By Kay Scrimger
April 25, 2011

U.S. Conference of Mayors President Burnsville (MN) Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz addressed the fourth annual Energy Efficiency Global Forum on April 13 in Brussels.

The three-day forum, organized by the Alliance to Save Energy and its counterpart the European Alliance to Save Energy, combined plenary sessions, workshops, and exhibits on energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. The forum took place within the European Union's week of "Green Days," showcasing achievements of European cities in climate protection.

In her session – entitled "Meeting the Challenge: Moving from Policy Directives to Implementation" – Kautz described how, regardless of their city's size, U.S. mayors are the movers and shakers, implementing local strategies and pushing the national government to provide support for these programs.

The United States Conference of Mayors is a strong force for mayors, through its advocacy, Climate Protection Center, conferences, best practices, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

Kautz described the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which 141 mayors launched and signed on February 16, 2005, the day that the Kyoto Treaty went into effect in 141 countries, but without the participation of the United States government. Today, 1,049 mayors have signed this agreement.

Kautz illustrated how her own city has moved through policy directives to implementation. Early in the process, Burnsville engaged the community in a visioning process, which highlighted the environment as an area of great importance to residents. The visioning process led to a Sustainability Guide Plan, which set forth specific strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency.

In 2010, the city inventoried its greenhouse gas emissions, elucidating its carbon footprint. Armed with this information, the city put into place tools for everyone in the community to use, including a green building guide, and conducted systematic outreach to residents and businesses informing them of effective ways to reduce energy costs. Community education and incentives to residents and businesses followed.

The results are that Burnsville has:

• Shifted nearly two-thirds of its automotive fleet to low emission E85 fuel and is beginning to transition its vehicle stock to hybrids.

• Converted over 98 percent of all traffic signals and flashers to LED bulbs, reducing greenhouse emissions and energy costs by 60 percent.

• Decreased greenhouse gas emissions at its water treatment plant by 61 percent since 2005.

• Recently installed a $5 million improvement at its geothermal ice center plant that is reducing electricity cost by $77,000 per year.

• Increased the use of solar energy.

• Encouraged its business community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide alternative energy.

In addition, Waste Management, owner of the landfill has built a methane collection plant to capture methane gas that residents and businesses can choose as an alternative source of energy.

Thus, Kautz emphasized, "Moving policy into action works best when

• the community is engaged at the front end,

• a vision is defined,

• Strategies for success are outlined, and

• everyone has bought into the goals, objectives and methods for success."

Kautz and Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran have worked hard to strengthen U.S.-European mayors- cooperation. They work closely with the European Union's assembly of regional and local officials – the Committee of the Regions – as well as with the Covenant of Mayors of the European Commission, which assists and oversees strong climate protection programs in European cities.

Representing the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Brussels in October 2010, Kautz signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Conference of Mayors and the Committee of the Regions of the European Union focused on cooperation between European and U.S. mayors to further climate protection.

Kautz addressed the Committee of the Regions in Brussels in October 2009 and October 2010. She traveled to Stockholm in October 2009 to join with Stockholm Mayor Stem Nordic an issuing an appeal to world leaders to recognize the central role that mayors play in climate protection and was in Stockholm in October 2010 to participate in the Green Capitals Conference.

In its material, the Alliance to Save Energy (ASE) describes itself as "the only national nonprofit, bipartisan public policy organization working in strategic partnership with businesses, government, environmental, educational and consumer leaders to foster a more vibrant marketplace for energy-efficient products and promote the efficient use of energy worldwide." U.S. Senators Hubert H. Humphrey (MN) and Charles Percy (IL) founded the Alliance in 1977.

Its counterpart in Europe – the European Alliance to Save Energy (EASE) – was founded in 2010. It works to promote energy efficiency in Europe through strategic partnerships and was also an organizer and participant in the Brussels Forum.