Skip to main content Skip to site navigation

Institute for Local Government

Menu Menu

Climate Action Whitepapers & Tip Sheets

Post

Primers, issue briefs and other short pieces on climate action.

Related Links

Resource

Addressing Climate Change: Ideas for Youth Commissions

This is the second in a series of Briefing Papers for youth commissions and councils that provide background information and ideas for commission member activities and actions on topics of concern to youth and their communities.

Resource

Beyond the Light Bulb: Natural Gas Opportunities for Local Agencies

Natural gas offers ways to increase efficiency and save money.

Post

Bright Ideas for Connecting Youth and Sustainability

Local agencies throughout California are helping empower their community’s youth to make a difference while learning about sustainability.

See whitepaper at right for download.

This whitepaper originally appeared as an article in the September 2013 issue of Western City magazine.
 

Resource

Climate Change and Public Health: An Overview for Local Officials

This paper looks at the relationship between climate change and public health and provides strategies to consider to meet the potential public health impacts of climate change.

Resource

Evaluating Greenhouse Gas Emissions as Part of California’s Environmental Review (CEQA) Process: A Local Official’s Guide

This guide provides information about California law related to evaluating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as part of California’s environmental review (CEQA) process. It is written for the busy local official and others seeking a plain language explanation of the requirements. It includes endnotes for those who want more detailed information or references to the law.

Resource

Greener Buildings Help Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Each year, buildings throughout California are the second largest contributor to the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, using enough energy to account for nearly 125 million metric tons – roughly 25 percent — of the state’s annual GHG emissions. Taking action to make buildings more energy efficient and environmentally friendly helps conserve resources and lower a community’s share of the emissions that lead to climate change.

Resource

ILG Sample Climate-Friendly Purchasing Policy

The Institute’s sample Climate-Friendly Purchasing policy focuses on purchasing practices that help address climate change. Climate-friendly purchasing is the procurement or acquisition of goods and services that are a lesser or reduced source of greenhouse gas emissions when compared with competing goods or services that serve the same purpose.

Resource

Increasing Commercial Recycling: Tips for Local Agency Leaders

This whitepaper offers tips for increasing recycling by the business community.

Resource

Involving Youth in Your Agency’s Sustainability Activities

Local agencies use a variety of methods to involve young people in local government. Many cities and counties have active youth commissions or youth councils. As local agencies embrace sustainability goals, new opportunities emerge to engage young people. Whether the sustainability activities involve energy efficiency, planning for a more bike-friendly downtown, responding to climate change or updating a General Plan, local agencies throughout California can benefit by including youth as part of the process.

Resource

Moving Toward Fuel-Efficient and Alternative-Fuel Fleets: 10 Questions Local Officials Should Ask

Increasing fuel prices and tightening budget constraints have many local officials exploring a transition to fuel-efficient and alternative-fuel vehicles. Using alternative-fuel vehicles is also a key element of local agency efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and combat climate change in their own operations and throughout the community.

Post

Recognizing Leadership

Cities and counties throughout California are participating in the Institute for Local Government’s sustainability and climate change recognition program, the Beacon Award: Local Leadership Toward Solving Climate Change. Launched in August 2010 as the first of its kind in California, the Beacon Award recognizes and celebrates cities and counties that:

  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
  • Save energy;
  • Adopt policies and programs to address climate change; and
  • Promote sustainability.
Post
Sample Commercial Recycling Ordinance

Sample Commercial Recycling Ordinance

This sample commercial recycling ordinance, prepared in 2009 by the Institute for Local Government’s climate change program, offers policy choices to consider. It can be modified to reflect unique community circumstances and issues.

Resource

Spotlighting Energy Efficiency in California Communities

As California’s communities seek ways to maximize resources in economically challenging times, energy efficiency offers a number of money-saving advantages. Cities and counties are making great strides in reducing energy use at agency facilities through traditional building audits and retrofits. At the same time, they are advancing community energy efficiency through collaboration and outreach activities.

Resource

Sustainability and Economic Development Go Hand in Hand
May 2010

As California communities struggle to rebuild their budgets and local economies, it’s helpful to consider the contributions that can be made by investing in sustainability policies, programs and projects. California’s green technology boom has both economic development and sustainability implications statewide.

Resource

Sustainability’s Many Faces: Beacon Award Program Participants Create Vibrant Communities

Sustainability is all about making communities more livable — creating healthy, dynamic places to live and work while simultaneously saving money, energy and resources and helping the local economy. Cities and counties throughout California are demonstrating leadership in creating active, lively communities by adopting policies and programs that support sustainability. This diverse range of activities brightens the future of their communities.

Resource

Today’s Youth: Tomorrow’s Green Workforce
September 2012

Green training programs that focus on youth also contribute to local economies and job expansion. This whitepaper highlights a number of innovative programs throughout California.

Resource

Understanding the Basics of Climate Change Cap and Trade: An Overview for Local Officials

This whitepaper provides a general overview of the concept of cap-and-trade as it relates to climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It also offers information about key issues of interest to local officials and suggests resources to learn more.

Resource
Figure 1: Regional Differences in Public's Views of Local Agencies' Climate Change Actions

What Does the Public Really Think About Climate Change?

As local officials contemplate how best to plan their communities’ actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change, they consider what their residents think about these issues. To assist in these efforts, it can be instructive to take a look at what we know about the public’s views on climate change.

Resource

Working With Local Businesses to Increase Recycling

While residential recycling has become mainstream, the bigger challenge ahead for local governments is to increase recycling by retail, service, office and industrial businesses.

Share this page

This item also appears in

This item appears in:
Post

Log in

Commands