Texas Cool Cities Campaign
Join the Gulf Coast Cool Cities Campaign!
Team Formation Meetings in Greater Houston Area
Sierra Club and Texas Interfaith Power & Light are getting more cities on board the Cool Cities train! We are expanding the Cool Cities campaign and forming teams in suburbs all around the Houston area. Be part of this positive, solutions-oriented campaign! Each team's charge is to ask its mayor to address global warming by embracing energy efficiency at the local level. This is an excellent first-time volunteer opportunity that has a specific objective and a limited time commitment. You do not have to be a member of either organization to participate. No previous experience is necessary. We'll teach you everything you need to know. RSVP is appreciated but not required. Contact Ann Drumm, anndrumm@swbell.net, 214-350-6108 or 214-675-0040 (cell).
CONROE:
When: Monday July 7, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Where: LaQuinta Inn, 4006 Sprayberry Ln., Conroe
HUMBLE:
When: Tuesday July 8, 7:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Food: Free breakfast with RSVP
Where: Luby's Deerbrook Mall, 20131 Highway 59N, Humble
BELLAIRE, WEST UNIVERSITY PLACE, SOUTHSIDE PLACE:
When: Tuesday July 8, 12:00 to 1:30 p.m.
Food: Free box lunch with RSVP
Where: Bellaire Library, 5111 Jessamine, upstairs
Allow time to park and walk 1-2 blocks since there is no reserved library parking.
STAFFORD, SUGAR LAND, MISSOURI CITY, MEADOWS PLACE:
When: Tuesday July 8, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Where: Homewood Suites, 4520 Techniplex Drive, Stafford
KATY:
When: Wednesday July 9, 7:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Food: Free breakfast with RSVP
Where: McDonald's Cinco Ranch, 22148 Westheimer Pkwy, Katy
RICHMOND, ROSENBERG:
When: Wednesday, July 9, 12:00 to 1:30 p.m.
Food: Free box lunch with RSVP
Where: George Memorial Library, Room 2B, 1001 Golfiew Dr., Richmond
DEER PARK, PASADENA, BAYTOWN, LA PORTE:
When: Wednesday July 9, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Where: Deer Park United Methodist Church, 1300 E 13th St., Deer Park
What is Cool Cities?
Cool Cities is a Sierra Club-sponsored national environmental campaign. Texas Interfaith Power and Light has joined forces with the Lone Star chapter of the Sierra Club to bring the Cool Cities campaign to Central Texas.
Cool Cities urges local leaders around the country who are fed up with state and federal government inaction on global warming to take a stand and make a difference in their area.
So what is a Cool City? These are cities that have made a commitment to stopping global warming by signing the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement. Greg Nickels. Mayor of Seattle, initiated the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement in 2005; when a mayor signs the agreement for his or her city, he or she signs on to:
1. Strive to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets in their own communities, through actions ranging from anti-sprawl land-use policies to urban forest restoration projects to public information campaigns;
2. Urge their state governments, and the federal government, to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the greenhouse gas emission reduction target suggested for the United States in the Kyoto Protocol -- 7% reduction from 1990 levels by 2012; and
3. Urge the U.S. Congress to pass the bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation, which would establish a national emission trading system
ON THIS SITE:
Become a Cool Cities Activist in Your City!
Check Out the National Cool Cities Website
What Can I Do in My Daily Life to Help the Environment?
Get Ideas: Other Cool Cities Across the Nation
Stay Updated: Recent Environmental News
Become A Cool Cities Activist in Your City!
Please email Shelby Wardlaw, the Environmental Intern, for more information on how to start a Cool Cities campaign in your city, who to contact, and how to sign up: shelby@texasimpact.org.
For Your Reference: Some Ideas for Your City
- For a step by step guide to becoming a Cool City download the official Cool Cities brochure. The brochure also has stories on successful Cool Cities across the country. The concepts are still relevant but be warned that the statistics are long outdated. Click here for the pdf document.
Get LEED building standards applied to your buildings. What are LEED standards?
Develop a Green Fleet for your city. (see Cool Cities pdf or look at the examples in the Get Ideas section of this page)
Look into Combined Heat and Power Units. What are CHPs and how do I get one?
Spread the word.
Check Out the National Cool Cities Website
The Cool Cities website has general information on the nationwide Cool Cities campaign and a full list of the cities and states involved.
Click on the Texas link in the sidebar to get a brief report on the measures taken by Texas cities so far.
What Can I Do In My Daily Life to Help The Environment?
Here is an up-to-date, easy-to-use, comprehensive page with tips for your home, business, and congregation on how to be more environmentally-friendly and energy efficient.
Get Ideas: Other Cool Cities Across the Nation
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Seattle, WA - Supposedly the "coolest" city in the country, Seattle has established a "green fleet" by downsizing and replacing all of its city-owned cars (police cars, city buses, garbage vehicles, etc.) with hybrids and by using biodiesel in many of its heavy trucks. These changes have cut the city's global warming pollution by about 2,400 tons - the equivalent of taking more than 500 cars off the road for a year.
- Seattle also has programs underway trying to reduce the city's use of paper by 30%, encourage neighborhood-based climate protection projects through the Neighborhood Matching Fund Program, and increase the use of climate-friendly materials such as slag cement in city projects.
- Seattle has developed one of the most comprehensive green building programs in the country.
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Albuquerque, NM - This city has a city generator that operates off methane captured from a landfill. Methane is 21 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas (www.carbonneutral.com), but when captured and used effectively can be a good source of energy.
- Albuquerque also has a project underway to heat all city pools with solar thermal collectors and donates 3%of city bond monies to energy conservation and renewables.
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San Mateo, CA - The fans on the Transit Center in this city were recently connected to a CO2 sensor that activates them only when needed. This is expected to save the city roughly $40k.
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Both the new Main Library and Police Headquarters will LEED certified buildings. What is a LEED certified building?
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Both the new Main Library and Police Headquarters will LEED certified buildings. What is a LEED certified building?
Stay Updated: Recent Environmental News
For Evidence, Look to the Weather
Just this week, July 30th to August 5th, check out the devastating weather headlines:
China Rain Storms Claim 650 Lives
Floods, Fires Ravage South Africa
Hurrican Boost "Due to Warm Sea"
China Lightning Kills Record 141
South Asia Struggles With Floods
Where the Presidential Candidates Stand on Global Warming
What will they do to reduce global warming once in office? Use this easy chart to find out candidates' positions on the issues. Click here.
New Senate and House Energy Bills Promise Change
An American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) report found that bills recently proposed in the House and the Senate would reduce U.S. oil demand by 5.3 million barrels a day in 2030! For more information on the specifics of these bills and their effects click here.
Beating the Heat: This Season and In Years To Come
The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) recently published a press release on how to update your air conditioning unit to be both energy efficient and economical. The release gives examples of the best models for your climate type and information on how to reduce the costs of a new unit by taking advantage of federal tax incentives. For the full text click here.
Live Earth Concerts A Success....But Will They Help?
Last Saturday July 7th, Live Earth concerts took place around the world with major music stars banding together on all seven continents to raise awareness about climate change and the necessity of global action. But the existence of the concerts themselves produced huge amounts of carbon - was it worth it? For the full story click here.
California Sets High Standards for U.S. Emissions Reductions
In the first of a series on California's "green revolution", the BBC News website reports on how the state's recent legislation to combat climate change may have sweeping effects across the United States. For the full story click here.