Green becoming a theme in U.S. cities

Yes, the Feds may routinely hem and haw about climate change legislation. 



Meanwhile, a survey of nearly 400 mayors in all 50 states conducted by the US Conference of Mayors indicates that individual cities are moving ahead with clean energy, efficiency and sustainability efforts.



According to the study, three in four U.S. cities expect their use of clean energy technologies to increase over the next five years, with LED/efficient lighting, low-energy building technologies and solar electricity generation comprising the top three “most promising” technologies for reducing energy use and carbon emissions. 



For one in three cities, adapting to climate change is already an element of capital planning or capital improvement programs, and one-quarter of all cities have already set targets for the use of renewable energy.

This green trend continues despite the sluggish economy, with many mayors reporting that their cities are taking full advantage of available federal resources and looking to partner more with the private sector in order to continue their energy drives.

“The overwhelming response to this survey – 396 mayors in all 50 states, representing about 74 million people – underscores the strong commitment of the nation’s mayors to clean energy technologies and energy efficiency solutions,” said Conference President Burnsville (MN) Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz, in a statement. 



Susan DeFreitas, EarthTechling