Cool Cities Training Press Release

Sierra Club to Host Cool Cities Workshop in Annapolis

Annapolis, MD- Cool Cities and Cool Counties, a national Sierra Club campaign to reduce global warming pollution, will be hosting its third annual workshop Saturday, May 31 in an effort to bring citizens and local governments together to meet this challenge.

Cool Cities and Cool Counties Activists from across Maryland will attend this Saturday’s workshop, as well as activists from Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Cool Cities is a national initiative that works with local governments to create energy efficiency, transportation, smart growth, and renewable energy solutions to curb global warming, save tax payer dollars, and create healthier cities and counties. Local public officials in Cool Cities and Cool Counties make a commitment to reduce their community’s carbon footprint and work with citizens towards this goal. In Maryland, there are over ten Cool Cities and five Cool Counties.

Under the U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement, cities strive to meet or exceed the Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of seven percent under 1990 levels by 2012. As of today, 850 cities have signed on to this agreement in all 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. The Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration moves beyond 2012 and follows recommendations in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fourth Assessment Report with a target of 80 percent reduction in current greenhouse gas emissions levels by 2050.

Mayor Ellen Moyer of Annapolis was one of the first mayors in the nation to sign the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Shortly after being elected, Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold was the first County Executive in Maryland to sign the Mayors Agreement.

Citizens will learn more about Cool Cities and Cool Counties, share ideas and success stories, and coordinate their local campaigns. The daylong workshop will be from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Calvary Methodist Church at 301 Rowe Blvd. in Annapolis, MD.

Keynote speakers will include Colleen Sarna and Stephanie Cutts with the Sierra Club National Cool Cities program, Rob Savidge Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Annapolis, David Hauck chairman of the Montgomery County Sierra Club, and many other guest speakers who will be leading breakout sessions and giving presentations.

“The Cool Cities and Counties campaign is essential for any local government, not only does it reduce pollution, but it also reduces tax dollars spent on fuel and energy. With the rise in fuel costs, this can mean significant savings.” David Hauck

The Sierra Club is the oldest and largest non-profit environmental organization in the nation. Its mission is to explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the Earth.

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