USDN now helps partners, sustainability professionals, and our followers stay up to date with USDN members' innovations through the Urban Sustainability Bulletin, formally known as the Innovation Report. This newsletter highlights key updates from USDN as well as key accomplishments from our member communities to give you a sense of what is happening in the field of urban sustainability and particularly our three focus areas - GHG Reduction, Climate Resilience, and Social Equity.

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 GHG Reduction

Photo Credit:
Missoulian

 

Missoula County MT Releases Climate Action Plan Draft: Missoula County MT released a draft Climate Action Plan for public comment with goals focused on addressing increasing temperatures, more wildfires, and declining air quality. 

 

Tacoma WA Declares Climate Emergency: Tacoma WA's City Council passed a resolution declaring a climate emergency in collaboration with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Tribal Council. 

 

Minneapolis MN Declares Climate Emergency: Minneapolis MN declared a climate emergency, committing the city to establish a social cost of carbon and a Sustainable Building Policy, demonstrate collaborative and equitable climate actions, and push for advanced building energy performance in a coalition of cities statewide. 

San Diego CA Reaches 2020 Climate Goals Two Years Early: San Diego CA reduced GHG emissions by 24% over the past decade, surpassing their 2020 goal of 15%, and conducted their first climate equity analysis as outlined in their 2015 Climate Action Plan.

San Luis Obispo CA Switches to Renewable Energy: San Luis Obispo CA is now receiving 100% renewable and carbon free electricity from Monterey Bay Community Power, a community choice energy provider.

Portland OR Amends Fossil Fuel Terminal Ordinance: The Portland OR City Council amended their zoning code to create a new land use category with development standards to limit the size of fossil fuel terminals and prohibit the expansion of storage capacity at existing terminals.

Minneapolis MN Implements Energy Home Disclosure Requirements: Minneapolis MN now requires that residential homes listed for sale must provide an energy efficiency disclosure report performed by a licensed inspector.

Climate Resilience

Photo Credit:
Arbor Day Foundation 

 

Boston MA Public Improvement Commission Approves Climate Resilience Policy: Boston MA's Public Improvement Commission, responsible for the city's public spaces, has approved a policy for climate resilience requiring all of their projects to consider climate change.

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Social Equity and Community Engagement

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Photo Credit:

NIST 

 

Flagstaff AZ Initiates Sustainability Leaders Program: Flagstaff AZ is launching a new community volunteer program offering training in sustainability and climate action so that they can share their expertise and inspire action in their community. 

 

Fort Collins CO Implements Sustainable Neighborhood Program: Fort Collins CO launched Colorado's third Sustainable Neighborhoods program, giving residents the opportunity to choose neighborhood projects focusing on air, water, land, energy, and people.

Urban Sustainability 

Photo Credit:
spablab 

 

USDN Members Receive Green Builder 2020 Sustainable Cities of the Year Awards: Green Builder Media selected Austin TX, San Luis Obispo CA, and Santa Fe NM as model cities on different scales who are making major strides toward addressing climate change through water conservation, net-zero energy, and building electrification efforts.

USDN Members Among Top 10 Most Bikeable Cities: Real estate blog Redfin ranked USDN Members Minneapolis MN, Portland OR, Chicago IL, Denver CO, San Francisco CA, Boston MA, Seattle WA, New York City NY, and Washington DC in its Top 10 U.S. Cities for Biking in 2020 based on neighborhood characteristics like access to bike lanes, hilliness, connectivity, and overall infrastructure. 

Madison WI Installs 119 Kilowatt Solar System at Metro Bus Garage: Madison WI Engineering Division's GreenPower program, which provides electrician job training, recently installed the city's largest solar project at their city bus garage.

Sacramento CA Public Transit Expands Ridesharing: Sacramento Regional Transit District expanded SmaRT Ride, an on-demand public transportation network using small, neighborhood-friendly shuttle buses, including six electric shuttles.

 

Chicago IL Implements Ridesharing Fees to Fund Public Transit: Chicago IL has increased ridesharing fees for services like Uber and Lyft in the downtown area while decreasing the fees in neighborhoods outside of downtown, with plans to divert a portion of the fees to improve public transit.

 

Boulder County CO Creates Office of Sustainability, Climate Action, and Resilience: As part of a countywide reorganization and restructuring process, Boulder County CO will establish a new Office of Sustainability, Climate Action, and Resilience to prioritize climate action.