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CA BOLD IDEAS he whole -system ideas highlighted below go beyond in - strategy offers many ways to improve our local agricultural econ - cremental change to deliver the dramatic GHG reductions omy while protecting open space and significantly reducing GHG climate scientists call for. Whole system design predornk emissions , nantly considers the space between disciplines and insti - tutions rather than within them . The examples that follow are just Climate - neutral power generation a few of the unlimited strategies and money- saving opportunities On Earth Day 2000, Seattle 's public utility committed to meeting available to us . all new power needs with zero - net GHG emissions, using energy efficiency and renewable resources such as wind . If fossil fuels are Community Choice used , the utility offsets the equivalent GHG emissions by, for ex- Last year the California legislature passed a bill called Community ample, offering incentives to reduce car trips . This climate neutral ap- Choice that allows municipalities to aggregate customers within proach reduces consumers' energy bills . The utility estimates that their jurisdiction for the purpose of negotiating cost-effective com - its efficiency investments alone saved its customers about one mil - petitive bids from energy service providers . These municipalities lion dollars per day during the power market turmoil , with no re - can also purchase green power from those service providers who duction in the quantity or quality of energy service , offer such energy. Through Community Choice, local government acts as a buying agent for its citizens . Companies like PG & E would Wind - powered mass transit still deliver energy and collect revenue , jurisdictions that have im - Calgary 's Ride the Wind C - train is the first wind - powered public plemented Community Choice have both reduced their energy transit system in North America since sailboats . Before the switch bills and increased their green power supplies . Community Choice to wind , the train 's energy produced about 20, 000 tons of GHG also enables municipalities to use their authority to sell bonds to per year. With Ride the Wind , emissions are practically zero, mak- finance supplemental energy efficiency and on - site generation ing this one of the world 's most environmentally friendly forms of projects . This approach represents an unprecedented opportu - transportation . nity for local governments—especially those that join together for greater market power—to enact GHG reductions that equal Greenhouse gas emissions are one of or exceed Kyoto -scale levels , IMM the most serious threats to our envi- �� r ronment. The decision to support this Water efficiency for the future 'Y project is a no- brainer. l 'm proud to be New technologies , initial design support, delivery methods , fi - x part of this proactive movement. x nancin and incentive schemes create great opportunities for g 9 PP t — Bob Jehn, City of Cloverdale Council municipalities . The key, as with all whole - systems approaches, member is intelligent, integrative design , open minds, and a long - term view. Such efficiency projects are more cost effective than in - Using market forces to protect the climate creasing water supplies and expanding wastewater systems . Author and entrepreneur Peter Barnes created the Sky Trust, a pro- Combining water and energy efficiency promises dramatic re - posal that caps and auctions off the right to emit GHG pollution , ductions in GHG emissions, water use , and expenditures across This proposal 's fundamental premise is that we all own the sky, and our local economy, especially when integrated with a Community those who pollute it should pay. Money collected by the Sky Trust Choice initiative , would be distributed equally among U . S . residents . Auctioning off emission rights allows market forces to obtain the highest economic Cow- powered climate protection value from the atmosphere 's limited capacity to absorb carbon . The There are approximately 30, 000 milking cows in the North Bay. Climate Stewardship Act of 2003 , legislation now being debated Most of their manure is collected and stored in ponds . The in Congress, embodies many of the ideas in Barnes ' proposal . methane emitted from these ponds represents approximately 170, 000 tons of GHG per year—far more than the collective emis- High Performance Climate Protection: Systems Solutions for Systems sions from all of Sonoma 's municipal operations . A well-established Problems, Edwin Orrett, Resource Performance Partners, offers a biotechnology is available to convert the manure to climate - neu - more extensive description of the first three examples—posted on - tral energy, stabilized nutrients , and other useful products . This line at www. skymetrics . us 15