By Lina Garcia
July 16, 2007

The U.S. Conference of Mayors held its inaugural climate protection awards program at a June 23 luncheon session, which also featured other Conference-led activities to support the efforts of mayors throughout the U.S. on climate protection.

The annual awards program and the Survey on Mayoral Leadership on Climate Protection that was publicly released at the session are new initiatives of the Conference’s Mayors Climate Protection Center, established at the direction of Conference President Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer. At the session, key Conference leaders also reported on efforts to secure enactment of an Energy and Environment Block Grant during the 110th Congress; a top legislative priority in President Palmer’s Mayors 10-Point Plan, and new milestones on signatories to the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

Miami Mayor Manny Diaz who presided over the Climate Protection lunch, thanked U.S. mayors for their leadership over the years to reduce energy dependency in cities, especially due to a lack of federal action. Diaz’s leadership not only in Miami but also throughout Florida has resulted in more than two dozen mayors recently pledging support for The U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. In his remarks, Diaz praised mayors for working with Congress to support the passage of an Energy and Environmental Block Grant. As of the meeting in Los Angeles, the U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive energy bill that includes a block grant program, engaging a new partnership between the federal government and cities, counties, and states to help address climate protection and energy dependency throughout America.  “At our Winter Meeting in January, the block grant was announced as part of our 10-Point Plan, and we thank mayors for carrying that message forward by working with their Senators to gain support,” he said. Specifically, Diaz urged mayors to contact their Representatives to urge support for final House action on an energy bill that also includes the block grant.

During the convening of hundreds of mayors, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, who serves as Co-Chair of the Conference’s Climate Protection Task Force and also initiated the campaign for signatories to The U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, highlighted that as of early June, 540 mayors had signed the agreement. In his speech, Nickels announced that Diaz brought an additional list of 27 Florida mayors who have now joined the pledge, and Des Moines Mayor T.M. Franklin Cownie also submitted 25 additional names of Iowa mayors. “Earlier this year, we announced a goal to have 500 mayors sign onto our climate agreement and today I report that nearly 600 mayors have joined,” said Nickels. “Together we represent 67 million Americans, with more than twenty percent of all citizens in the U.S. now living in cities. So we are no longer a symbolic movement, but we are a reality that is catching the attention of the world.”

According to the first survey released by the Conference’s Mayors Climate Protection Center in Los Angeles, mayors are acting on many fronts to enhance climate protection, but without significant support from their state and federal partners.

Carmel (IN) Mayor James Brainard, who serves as Co-Chair of the Conference’s Climate Protection Task Force, presented the survey findings via a PowerPoint presentation during the session. “One way to look at the survey results is that we have thousands of individual laboratories nationwide, where every city is a trying different approaches to reduce their carbon footprint,” said Brainard. “So in essence every city serves as a laboratory and the Mayors Climate Protection Center will serve as a mechanism to collect and distribute this new and valuable information.”

Rogan Kersh, Associate Dean of the Robert F Wagner School of Public Affairs at New York University, also spoke during the Climate Protection Session to reaffirm the Wagner School’s commitment to work with the Conference on a Fall meeting between mayors and university presidents on climate protection. This is a continuation of the partnership between the Conference of Mayors and the Wagner School that was announced at the January meeting.

Albuquerque (NM) Mayors Martin Chavez and Fayetteville (AR) Dan Coody were awarded First Place honors in the first annual Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards Program by The U.S. Conference of Mayors, sponsored by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

The Awards were created to recognize and honor mayors for outstanding and innovative practices that mayors are taking to increase energy efficiency in their cities, and to help curb global warming. An independent panel of judges, selected by The U.S. Conference of Mayors, determined the winning cities from a pool of over 100 applicants based on the following criteria: mayoral leadership, creativity and innovation, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and/or improved quality of life in their community.

Outstanding Achievement Awards were also received by Austin Mayor Will Wynn; Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon; and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. Honorable Mention citations were awarded to the following ten cities: Ft. Wayne, IN; Honolulu, HI; Minneapolis, MN; New York, NY; Santa Clarita, CA; Seattle, WA; Northbrook IL; Palm Desert, CA; Richardson, TX; and Santa Barbara, CA.

Actor and long-time environmental activist Ed Begley also received a Special Recognition Award for protecting the environment throughout the past 10 years. A clip of his new reality show “Living with Ed” was also played prior to the actor’s speech, depicting all the active steps that he has personally taken to lead a sustainable life.

The Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards were jointly presented by Diaz and Leslie Dach, Wal-Mart Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Government Relations. Wal-Mart Store Inc.’s support makes the Climate Protection Awards Program possible.

“These two outstanding cities, Albuquerque and Fayetteville, demonstrate that mayors are crossing geographic and population lines and are taking action now,” said Diaz. “The winning cities and their mayors also serve as a great example to other city leaders of what we can all be doing to protect the environment.”

“We’re proud to be working alongside The U.S. Conference of Mayors to raise environmental awareness, and congratulate Mayors Chavez and Coody for their outstanding dedication to energy efficiency in their cities,” said Dach. “All of the award winners recognize the need to take proactive steps to address climate change and the significant benefits these actions can have for their communities. Wal-Mart salutes each and every mayor who is promoting environmental sustainability in their city.”

Carmel (IN) Mayor James Brainard, Co-Chair of the Mayors Climate Protection Task Force, reported the key findings of the new Survey on Mayoral Leadership on Climate Protection during a special climate protection luncheon at the 75th Annual Conference of Mayors in Los Angeles. The survey report is one of the first major products of The U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Center. The survey asked mayors who have signed on to the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement questions about city vehicles, fuels and transportation; alternative energy sources; city lighting practices; green buildings; citywide efforts; and state and federal assistance. Among the key findings:

• Nearly every city has changed, or will within the next year change their lighting practices to reduce their electricity needs and improve environmental performance.

• Nearly three in four survey cities have changed, or are in the process of changing, their residential and commercial building codes and/or ordinances to encourage construction of new buildings that are energy efficient, healthy, and environmentally sustainable.

• Two-thirds of the survey cities have an individual in city government who is responsible on a full or part-time basis for the city’s climate protection activities.

• Nearly two in three of the survey cities have assessed their total greenhouse gas emissions or plan to do so in the next year. Specifically, 28 percent have already conducted such an assessment; another 37 percent plan to do so in the next year.

• More than nine in 10 of the cities (92 percent) consider efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to be part of their broader efforts to address public health concerns such as improving air quality or encouraging active living.

• If the Energy and Environmental Block Grant now pending in Congress is enacted, half of the cities will use the funds provided through it to improve community energy efficiency.

For a full copy of the Survey on Mayoral Leadership on Climate Protection, please visit usmayors.org/climateprotection.