Palo Alto has long been known for its green initiatives and environmental stewardship. We have reduced our greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 37% since 1990, offered carbon-neutral electricity for three years, and in 2007 we were one of the first cities in the U.S.to adopt a Climate Protection Plan.
But now the City of Palo Alto is pushing harder than ever to battle the challenges related to the environment that it anticipates in the coming years. The first step is to update what is now called the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (S/CAP)—this time, with the help of the community.
A community conversation about climate change
Should we encourage more bicycle use in Palo Alto? Photo by Palo Alto Pulse
Last Sunday, I got the chance to attend Palo Alto’s first ever Sustainability and Climate Action Summit. Held at Jordan Middle School and open to the public, the Summit invited local residents to discuss, ask questions, and voice their opinions about Palo Alto’s plan for reducing GHG emissions by 80% by 2030. The plan, called S/CAP, aims to target three main areas:
1) Energy: Making energy usage more efficient and shifting from natural gas to all-electric systems. More than 25% of our GHG emissions come from natural gas—to heat buildings and water, to cook food, and to fuel some vehicles.
2) Transportation: Making it convenient to drive less and seek out alternative methods of transportation. More than 60% of our local emissions come from transportation—people driving their cars into, out of, and around Palo Alto.
3) Water: Planning for and adjusting to a possible long-term shift in water availability due to drought and predications about future water supply and demand in California.
What happened at the Summit?
First, three prominent local leaders educated Summit attendees about Palo Alto’s past, present and future approach to climate change and sustainability: Palo Alto’s Mayor Pat Burt, Palo Alto’s Chief Sustainability Officer Gil Friend, Retired U.S. Marine Lieutenant Colonel (and current environmental activist) Mark Mykleby, co-author of “A National Strategic Narrative,” which includes a section on “Strategic Ecology.”
The speakers shared some surprising information. Did you know that 79% of Palo Altans wish to see the city become carbon neutral, and that 20% would even be willing to pay double their current utility bills to achieve this goal?
Palo Alto Climate Change Summit featured a packed crowd at Jordan MS on January 24
Following these presentations, the rest of the Summit was used for a “World Cafe,” during which the 250 attendees broke up into small groups to discuss the S/CAP and brainstorm how to address its three main target areas. The ideas shared were wide ranging, from implementing a carbon tax, to encouraging veganism, to designing a more efficient bus system to take people around the city.
What I learned from the Climate Change Summit
As a high school student at the Summit, I found it extremely uplifting to meet people with a wide range of backgrounds and ages—from fellow students to working moms and retired professors—who were all eager to help improve Palo Alto and its environment. In addition, from looking at the diverse crowd, I realized that even kids and teenagers like myself have the 
ability to make a difference, as long as we are willing to speak up and lend our voices to the conversation.
As I head to college this fall, I will attending Stanford University, so I’ll have the chance to attend more community summits in the future. I am eager to see to how the S/CAP develops and pans out in the next few years.
4 ways you can get involved
If you are passionate about the environment and want to be part of envisioning a future for Palo Alto that includes a reduction in greenhouse gasses, a focus on reducing water and an effort to reduce car traffic, learn how you can reduce your own carbon footprint, and get involved with the S/CAP plan effort:
- Join the Palo Alto S/CAP mailing list
- Review the ideas generated by your fellow Palo Altans and the S/CAP team
- Follow @PaloAltoCSO on Twitter for quick updates on the latest developments, here and around the world.
- Let the City of Palo Alto know what you think about how to reduce climate change
And to learn more…
Palo Alto’s Climate and Sustainability FAQs offers helpful information about where the City is headed and why.
can Palo Alto’s focus on innovation help address our emission reduction goals?
Let us know what you think
If you have a comment or idea about Palo Alto’s Sustainability and Climate Action Plan, post it at the bottom of this page, or contact Palo Alto Pulse to share your thoughts.
