In September of 2007, Mayor Mark Mallory introduced the motion for the City of Cincinnati to undertake a public climate protection planning process. The directive, unanimously passed by City Council, called upon the city Administration to establish goals for significantly reducing regional greenhouse gas emissions while preserving both economic development and transportation options throughout the region.
The Administration, through the Office of Environmental Quality, develop the Green Cincinnati Plan (a Climate Protection Action Plan) with significant input from the community to implement those goals. Mayor Mallory created the Climate Protection Steering Committee to assist the Administration with the development of the Plan and appointed Vice Mayor David Crowley as Chair. Committee members included representatives of Cincinnati‘s business, government, environmental, academic, and civic organizations and included: Sandra Meyer, President of Duke Energy of Ohio and Kentucky; Brad Mank, Chair of the City’s Environmental Advisory Council; Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper; as well as representatives of the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati USA Chamber of Commerce, the Sierra Club, the U.S. Green Building Council, GE Aviation, the American Institute of Architects; the National Technical Association, and citizen representatives.
The Steering Committee created 5 Task Teams of more than 150 subject matter experts and concerned citizens in the areas of Energy, Transportation, Land Use, Waste Management and Advocacy. The Climate Protection Task Teams compiled hundreds of possible actions that could be taken in Cincinnati to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 2% annually. These actions were researched and screened to determine inclusion in the Plan. A public hearing was held on February 25, 2008 to obtain additional input with over 100 people attending and 20 giving testimony. To measure the Plan’s results, a GHG inventory was developed as a baseline for comparing those future actions against. The Plan with over 80 recommendations for reducing green house gas emissions was finalized in April 2008 and City Council approved it for implementation in July of that year.
Global Climate Change "Opportunities to Make A Difference"
