Item A: Joint Meeting with EWEB Board

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ATTACHMENT B Sustainability Office City of Eugene 777 Pearl Street, Room 105 Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793 (541) 682-5017 (541) 682-5414 FAX www.eugene-or.gov Date: November 19, 2008 To: Mayor,City Council and EWEB Board of Commissioners From: Felicity Fahy, Sustainability Manager – City Manager’s Office Subject: City of Eugene sustainability initiatives update The City is continually looking at ways to operate more sustainably and in conjunction with many different partners, including EWEB working to help create a more sustainable community. Climate change and energy use Last month the City Council adopted two recommendations from the Sustainability Commission that will move City of Eugene operations toward becoming “carbon neutral” and develop a community plan to help address climate change in Eugene. The Council adopted a goal that by 2020, all City-owned facilities and City operations shall reduce net carbon emissions to zero, or if that is not possible, that they cancel all remaining emissions through approved local offsets. The Council also directed City staff to develop an annual work plan for Council approval that outlines recommended implementation strategies for reaching this goal and analyzes associated costs and resource savings. The City of Eugene has been proactive in reducing its carbon emissions in a number of significant ways including through active energy management, use of hybrids and biofuels in the City fleet, capture and use of methane at the wastewater treatment plant and providing bus passes to employees. The City recently finished updating a greenhouse gas inventory for City operations. The final inventory report, set for release in mid November 2008, finds that emissions have remained the same from 2000 to 2005 despite the increase in City employees and services provided to the community. However, City operations still produce significant volumes of greenhouse gas, and a specific emissions reduction goal and a coordinated City approach will enhance the effort to decrease emissions and ensure wise use of resources. An internal team has been formed to develop a plan with interim targets and strategies to help the city reduce emissions and achieve the carbon neutral goal. The internal climate and energy action plan to be completed by June 2009, will be presented to council and then progressively implemented throughout the organization. While City operations contribute to local carbon emissions, the collective impact from all sources at the community, metro and regional level is of far greater significance. The City, in conjunction with EWEB and several other community partners completed a Eugene Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Report in July 2007. The community action planning effort recommended by the Sustainability Commission and approved by Council is a vital next step.