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8A Page 2 resources within cities and environmental organizations. Such a framework will connect these resources at the grassroots level in order to mobilize and support neighborhoods to take action together with the City to positively impact global warming. Addressing the climate crisis at the local level could include immediate and long-term solutions that promote sustainable practices in everyday life, and support community building among neighbors. Outlined below are several climate protection initiatives in which the City could participate, each entailing a different level of commitment and resources, and each offering a variety of resources. 1. Sierra Club's Cool Cities CampaiQn . This initiative is a broad-based grass roots approach, primarily providing information resources to cities and communities to assist them in reducing their carbon footprint. The Cool Cities Campaign generally entails a city 1) signing the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, 2) conducting a global warming emissions inventory (to obtain an emissions baseline), 3) creating a "solutions plan" for reducing emissions, and 4) implementing the plan and monitoring progress. There is no cost to sign the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, or to take advantage of the Sierra Club's informational resources. The initiative's standard emission reduction goal is to reduce carbon dioxide pollution to 7% below 1990 levels by the year 2012, primarily through green vehicle fleets, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. The Sierra Club representatives have explained, though, that there is flexibility for each city to set their own goals and timelines, in fact every city's energy solutions plan will be unique. Their key objective is to get cities and communities involved and moving in the direction of reducing emissions. According to the Sierra Club, more than 200 mayors representing 42 million Americans in 38 states have so far signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement to reduce carbon dioxide pollution in their cities. Many of these cities have taken various levels of action in the areas of fleet vehicle replacement, energy efficiency, and renewable energy, toward reducing their carbon footprints. Since there is no immediate out-of-pocket cost associated with this initiative, staff recommends that Redwood City authorize the Mayor to sign the U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement. At a later time, staff will come back to Council with a specific recommendation for Council's consideration regarding reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Signing the agreement does not in and of itself commit the City to a particular level of action; rather, this puts Redwood City on record as taking the first step in addressing the issue of climate protection in our community. 2. Sustainable Silicon Vallev . Sustainable Silicon Valley (S8V) brings together local private and public partners to share information, methods, and technologies for addressing climate change,