a diet and exercise program . County to conduct their GHG inventories is unique, and serves a ! Municipalities can focus their climate protection efforts on emis- springboard for further collaboration to reduce GHG emissions ai sions produced by their internal governmental operations , on save moneyNINE IIII III ENERG Y : THEJ INVISIBLE , ESSENTIAL LIFE FORCE nergy is like spirit. It is the invisible , essential life force that Nationwide, reducing global warming pollution can save Am ( affects every part of our lives . Energy is the nexus between cans billions of dollars, according to economic analysts at the 1 the economy, environment, and security. If we get energy lus Institute who released a study of proposed cap -and -trade right, many significant benefits will follow—for ourselves and ergy legislation this summer. Similarly, our GHG analyses show t for future generationslo selected projects in this County are saving up to $ 320 for every ' of GHG reduced . Climate protection 's cumulative benefits are v Economic impacts Climate protection helps ensure our local economy's vitality. It re- Environmental impacts tards the outflow of millions of dollars residents spend every year Energy consumption constitutes a major part of human impact on energy such as electricity and gasoline, never to return . Earth . For Sonoma County, a study done last year found that it t; about 13 . 9 acres of biologically productive land to meet the em On a state level , energy plays a prominent role in California's cur- needs of each county resident. Energy accounts for about 62c rent economic woes . According to a study released at the begin - Sonomans' overall Ecological Footprint, a measure of our iml Wing of this year, California 's energy crisis cost the state as much as on natural resources . For information about the Ecological Fooq $ 45 billion over two years in higher electricity costs, lost business project report, please see Resources, page 20. due to blackouts, and a slowdown in economic growth . continued on pc 6