By Kevin McCarty
June 28, 2010

Chicago (IL) Mayor Richard M. Daley and North Little Rock (AR) Mayor Patrick Henry Hays were honored June 11 as the 2010 Mayors Climate Protection Award winners during the opening plenary session of the Conference's 78th Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City.

Daley won for his Chicago Climate Action Plan (CCAP), with Hays recognized for North Little Rock's "Think Global, Act Local" Strategy. Both cities were selected as first place winners in their respective categories (i.e., large city and small city) as part of the 4th Annual Mayors Climate Protection Awards, a program sponsored by The U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Awards are presented each year to mayors for innovative city practices that increase energy efficiency and curb greenhouse gas emissions.

"The Chicago Climate Action Plan (CCAP) is the next step in implementing Mayor Daley's 21-year vision for environmental sustainability for our city," said Joshua Milberg, First Deputy Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Environment, in accepting the award. "We have been trying to lead by example in the City of Chicago, and the CCAP has helped us continue on this journey."

Citing the Conference for its leadership on climate protection and the critical role of cities on these issues, Milberg said, "It is cities and local governments that will drive sustainability into the future."

In receiving his award, Hays said, "We made things happen through our partnerships." In more personnel comments, he talked about his grandchildren and the need to secure their future as the source of his inspiration for acting on climate and sustainability during his 22-year mayoral career. Hays also praised his colleagues, urging them to "keep going because we have a lot of work to do."

Representing the sponsor of the awards event was Matt Kistler, Senior Vice President of Sustainability for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., who acknowledged the important work of mayors on climate protection and his company's global leadership on sustainability. "Walmart continues to partner with this organization and mayors to honor cities and their mayors…to find new innovative ways that we can all work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to increase energy efficiency, and, most importantly, the improved quality of life in our communities."

"Our customers are asking about the true life cycle of our products. These desires inspired us to develop our sustainability index," Kistler said, explaining how this index will help support increased transparency on products to better inform customers "about the sustainability of a product at the point of purchase."

In her remarks opening the special awards session, Conference President Burnsville (MN) Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz praised Walmart as "a very supportive and energetic partner of the Conference and the nation's mayors." She reminded her colleagues that because of the work of the Conference and the nation's mayors, "energy block grants are now directly funding about 1,250 cities and their energy and climate efforts. Sustained, annual funding for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program — in the regular appropriations process and as part of any national climate legislation — remains a top Conference priority."

"As we meet today, Senators Kerry and Lieberman are circulating a draft energy and climate plan with no EECBG funding in it," Kautz said.

CCAP is a blueprint for a more sustainable future that partners with foundations, national recognized researchers, non-profit organizations, community and environmental groups, and corporate partners. Launched in 2008, CCAP is a roadmap of five strategies with 35 actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to climate change. CCAP's ultimate goal is to achieve an 80 percent reduction below 1990 GHG emission levels by 2050, with a midterm goal of a 25 percent reduction below 1990 levels by 2020.

Built on a policy that local climate change can provide economic and quality of life benefits, even in America's smaller cities, North Little Rock has become a leader in local and regional climate change policies that touch citizen where they live, work and play. Beginning in 1990, North Little Rock's strategy of "Think Global, Act Local" and its belief that sustainable climate change initiatives must logically begin at the individual citizen level has resulted in substantial greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, quality of life improvements and job creation.

Finalists in the Large City Category: