Resources
The U.S. Conference of Mayors produced this updated Best Practices Report for its 2007 Mayors Climate Protection Summit. It lists examples of effective practices implemented in different cities across the country in categories of Municipal Buildings, Facilities & Operations; Air Quality; Climate Change; Energy Sources; Fuels, Vehicles & Transit; Housing; and Other.
from ABOUT THE ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT BEST PRACTICE REPORT
[An earlier version of this Best Practices Report was released in May 2006.]
This version, prepared for The U.S. Conference of Mayors’ 75th Winter Meeting, further illustrates what cities nationwide have done and continue to do to address the challenges associated with the interface of energy scarcity and environmental concerns. The U.S. Conference of Mayors initially asked mayors and their staff to fill out a short survey that asked for background as well as benefits and costs of any particular energy or environmental practice in their community, based on several categories: Municipal Buildings, Facilities & Operations; Air Quality; Climate Change; Energy Sources; Fuels, Vehicles & Transit; Housing; and an Other category. Cities received encouragement to contribute as many best practices as they would like. Dozens of cities contributed a best practice to this series of publications; of those, many provided a great deal of information in one or more of the categories. In many cases, the best practices defy categorization, but the document endeavors to give due credit to each city in a category that seems most appropriate to its best practice contribution.
The best practices in this document represent some of the many innovative ways Mayors and their cities approach complex energy and environmental issues. A major theme that emerged among the different approaches toward energy independence and conservation, along with a common environmental ethic, is leadership by example. Through using alternative fuels in fleet vehicles, adopting "Green Building" policies in municipal facilities, or purchasing energy from carbon-free sources, for example, cities are proving that they can realize increased energy security, environmental health and economic benefits.
Each city’s best practice represents an opportunity for Mayors of other cities to learn, to interact with each other, and improve the quality of life for citizens in their own cities. The U.S. Conference of Mayors welcomes all cities to continue to submit innovative best practices.
