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!
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Newsletter Contributors:
Content:
Anne Cavazos
4CL Consultant
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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Funding
USDA Farm to School Grant Program- $5 million. Due: April 24, 2013
The purpose of the Program is to assist implementation of programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools. The program's grants help eligible schools foster sustainability by connecting with local agricultural producers and help improve the health and well-being of their students. For more information, visit the funding synopsis.
Bikes Belong Community Partnership Grants. Due: May 24, 2013
The Bikes Belong Coalition welcomes grant applications from organizations and agencies within the United States that are committed to putting more people on bicycles more often. Fundable projects include paved bike paths, bike lanes, and rail-to-trails, as well as large-scale bicycle advocacy initiatives. View Grant 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
Danville Environmental Sustainability Efforts and Plans. Danville has made important strides in their efforts to become more environmentally sustainable. The Town Council will be looking at additional policies aimed at reducing the Town's carbon footprint through further improving fleet-wide fuel efficiency for the Town's vehicles, installation of solar energy panels at Town facilities, and additional recycling efforts. View the Town of Danville Website.
Santa Monica "15 x 15" Climate Action Plan Approved. "The 15x15 Climate Action Plan is a short-term, action-oriented document that identifies 15 measures that, if completed by the end of 2015, would achieve the City's greenhouse gas emission reduction goal. The 15 measures and associated actions are grouped in eight categories. " View the Full Article.
Four Forward-Thinking Local Governments Earn EPA Climate Leadership Awards. Boulder County, Colorado; the City of Austin, Texas; the Port of San Diego, California; and the Sonoma County Water Agency, California, are among the 23 recipients of EPA's 2013 Climate Leadership Awards. The Climate Leadership Awards recognize and incentivize exemplary corporate, organizational, and individual leadership in response to climate change. Local governments are encouraged to apply for the next round of awards. Learn about the current application and eligibility criteria.
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Other City News
Massachusetts Communities Chosen for Clean Energy Pilot. Six municipal governments and regional planning authorities will participate in a $500,000 pilot program consisting of financial and technical assistance to help local communities identify energy efficiency, renewable energy and other clean energy strategies to meet local energy needs. View the Full Article.
459 kW Solar Project Completed for Gila Bend Water Treatment Facility. A PV system at the Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Facility is expected to offset the energy usage of the water treatment facility by 86 percent, which will save money for the Town through reduced utility bills. "As part of our strategic focus on renewables and PV to drive down electric costs..." said the Town Manager. View the Full Article.
Minneapolis Commercial Buildings to Report Energy Use in 2014. Minneapolis officials approved a city ordinance intended to increase energy awareness that requires large commercial buildings to report energy and water use annually, beginning in 2014. Minneapolis is the first Midwest city to adopt an energy benchmarking and disclosure rule for commercial buildings. EPA's Portfolio Manager, free software that measures the building's energy and water performance, generates a score and other metrics, similar to a fuel economy rating on a vehicle. Cities that already have this requirement include Austin, Texas; New York; Philadelphia; San Francisco; Seattle and Washington, D.C. View the full article.
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Legislation
Energy Storage Gets Big Boost in Los Angeles (AB 2514). The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has told Southern California Edison it must procure at least 50 MW of capacity in the Los Angeles basin from energy storage resources. AB 2514 requires the CPUC to establish appropriate 2015 and 2020 energy storage procurement targets for California load serving entities, if cost effective and commercially viable by October 2013. Implementation of AB 2514 is already well underway at the CPUC via the Energy Storage Rulemaking (R.10-12-007). View the Full Article. AB 1532 and SB 535 Cap and Trade Update. In September 2012, the Legislature passed and Governor Brown signed into law two bills - AB 1532 (Pérez, Chapter 807) and Senate Bill (SB) 535 (De León, Chapter 830) - that together establish a framework for developing an investment plan for projects and programs to be funded with Cap-and-Trade auction proceeds. Finance will develop and submit to the Legislature a 3-year investment plan for the auction proceeds. The investment plan will identify the State's greenhouse gas emission reduction goals and priority programs for investment of proceeds to support achievement of those goals. ARB will hold a public hearing to discuss the draft plan this Spring (tentatively scheduled for April 25-26, 2013). Finance will submit the final plan to the Legislature in May 2013. USDA Proposes Standards to Provide Healthy Food Options in Schools. The public comment period has opened on proposed new standards to ensure that children have access to healthy food options in school. "Parents and teachers work hard to instill healthy eating habits in our kids, and these efforts should be supported when kids walk through the schoolhouse door," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 requires USDA to establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools -- beyond the federally-supported school meals programs. View the Bulletin.
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Impacts
Air Pollution Boosts a Child's Chance of Getting Cockroach-Related Asthma. In New York City's East Harlem, a startling 19 percent of 5-year-olds have asthma, according to a report from the New York City Department of Health. Results from a study published on Feb. 6 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that exposure to a certain type of air pollution found in diesel exhaust and other combustion-related byproducts can increase the likelihood of developing a cockroach allergy. View the Full Report.
Phoenix's Too Hot Future. This editorial covers the impacts of potentially failing power supply and unsustainable water supply on the Phoenix area in a Sandy or Katrina-style disaster. View the Full Article.
Will The Next Pope Tackle Climate Change? The next pope is poised to become a key voice on the issue of climate change by helping the international community find solutions to the climate crisis. The compulsion for the pope to act on climate change isn't just based in science. Catholic teaching insists that believers put the poor and vulnerable first, and inaction to save the most susceptible is considered immoral. View the Full Article.
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Economics
Fresno Unified Wants Energy Funds Linked To Poverty, Climate. Fresno Unified leaders urged state lawmakers to consider poverty and extreme weather conditions when granting $2.5 billion in Proposition 39 funds to improve energy efficiency in schools. Fresno Unified, the fourth-largest district in the state, has higher energy usage than coastal districts because of the central San Joaquin Valley's hot summers and cold winters. View the Full Article. Proposal to Spend $2.5 Billion in Prop. 39 Money on Energy Efficiency in Schools. California spends about $700 million a year on energy for public schools. The EPA estimates the average school retrofit reduces energy costs by 30 percent -- the equivalent of hundreds of millions of dollars that could be plowed back into education budgets. De Leon's SB 39, would direct the money to making K-12 school buildings in California,70 percent of which are more than 25 years old, more energy-efficient. View the Full Article. Insurance Industry Unprepared for Climate Change. The mounting costs of hurricanes, droughts and floods have already reached catastrophic levels. But last week's assessment by Ceres on insurance and climate change revealed insurers are "not very" prepared for climate change's impacts on their business. Only 23 of the 184 companies Ceres surveyed have a "comprehensive" climate change strategy. View the Full Article. |
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Science
Reconstruction of Temperature History Shows Significance Of Recent Warming. Using data from 73 sites around the world, scientists have been able to reconstruct Earth's temperature history back to the end of the last Ice Age, revealing that the planet today is warmer than it has been during 70 to 80 percent of the time over the last 11,300 years. But in the last 100 years, the increase in CO2 through increased emissions from human activities has been significant. It is the only variable that can best explain the rapid increase in global temperatures. View the Full Report. Scientists: Individual Action, Adaptation Necessary to Halt a Changing Climate. Public awareness of climate change is waning, but the consequences of ignorance are serious because the availability of fresh food and water in Colorado and elsewhere is at stake, scientists said. Major changes from global warming are now inevitable: All the carbon dioxide emissions society has released in recent decades guarantee 5 degrees of global warming. View the Full Article. |
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Upcoming Events
The Solar Roadmap: Navigating the Evolving Solar Energy Market. March 20, 10:00-11:00 AM PDT. The Solar Roadmap platform, and its free resources, organize global best practices and make them easily accessible locally for government agencies, regional organizations, businesses and electric utilities. This webinar will review success stories and opportunities for local and state governments to make significant progress toward their renewable energy goals. Webcast Registration
Climate Change Adaptation for State and Local Governments, Part I: Achieving Buy-In for Adaptation. March 21, 10:00-11:30 AM (PDT). EPA is hosting a three-part webcast series on climate change adaptation. In Part I, experts and local government staff will discuss the importance of support for adaptation programs. Presenters will discuss the best ways to educate communities about climate impacts. Part II, "Overcoming the Uncertainty Barrier to Adaptation" will be on April 17, and Part III, "Attracting Funding for Adaptation" will be on May 1.
Webcast Registration
Pathways To 100% Renewable Energy.
April 16, 2013, Fort Mason Conference Center, San Francisco. The first international conference in the U.S. focused on 100% renewable energy targets and solutions. Come and see how international cities like San Francisco and Munich, as well as businesses and communities around the world are setting, achieving, and benefiting from 100% renewable energy targets. Hear from top global experts about cutting edge technical, policy, and financial solutions, on the ground experiences, and the added value of transitioning to 100% renewable energy. Click here to RSVP.
The Fifth C40 Cities Mayors Summit. February 4-6 2014. Johannesburg. New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Chair of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) and Johannesburg Mayor Parks Tau announced that the city of Johannesburg, will host the Summit Hundreds of urban leaders from around the world will join mayors from the world's largest cities for three days to advance urban solutions to combat the impacts of global climate change. Combined, C40 cities have the potential to reduce future emissions by up to 1.3 billion tons by 2030. View C40 Event site.
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