Cool City
U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement On January 8th, 2007 the Visalia City Council authorized the Mayor to sign the “Cool Cities” pledge which is the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement which sets the goal of reducing City wide carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution to 7% below 1990 levels by 2012. The Climate Protection Agreement offers an outline of strategies including the categories of “Cleaner vehicles, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. There are four steps toward curbing global warming in each community to become a “cool” city:
- Take the “Cool Cities” pledge.
- Conduct a Global Warming Emissions Inventory
- Create a Solutions Plan
- Implement and Monitor Progress
- Urban Development boundaries to reduce sprawl
- New policies are being adopted to encourage walkable urban communities within the City
- City policy requires purchasing hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles
- The City operates a compressed natural gas fueling station for transit buses and solid waste trucks
- Visalia operates a household hazardous waste facility and has an aggressive recycling program including green waste
- The City adopted a bicycle path plan that will increase the existing 27 miles to 140 miles
- Urban forestry is very vital with almost 3,000 trees planted in the last two years
- The City has supported green building with its investment in photovoltaics at the airport, and its two energy efficient straw bale police stations