We are excited to share some good news: the City of Austin has just received a 2013 Climate Leadership Award.  This national award is given by the Environmental Protection Agency and three nonprofit partners — The Climate Registry, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, and the Association of Climate Change Officers.

Austin is proud to be the first City to receive an Organizational Leadership Award from EPA, for its municipal response to climate change.

The award recognizes the City’s progress in achieving aggressive municipal greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions.  In addition, award winners had to “exemplify leadership in their internal response to climate change, through engagement of their peers, competitors, partners, and supply chain, and addressing climate risk in their enterprise strategies.”

Key Accomplishments that  led to the award:

·         Austin is the first large U.S. city to reach the milestone of having all City-owned operations and facilities 100% powered by renewable energy.  (This shift to Austin Energy’s GreenChoice^®program avoids 163,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.)

·         23 City departments are actively engaged in implementing departmental climate plans.

·         The City of Austin is on a pace to meet or exceed by 2020 the aggressive goals and date milestones established in the 2007 Climate Protection Plan.

Please join us in tackling Austin’s big challenge — reducing the carbon footprint of the entire community.  Through Imagine Austin, the Zero Waste Plan, and other City long-range plans we are already on the path to reducing local GHG emissions, but it will take the ingenuity and commitment of all Austinites to achieve deep GHG reductions.   Two great ways you can be part of the solution today:  Help the company where you work achieve Gold or Platinum recognition through our Austin Green Business Leaders program, and sign up for GreenChoice^®power here through Austin Energy.