By Kay Scrimger
November 8, 2010

Conference President Burnsville (MN) Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz addressed the European Green Capital Conference 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden, October 20-22, highlighting U.S. mayors' comprehensive climate protection strategies in their cities.

Organized by the European Commission of the European Union (EU) and hosted by Stockholm Mayor Sten Nordin, recipient of the first Green Capital Award (2010), the European Capital City Conference 2010 brought together local and regional leaders from across Europe and elsewhere.

The EU, Stockholm, and the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm extended their wish to make sure that the activities of U.S. mayors were included and highlighted at the conference.

Kautz emphasized U.S. mayors' commitment and comprehensive approach to climate protection. "Through their efforts, U.S. mayors are encouraging and bringing about significant attitudinal and behavioral changes in our people to mitigate climate change. We are also working hard to convince the U.S. Congress and Administration to provide the support we need to strengthen local climate protection efforts," Kautz said.

"But mayors are not waiting for our federal government to act. We are developing environmental and energy efficiency strategies and making decisions for the good of our people and communities and to ensure the future of our planet."

Kautz outlined Conference of Mayors' climate protection efforts, including:

• Promulgation of the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, set forth on February 15, 2005, the day the Kyoto Treaty went into effect, without the U.S. government's commitment. In her remarks, Kautz said, "To symbolize the 141 nations that signed the Kyoto Treaty, 141 mayors signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement on February 15, 2005. They pledged to reduce carbon emissions in their communities by seven percent from 1990 levels. To date 1,044 U.S. mayors have signed the U.S. Climate Protection Agreement;"

• Establishment of the Climate Protection Center in 2007, which provides technical assistance to mayors, gathers and disseminates information on climate protection, and develops national conferences, including the largest U.S. conference on climate protection ever assembled in the nation, held in Seattle in fall, 2007;

• Sharing best practices with mayors around the world, and

• Strong advocacy to obtain resources from the U.S. government to strengthen climate protection efforts at the local level.

In addition to her leadership of Conference of Mayors' climate protection initiatives, Kautz described Burnsville's climate protection efforts in which her city has:

• Shifted nearly two-thirds of its automotive fleet to low emission E85 fuel, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 164 tons;

• Converted virtually all traffic signals and flashers to LED bulbs, reducing green gas emissions by 60 percent, or 204 tons, compared to 2005;

• Decreased greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas by city water system pumps by 61 percent, or 420 tons since 2005;

• Installed a $5 million geothermal ice center plant recently that will reduce electricity use by 11 percent and natural gas use by 80 percent;

• Increased use of solar energy; and

• Captured methane gas from its landfill to power homes and businesses, thus reducing carbon emissions.

In addition to working closely with the EU and Stockholm to develop the conference, U.S. Ambassador to Sweden Matthew Barzun hosted the delegates at the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm and for a special reception in their honor at the Ambassador's Residence.

The United States Conference of Mayors was represented by Kautz and Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran.

During the meeting, Kautz and Cochran met with President Mercedes Bresso of the EU's assembly of local and regional officials – the Committee of the Regions (CoR). They focused on next steps for their cooperation arising from their Memorandum of Understanding on climate protection signed October 5, 2010.

The National League of Cities also organized and supported a mayoral delegation to the conference, which included: NLC President Riverside (CA) Mayor Ron Loveridge, Minneapolis (MN) Mayor R. T. Rybak, Tallahassee (FL) Mayor John R. Marks III, Madison (WI) Mayor David Cieslewicsz, Portland (OR) Mayor Sam Adams, Portsmouth (NH) Mayor Thomas G. Ferrini, and Bayfield (WI) Mayor Larry MacDonald.