Washington, DC
November 3, 2006

Atlanta 2nd Energy Summit

Forty-eight percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the USA comes from our buildings. In Atlanta last week at our 2nd Energy and Environment Summit, presided over by Conference President Mike Guido and hosted by Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, over 120 mayors, developers, retailers and architects came not just to talk about the problem. They came to report on what mayors are doing about it. Throughout the nation, mayors are teaming up with architects, developers, and non-profit groups to meet our goal to make all buildings in our nation carbon neutral by 2030.

Mr. Ed Mazria, President of Mazria Inc. of Santa Fe, gave us another brilliant key noted address. Mr. Mazria, with his power point presentation, talks about the global warming challenge in a way the average citizen can understand. He is recognized in his field and presents scientific facts that scare us. And then he calms us down by telling each of us what we can do, as mayors, developers, and homeowners to help meet the 2030 carbon neutral building goal.

It’s not just about building new buildings on virgin lots or green fields. Mazria gives us the facts: we renovate five billion square feet, we build five billion of new construction and tear down 1.75 billion square feet each year.

The question is how do we renovate, modernize and/or build anew. Retailers, like Home Depot, are stepping up to the plate by offering a new line of products for homeowners who do their own renovation with or without the assistance of developers or contractors.

We went to Atlanta because Atlanta is leading the way, as it is going through yet another renaissance that started in the late 1800s after General Sherman went through there on his famous march burning it to the ground. Mayor Franklin talks business when she talks about green buildings in Atlanta. She emphasizes that her large operation sites, like Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson Airport, has given the city the opportunity to reduce operating costs, as well as make the large sites support healthier and more productive residents.

But commercial buildings, city owned or privately owned, were not the only focus in Atlanta. Throughout the nation, the mayor has some control over the design of city-owned buildings and the mayor can set the example and push the private sector to follow. That is happening in a number of cities.

One of the primary obstacles however, has been the developers and buildings in the residential sector. In Atlanta, we had outstanding presentations of “green” builders. There are builders who are building green and making money so that it is green all the way around. Everyone wins.

Mayor Franklin reports that over 13 million square feet coming from over 50 LEED certified projects exist today in Atlanta.

We thank Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer, Austin Mayor Will Wynn, Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz and Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez for chairing most innovative sessions during our Summit. All mayors brought assets to these discussions. I continue to be absolutely fascinated by what is happening in our energy/environment sessions. Mayors come; they share. They ask questions; they probe. They don’t want to leave; they aren’t restless. They are learning. We, at the city level, do what we can do to get this nation past first base toward energy independence, to save this planet from the sun burning miles off our coastal shores. That’s what will happen if we don’t do anything, if we stay the course. Scientists have proven what is going to happen by as early as 2050 if we do nothing. That’s why we have joined through a resolution passed in Las Vegas last June with the American Institute of Architects and other groups to reach the goal of carbon neutral in all buildings by 2030. Ed Mazria says we can do it. He and other national experts are praising mayors and they are telling others that we are the key to one of the most serious challenges our planet faces in the not too distant future.

Conference President Guido, along with Vice President Palmer and Advisory Board Chair Diaz, have all pledged to keep the 2030 challenge before us and promote best practices during the coming years ahead. Hundreds of mayors have signed on to the Mayors Climate Protection Initiative, led by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. Atlanta was, and our future meetings will continue to be, about implementation, using best practices and new practices, to help us meet the 2030 challenge.

This month, our leadership heads to Sundance (UT) where, at the invitation of Mr. Robert Redford, they will participate in another energy and environmental summit. In Sundance, as in Chicago at our first energy summit and at our second one last week in Atlanta, mayors will share, learn and “spread the green gospel.” It’s most important that there is an economic factor in all these discussions and the fact that we can have green building and save money and make money. In other words, its profitable and that is the American way.

We will, of course, bring this challenge for more action to our January Winter Meeting next year.

Mayors will also urge the new Congress to put the issue of energy independence and climate protection on its lists of priorities as they come forward from this current election to hopefully be more real and more productive about doing something that will benefit our nation and the people that sent them to Congress.

And then there is the Presidential season for the quest for the nomination of the Republican and Democratic Party, which lifts off in full swing once these mid-term elections are over next week. We will ask every Presidential candidate to join us in the energy and environmental challenge of 2030. And further, we will ask our new President to get serious about global warming as he or she leads our nation and as he or she works with other nations on our globe to work in harmony to save it from our own destruction for our children and grandchildren.

It is truly a global challenge. And it is not about just thinking local. It’s about doing it at the local level. Our mayors are doing it. That was the story in Atlanta. And its just the beginning. Stay tuned. If you want more information about what others are doing, what we are doing and where we are going, contact Debra DeHaney Howard at 202-861-6702 or send e-mail to ddehaney@usmayors.org or Judy Sheahan at 202-861-6775 or send e-mail to jsheahan@usmayors.org.

Don’t forget to vote on Tuesday. And please, please. Just send us people to Washington that will work with us. This is all we ask. This is all we need.