Visit us on the web! You'll find case studies, issues of the month, workshop materials, archived newsletters and updates on local government activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Contra Costa County
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Join Our Mailing list!
info@cccclimateleaders.org
Contact us:
925.631.0597
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The 4CL Program offers:
Quarterly workshops for education and networking opportunities
Monthly newsletters for environmental updates, pertinent local information, and interesting upcoming events
Ongoing website containing the CCC city environmental developments, archived newsletters, and other educational resources
www.cccclimateleaders.org
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Thank you to our sponsors!
PG&E
QuEST
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Newsletter Contributors:
Content:
Anne Cavazos
4CL Consultant
Carla Dowell
QuEST Contributor
Editor:
Katherine Bracken
4CL Volunteer
Contributing editors:
Lynda Deschambault
Executive Director 4CL
Newsletter articles are collected from a variety of sources and are cited via a website reference when applicable
To add content or events to our next monthly newsletter, please send an email to
info@cccclimateleaders.org
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East Bay Energy Watch (EBEW) News
Free Municipal Building Energy Efficiency Audits Available. The Municipal Implementation Team (MIT) Program specializes in municipal building energy efficiency audits and implementation. The program provides free energy assessments of municipal buildings, implementation assistance of recommended energy efficiency measures, and financial incentives to PG&E municipal customers in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. For more information on the MIT program, contact Brendan Havenar-Daughton, Program Manager, Quantum Energy Services & Technologies, Inc. at (510) 540-7200.
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Funding
EPA Smart Growth Implementation Assistance - $225,000 to $300,000 in technical assistance. Due: Letters of interest due March 1, 2013. The EPA Smart Growth Implementation Assistance program provides assistance from national experts to help communities explore barriers to smart growth implementation and pilot innovative ideas that create more sustainable communities. For more information, visit the request for letters of interest.
Economic Development Assistance (EDA) Programs Federal Funding Opportunity -
Total funding available TBD. Due: March 13, 2013. Grants made under these programs will leverage regional assets to support the implementation of regional economic development strategies designed to create jobs, leverage private capital, encourage economic development, and strengthen America's ability to compete in the global marketplace. EDA's investment priorities include environmentally-sustainable development and economically distressed and underserved communities. For more information, visit the grant opportunity synopsis. Rockefeller Foundation Commits $3 Million to Help Cities Build Resilient Infrastructure Systems. Due: March 15, 2013. The RE.invest Initiative was developed to create a shift in the way we design, plan, and invest in resilient infrastructure systems to attract large-scale private financing. The Initiative comes from funding support from the Rockefeller Foundation. The RE.invest Initiative will deploy teams of engineers, lawyers, and public finance experts to work directly with officials and managers of 6-8 selected cities to develop locally appropriate strategies for creating investable sustainable infrastructure portfolios. For more information, visit the initiative's website. FHWA Funding Opportunity for Assessing Sustainable Transportation Projects - Multiple awards of approximately $25,000 to $150,000. Due: Anytime. FHWA seeks to partner with entities in using INVEST 1.0, a voluntary self-assessment tool, to assess and enhance the sustainability of their projects and programs. INVEST (Infrastructure Voluntary Evaluation Sustainability Tool) is a web-based collection of voluntary best practices and criteria designed to help transportation agencies integrate sustainable practices into their projects, plans, and programs. For more information, see the solicitation. To learn about INVEST 1.0, visit the INVEST website.
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Local City News
El Cerrito Invites Public Input on Climate Action Plan. The City of El Cerrito held a public workshop on February 12th to unveil its draft plan for cutting locally produced greenhouse gases . The meeting marks the beginning of a 30-day public comment period. Comments may be sent via email to city Environmental Analyst Maria Sanders at msanders@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us, by fax at 510-559-7682 and by regular mail sent to Climate Action Plan, City of El Cerrito, 10890 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, CA 94530. View Full Article.
Fremont Approves New Sustainability Commission. Fremont City Council voted to approve formation of an Environmental Sustainability Commission, a new seven-member panel to oversee implementation of the city's recently approved Climate Action Plan. The Climate Action Plan aims at helping the city reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020. View the Full Article.
EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program Releases 2011 Data. The TRI Program released 2011 data on toxic chemicals that are being released to the nation's air, water and land from major industry sectors throughout the United States. Toxic chemical releases by refineries and manufacturing plants in California have increased since 2010, and three Bay Area facilities are among the top ten distributors of the dangerous substances. The most profligate disseminator of the poisons in the Bay Area was the ConocoPhillips refinery in Rodeo, which released 896,733 pounds into the environment in 2011. Valero Refining in Benicia released 504,472 pounds, the second most in the Bay Area: and Chevron Products Co. Richmond Refinery: released 498,974 lbs. View the Full Article.
Strategies for Advancing Smart Growth, Environmental Justice, and Equitable Development. EPA has released a report that offers low-income, minority, tribal, and overburdened communities a range of approaches to shape development that responds to their needs and reflects their values. Creating Equitable, Healthy, and Sustainable Communities: Strategies for Advancing Smart Growth, Environmental Justice, and Equitable Development provides a menu of land use and community design strategies that community-based organizations, local and regional decision-makers, developers, and others can use to revitalize their communities. Case studies highlight seven communities that have used these strategies.
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Other City News
C40 Cities, World Resources Institute Partner to Promote Transportation Initiatives. The World Resources Institute, led by its sustainable transport center, EMBARQ, and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) established a partnership today that will further their mutual goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from urban transportation. The partnership focuses on scaling up solutions and enhancing C40 cities transport efforts related to sustainable urban planning, bus rapid transit systems, and non-motorized transit initiatives.
Together, these organizations will tackle a transport sector that accounts for roughly 13 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. View the Full Report.
Emerging PV Markets: Learning from the German Model. Germany is the pioneer market of the PV industry due to a very early ecological movement with its first political representatives back as early as 1980. Currently, in terms of installed capacity, Germany is second-to-none with approximately 35 GW installed. New installations in 2013 may reach up to five GW, which further establishes Germany's role as the leading market. Other governments can learn from this model. View the Full Article. |
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Legislation
Obama Vows Action on Climate Change during Second Term. Climate change appears to have climbed to the summit of policy promises when President Obama vowed in his second inaugural address to confront carbon emissions, because anything less would "betray our children." It was a promise for action that stood in dramatic contrast to his near-silence on the politically difficult issue in the months preceding the November election. The address captured what some advocates had hoped to hear from Obama following the bruising impacts of widespread disasters last year, including a drought that sizzled 60 percent of the nation and damages from Superstorm Sandy exceeding $50 billion. Last year was the warmest on record in the United States, which registered 90 percent of the world's insured losses from disasters. View the Full Article.
California Cap-And-Trade Funds Could Be Used For Green Prize To Reward Climate-Change Innovation. By leveraging a very modest share of revenue from California's new cap-and-trade program to award an annual Green Prize, California can motivate and inspire innovators to leverage their intellectual and financial capital to solve our climate change crisis. A pool of money is available for reducing or mitigating climate change generated from the sale of pollution "allowances" under AB 32, California's cap-and-trade program. The pool will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars this fiscal year and multiple billions over coming years. California should set aside buckets of $10 million a year for an annual Green Prize for innovators. View the Full Article.
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Impacts
Climate Change Already Affecting U.S. Economy, People. A new report warns that climate change driven by human activity already is affecting the American people and economy, with more frequent and intense heat waves, heavy downpours and, in some places, floods and droughts. A draft version of the National Climate Assessment warns that the health and livelihoods of many Americans and the ecosystems that sustain the country face some frightening impacts. View the Full Article.
The Natural Resources Defense Council Unveils Their "Extreme Weather Mapping Tool. A clickable map of the U.S., shows where new records were set for excessive heat, rainfall, snowfall and wildfires. Overall, the nation broke 3,527 monthly records. "2012's unparalleled record-setting heat demonstrates what climate change looks like," said Kim Knowlton, NRDC senior scientist. She said that the extreme weather has awakened communities across the country "to the need for preparedness and protection." Be sure to attend 4CLs upcoming workshop "Creating Resilient Cities through Emergency Preparedness and Adaptation Strategies" on February 28th. (See Upcoming Events)
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Economics
The Scary Truth About How Much Climate Change is Costing You. A series of scientific reports have singled out Norfolk as one of the nation's cities most vulnerable to flooding and economic devastation as a result of sea-level rise-second only to New Orleans. As incidents of extreme weather mount, so do the costs to taxpayers. Congress allocated $61 billion to pay for superstorm Sandy. Taxpayers also paid out a record $20 billion in federal crop-insurance claims in 2012, to cover the devastating losses from the record drought that scorched the nation's heartland last summer. View the Full Article. Tackling Climate Change and Poverty-Protect Job Training. By preparing more Americans to work in industries like wind, solar and energy efficiency, and in building and maintaining green infrastructure like stormwater systems, technological innovation and expansion will help make us a global leader in the new clean energy economy. In just one state -- California -- workforce development programs helped 2,739,393 people find jobs or gain valuable training for employment in 2010 alone, at a time when the unemployment rate hovered above 12 percent. View the Full Article. |
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Science
Not Just Global Climate Change, But Regional Shifts. Scientists have long wondered why some regions of the world experience warmer winters than predicted by global climate models. The answer, according to new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change, lies in regional variations caused by heat radiating from densely populated urban areas. According to the report, the effects of waste heat from human energy consumption in the world's biggest cities can be felt as far as a thousand miles away, causing regional fevers and chills of nearly two degrees Fahrenheit. View the Full Article.
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Upcoming Events
Contra Costa County Climate Leader's (4CL) workshop "Creating Resilient Cities through Emergency Preparedness and Adaptation Strategies" - Thursday, February 28th 8:30 am - noon, Alex Clark Room, 880 Tennent Avenue, Pinole, CA (Doors open 8 am for networking. Networking and snacks 12 to 12:30 pm) Please join fellow Contra Costa County decision makers to hear about legislative and program updates; resources and funding, and other cities sharing best practices and examples of how they are identifying their potential vulnerabilities and increasing their city resiliency so as to better adapt to inevitable impacts of climate change. Various local governments will present their actions through General Plan updates, Climate Action Plans, Local Resilience Action Plans, policies, education, outreach, and practice! This is a FREE event however, space is limited, so register today: info@cccclimateleaders.org or call 925-631-0597.
2013 Climate Leadership Conference. February 27 to March 1, 2013, Washington, DC. This conference provides for an annual exchange for addressing global climate change through policy, innovation, and business solutions. Register now to join forward-thinking leaders from business, government, academia, and the non-profit community as they discuss best practices for integrating climate change strategies while improving the bottom line. Click Here to Register.
Feeding Cities: Food Security in a Rapidly Urbanizing World. March 13-15, 2013, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This international conference will examine the critical relationship between urbanization and food security throughout the world, and strategies to provide a sustainable, nutritious, and affordable diet to the world's burgeoning urban population. Speakers and attendees will delve into the interrelated issues of supply, demand, environment, geography, and governance, as well as urban food access, price, and distribution. Click here for more information about the conference.
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