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<br />REPORT <br /> <br />8A <br />Page 1 <br /> <br />To the Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />From the City Mana9;er <br /> <br />April 23, 2007 <br /> <br />Subject <br />Climate Protection Activities and Initiatives <br /> <br />Recommendation <br />1. Provide direction to staff on whether Council would like to be presented with <br />budget options for addressing the issue of climate protection (Le. different <br />potential levels of activity), and <br />2. Direct the Mayor to sign the U.S. Mayms Climate Protection Agreement (Le. Cool <br />Cities Campaign) <br /> <br />Background <br />At the Council meeting of January 22nd, 2007, staff provided an overview of our efforts <br />in identifying and addressing the environmental effects of how the City conducts <br />business. This effort has included continual research on the latest technologies and <br />methods for providing City services in an environmentally-friendly manner. Over the last <br />few years, the City has taken specific actions, from retrofitting traffic lights, converting <br />incandescent light fixtures, and replacing boilers with more efficient equipment, to <br />substantial water conservation, widespread tree-plantings, replacement of fleet vehicles <br />with hybrid models, incorporating a "green" philosophy in our Planning function, and <br />more. <br /> <br />VVe fee! these actions have had a significant impact on the City's carbon footprint, and <br />have also resulted in cost savings in many cases. <br /> <br />As you know, City staff has recently taken the next step in furthering our efforts to find <br />ways to reduce carbon emissions and energy use, through the formation of an ad hoc <br />staff committee which has been in contact with the Sierra Club about its Cool Cities <br />Campaign. Our goal through these efforts is to more deliberately bring to Redwood City, <br />and its residents, energy solutions that help to curb global warming, protect the <br />environment, save taxpayer dollars, and create a healthier community. <br /> <br />Given the budget reductions of the last few years, the level of the City's participation in <br />fully examining and implementing the variety of climate protection initiatives and tools <br />will depend on the level of additional funding. We are aggressIvely pursuing several <br />grants (with some volunteer assistance) which, if successful, will allow us to fund a <br />temporary full-time position dedicated to bringing Redwood City to the forefront of local <br />efforts to address climate protection. With this additional staff resource, we can create a <br />pilot program in Redwood City which will strive to develop a civic engagement and <br />environmental action framework around climate protection, building on existing <br />