Achieving carbon neutrality in Irvine will begin with neighborhoods – Orange County Register

To achieve their city-wide carbon neutrality goal by the end of the decade, Irvine leaders are starting at the core of the city — in neighborhoods and individual households, where they argue. Changes can make a big difference.

Using a $1 million grant, Irvine leaders plan to implement a fundamental strategy to help reduce emissions by 2030 through the Cool Cities Challenge, a program run by the Empowerment Institute. Create and fund to support cities with a carbon neutral goal. Irvine is one of three California cities to receive this grant; City Hall will use the money to educate residents on climate issues and create a policy and technology strategy to reduce Irvine’s footprint.

The “Cool Irvine” campaign officially begins today, January 13.

Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan said achieving the climate goal would not be a “top-down” effort. “It’s like a grassroots effort where we have neighborhoods that will work together to achieve a goal.”

More than 200 residents have signed up for Irvine’s Cool Block program, said the city’s environmental programs manager, Sona Coffee.

The first 35 to 40 residents will begin later this month, recruiting groups of 5 to 8 from their neighbors who will meet to learn about how to prepare for power outages and disasters, reduce household carbon footprint and water consumption and maintain future energy efficiency.

Over the next two years, lessons will be spread out in blocks as new teams form about every five months, Coffee said.

Solar panels sit atop a parking structure at the Los Olivos Community Center in Irvine, CA. The city is one of three California cities selected to receive a $1 million grant from the Empowerment Institute. The money is part of the Cool Cities Challenge that aims to help cities achieve carbon neutrality. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register / SCNG)

Cities contribute significantly to climate change, estimated about 70% of the world’s carbon emissionsShweta Sanjeev, Irvine program manager for the Cool City Challenge. Among the leading global contributors to greenhouse gas emissions are the burning of fossil fuels to power and heat buildings and transport modes, according to EPA.

Key sources in households include appliances that run on natural gas or home heating and cooling mechanisms, along with the types of vehicles people drive and how often, she said.

“Changing the way cities approach climate change and become more climate resilient, reducing their carbon footprint and reducing their environmental impact will help us effectively combat climate change more,” said Sanjeev.

The Empowerment Institute is raising money to help more cities across the state and country adopt a carbon neutral goal. Scaling the Great Cities Challenge is “how we can make the impact at the speed we need,” says Sanjeev.

In one Cool Block test program lasts 17 months conducted in the cities of Palo Alto, Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2016 and 2017, participating households reduced their carbon footprint by an average of 32%.

According to research findings, the most common actions people take to reduce emissions in their homes are reducing waste and using hot water, implementing efficient lighting, switching to 100% energy. renewable, incorporate a more vegetarian diet and use energy-saving means.

Khan hopes Irvine’s involvement will spur other cities to set similar climate goals, “because we’re not going to solve the climate crisis with just one city,” she said. “It’s going to get everyone doing their part.”

Along with reaching people in their homes, the first $500,000 of the grant will also help the city create a climate action strategy.

In the third year of the Cool City Challenge, Irvine will present his game plan to the Empowerment Institute. A second $500,000 grant will be allocated “if all of that is approved and we have an innovative approach and proposal in it for how we will achieve carbon neutrality,” said Coffee. speak.

With the second half of the funding, the city will have the funding to start making changes across Irvine, she said.

The city’s carbon-neutral strategy will come from the input of multiple city committees, including groups on climate policy, renewable energy and climate mitigation technology, Sanjeev said. community involvement and climate finance. Irvine’s plan will look at the city’s buildings, transportation, and energy resources to implement policies and programs that can “combine to achieve the effects we’re looking for, ‘ said Khan.

“That’s where we’ll need help from many of our community partners, looking at some of our older buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to see better ways to help people transition. switch from gas cars to electric cars,” said Khan.

“So all of this is really going to add up and help us achieve those goals.”

If Irvine creates a successful strategy, Coffee said, officials will be eligible to apply for some portion of the $25 million Cool Cities Challenge Innovation Fund available to all participating cities. join the program. Irvine leaders will also look at opportunities for state and federal funding to accomplish their goals, Khan said.

And support from private sources can be helpful. Ygrene, a company that helps fund energy-efficient home improvement projects, announced Wednesday it will commit $240 million to finance projects in Irvine and Two other California cities are currently participating in the Cool City Challenge, Los Angeles and Petaluma.

Khan said she “hops” to have more residents sign up over the next few years to turn their neighborhoods into interesting Blocks, adding that “the goal here is to do what works. neighborhood and not a citywide policy, but helping our neighbors find what works best for them and helping them get there.”

https://www.ocregister.com/2022/01/13/reaching-carbon-neutral-in-irvine-will-start-with-neighborhoods/ Achieving carbon neutrality in Irvine will begin with neighborhoods – Orange County Register

Huynh Nguyen

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