Cities for Climate Protection

The City of Salem Takes Action

With encouragement from SAFE, the city of Salem has joined an international movement to stop global warming. Cities around the world have recognized that, even if their national governments refuse to act, global climate change is a serious threat to humanity.

SAFE is working with the city to improve energy efficiency throughout municipal operations and to educate local businesses and residents about how, they too, can save energy, and thereby reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Changes in lighting, heating and cooling systems, building designs, transportation systems, and waste disposal can have enormous impact on our environment, and also help the city and its residents save money by reducing energy costs.

The Cities for Climate Protection campaign sets out five action steps for local governments.

Conduct an energy audit: The city picks a baseline year and analyzes its use of fossil fuels for energy, transportation, and waste management in municipal, commercial, industrial, and residential sectors and estimates how many tons of greenhouse gasses are emitted.

Set a target: From the baseline year, the city identifies a reduction target: for example, reducing greenhouse gas emissions 7 percent below 1990 levels (the target of the Kyoto Protocol).

Create a Local Action Plan: The city identifies ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy conservation and efficiency in municipal activities and through educating businesses and residents about how they too can reduce the use of fossil fuels.

Implement the Local Action Plan: The ciity creates timelines and targets for specific projects, such as buying fuel efficient vehicles, auditing and retrofitting old buildings, changing street lights to more efficient light bulbs, and buying renewable energy such as windpower.

Evaluate progress: The city monitors its progress toward its goals.