Cool Cities Campaign Overview

Glen Brand

Cool Cities Campaign Director

Breaking the GW Impasse

• Change the national political landscape by building a consensus from the ground up.

• We can do this by engaging citizens, organizations and local decision-makers, and by demonstrating that clean energy solutions are feasible, fiscally sound, and politically popular.

Cool Cities Strategy

• Phase 1: Building the Grassroots Base• Phase 2: Implementing Clean Energy

Solutions• Phase 3: Forming New Generation of

Citizen and Political Leadership • Phase 4: Creating Demand for State and

National Action

What are Cool Cities?

• Local Communities Making a Commitment to Solve Global Warming

• Putting Proven Smart Energy Solutions to Work

• Sierra Club’s major grassroots organizing vehicle on global warming

Smart Energy Solutions at Work

• Cities Are Already Succeeding with Smart Energy Solutions

• Reducing Global Warming and Air Pollution

• Cutting Energy Use & Lowering Energy Bills

• Saving Tax Dollars

Local Smart Energy Solutions

• Energy Efficiency• Renewable Energy• “Green” Vehicles

• Land Use/Transportation

Right now, 522 cities from 50 states, representing 66 million people, have committed to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement (7% below 1990 levels by 2012)

Cool Cities Comes in all Sizes and Places

• From North Pole, AK to Key West • Over half (278 cities) are cities with

populations under 50k• 96 cities with populations under 10k

N.E. Leadership• 229 cities (43%) in N.E. region states

• NJ (62)• NY (21)• MA (19)• CT (13)• PA (11)• ME (9)• NH (7)• RI (3)• VT (1)

Major Campaign Accomplishments

• Over 100 Cities Sign Mayors’ Agreement

• Over 150 Active Local Campaigns

• 50 Cities Implemented Smart Energy Solutions (Energy Efficiency, Cleaner Vehicles, Renewal Power)

• Partnerships (Unions, LWV, Faith Groups, Businesses, Schools, HFH, USGBC, ICLEI, Climate Group, etc)

• Cool Cities Activist Trainings

• Online Community of Cool Activists

• Recruited Mayors as State/National Advocates

Upcoming Cool Cities Projects

• Major Renovation of Cool Cities website

June-July launch

• Club-Wide Cool Cities Volunteer Mobilization

Cool Cities Projects

• Cool Counties InitiativeMid-July launch at NACO

convention in Richmond, King Co. (Seattle), Miami-Dade, Nassau, Alameda, Fairfax and Arlington, Dane

and others

Cool Cities Projects

• Comprehensive Mayor Climate Protection Guide

Partnership between Sierra Club, ICLEI, U.S. Green Building Council, PG&E, Alameda County and the Cities of Seattle, SF, Denver, Albuquerque, Dallas, KC, Grand Rapids and Portland.

Cool Cities Projects

• Co-hosting June 12 webcast for Local Government Staff

• Staff presentations on the Climate Action Plans of Kansas City and Keene, NH

Cool Cities Projects

• Mayoral Gatherings in NH, IA, NJ, and WA

• Organizing Mayor News event at US Conference Mayors June meeting in L.A.

• More Activist Trainings

• New Resources about CAPs, Best Practices and Smart Growth/Transportation