By the year 2020, the city of San Carlos, Calif., intends to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 15 percent below 2005 levels and has developed a Climate Action Plan to make it happen. The plan -- which will soon be integrated into the city's General Plan -- won an award from the Northern California Chapter of the American Planning Association which said it was both "practical and highly implementable." More than 100 measures were considered, then 21 goals and 39 measures were selected which include:

• Green section of city Web site and green enewsletters.
• Energy efficiency audits of city buildings -- The energy efficiency audits of city buildings started by the Association of Bay Area Governments and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E)  will now be implemented by the new San Mateo County Energy Watch Program, a partnership between PG&E, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and San Mateo County's RecycleWorks.Org program.
• Significantly upgraded the construction and demolition recycling program.
• Two-year extension of the city's good faith effort program to meet state recycling requirements under AB 939 and SB 1018.
• Hired a green janitorial contractor for city buildings.
• Creek cleanup and material pick up days.
• City Council approval of green housing development at Cherry and Chestnut.
• Monthly composting workshops with Recycle Works and San Carlos Green.
• Completion of community-wide greenhouse gas inventory.
• Work on agency greenhouse gas inventory (completion in summer 2009).
• Staffing the San Carlos Climate Action Plan Subcommittee.

The city also worked with a number of countywide, regional and local programs.

The award was presented to the plan development team, led by Planning Manager Deborah Nelson, Assistant City Manager Brian Moura and Michael McCormick and Jillian Rich from PMC, a planning and consulting firm based in Rancho Cordova, Calif. Work on the plan was funded with a grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). The city worked with a three-member Climate Action Plan Subcommittee of the General Plan Advisory Committee (Don Cook, Suzanne Emerson and Michelle Margiotta) to develop the plan.