Author Archives: Thad Curtz

B2.8 Multi-family submetering * Require submetering for multifamily buildings so residents can track energy use and to allow billing them for it. The Fannie Mae Multifamily Energy and Water Market Research Survey collected comprehensive energy and water information from over … Continue reading →

B1:12 Landlord education Educate landlords on options and benefits for improved energy efficiency. Residential – Commercial – The Cleveland Energy-Aligned Leasing Program combined energy efficiency education with energy audits, green (energy-aligned) lease resources, and financing options—giving small businesses and building … Continue reading →

B5.4 Utility tax Develop a local utility charge to fund clean energy projects Private utility taxes RCW 35.21.870 limits the utility tax on electricity, natural gas, and telephone service to 6%, unless voters approve a higher level. Olympia’s 9% tax … Continue reading →

G4.4 Vulnerable populations Develop a data and monitoring mechanism that is specific to marginalized groups and their needs related to climate change and climate reality (e.g., access to transportation, access to A/C, proximity to cooling centers) and develop a plan … Continue reading →

G6.3 Net-zero building code Request State Building Council and State Legislature set goal to require net-zero energy use in all new buildings by the 2031 residential code cycle, and support amendments to state building code each 3-year cycle to meet … Continue reading →

A2.5 Silvopasture Develop education programs and incentives to encourage farmers to incorporate tree planting on farms (e.g., silvoculture, silvopasture, agroforestry, treecropping). Project Drawdown ranked expanding silvopasture as the ninth largest potential source of reductions in global emissions among the 100 … Continue reading →

G4.2 Performance measures Develop community GHG reduction goals and performance measures. Regularly update and publicize for community to track their progress. Portland published a detailed Climate Action Plan Progress Report in 2017. Boulder Measures was developed by the community, and … Continue reading →

G4.3 Other emission sources Expand sources and sectors in future emissions inventories to inform future regulatory policy to reduce GHG emissions. The current county emissions inventory includes preliminary estimates (p. 40 seq.) for some additional items that are not in … Continue reading →

G4.3 Land use emissions Include emissions from land use change in future emissions inventories. Trees ICLEI now has a protocol for estimating emissions from local forests and urban trees to add to the protocols that we’ve been using for our … Continue reading →

G4.1 Emissions inventory Prepare and publish an annual emissions inventory that tracks greenhouse gas emissions by jurisdiction and source category. Review and update emissions inventory methodology as necessary to address improvements to data or methodologies, improve consistency, incorporate changes to … Continue reading →