• Introduction
  • Cities, Climate and Sustainability
  • Action Planning Model
  • Mainstreaming Innovation
  • Building Government Capacity
    • Institutional Barriers
    • Integrated Perspective
    • Innovative Financing
    • Strategic Management
Integrated Perspective
Think local, act local: a global climate protection principle

While threatened polar bears and melting ice caps capture headlines, engagement from council, staff and the community grows when climate protection dovetails with local issues. According to researcher Michele Betsill successful local governments follow a “think local, act local” approach.

Common challenges, local approaches: Buildings, infrastructure, transportation, neighborhood design, energy supply – every community confronts a similar set of GHG challenges. Thriving programs, however, design unique solutions that consider local resources and values, and address multiple priorities. For example:

  • St Paul, Minnesota uses 300,000 tons of construction and tree wood waste annually as feedstock for its district heat and power system. Much of this biomass was previously land filled. Today, it displaces 110,000 tons of coal; improving air quality and reducing GHGs. Consumers get stable more affordable energy bills. And the municipality has a consistent revenue stream.
  • In dairy intensive Cayuga County, New York State, manure is used to fuel a biogas district energy system that powers municipal buildings, displacing coal fired electricity.  The processed manure is returned to farmers as liquid fertilizer with significantly lower phosphorus content improving local water quality – one of the project’s primary objectives.
  • Mason City, Iowa, is known for its powerful winds.  To enable residents to harness this renewable resource, the city created an ordinance to support small-scale wind turbines on private property within certain restrictions, such as height and lot size requirements. The ordinance was inspired by a businessman who wanted to meet his electricity needs through wind power and estimated the $40,000 investment could be recouped in eight years.

An unprecedented opportunity:  Climate and sustainability projects are an unprecedented opportunity to address multiple local priorities. As well as reducing energy bills, generating new municipal revenue, and improving air quality, they can create jobs, strengthen local economic development, enhance community livability, ease costly congestion and improve fiscally sustainable infrastructure decisions.

Staff and council can emphasize the benefits that resonate best with their community.