January 6, 2020

Dear Mayor and Sustainability Leader,

Please join our Environment Committee and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) on Jan. 21^st in the Village of Montgomery as we work to develop a regional climate action plan that connects our Greenest Region Compact (GRC) to the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) for Climate and Energy to reduce the impacts of climate change and build thriving, resilient communities. The GCoM recognized the GRC collaboration as a leading force in municipal sustainability and one of just four metropolitan regions in the United States chosen to demonstrate the power of regional and collaborative planning for climate change.  

We invite your partnership and participation in this important endeavor. 

At this interactive session, we will work with the GRC Framework to prioritize impactful local and regional strategies for the regional climate plan. This plan will connect our GRC Communities with 10,000 global cities in 135 countries working to build sustainable and livable cities. We will build on foundational work completed by CMAP to inventory greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the region. Our Chicago regional climate plan will connect local actions to critical global targets for GHG reduction to amplify our collective impact on climate change.

We will ask you to participate in small group discussion to help us prioritize actions that can help reduce our region's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.  Using the GRC Framework as a foundation, we will consider some of the GRC goals and strategies that could be effective in this mitigation portion of our climate plan.  For select strategies, we will ask you to help prioritize those that can be easily addressed by municipalities, and prioritize those that will require regional collaboration to succeed. You may choose to join a group to consider strategies related to these GRC categories:

• Energy
• Land
• Mobility
• Municipal Operations
• Waste & Recycling
• Water

Remote participation: For those who cannot attend in person, a live stream of the presentation during the first half of the meeting can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/user/MontgomeryIllinois
If you have questions when viewing this remotely, please email cscott@mayorscaucus.org.

Please note: This is the third workshop we are holding on this topic. The content will be the same as the kick-off workshop held in Chicago on Oct. 8th and the meeting that was held in Itasca on Dec. 9^th. We are holding the same workshop in different areas, to ensure we receive input from various mayors and municipal leaders throughout the region.

What is a Regional Climate Plan?

The climate action planning process begins with an inventory of all the ways in which fossil fuels are used. This greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory identifies the most significant sources of pollutants contributing to climate change. A climate action plan then looks to address ways to reduce the use of carbon-based (fossil) fuels and sets a meaningful target for reduction. Our regional climate plan will also assess the risks associated with the impacts of climate change, like flooding and excessive heat, and propose strategies to protect our communities. 

While climate change is an overwhelming, existential threat, municipalities of all sizes and strengths can make decisions and take actions that reduce risks and slow climate change. For example, 35 GRC communities earned SolSmart designation for streamlining solar codes and policies to attract an estimated 9 MW of new rooftop solar to their communities. This clean energy will avoid 11,150 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually, or the equivalent emissions from using 1,254,682 gallons of gasoline. These are the kinds of sensible strategies for sustainable communities outlined in the GRC Framework. Our Chicago regional climate plan will connect these local actions to critical global targets for GHG reduction to amplify our collective impact on climate change. 

Please join us Jan. 21st, 10 AM to Noon; Montgomery Village Hall, 200 N. River St., Montgomery, IL View the agenda here.

Parking is available in the municipal lots behind Village Hall. Please view this parking map for more information.

Contact Cheryl Scott, Greenest Region Corps Member, at cscott@mayorscaucus.org for more information. Working together, we expect to have a robust regional climate action plan that supports sustainability in your community. We need your help to make this happen and hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Kevin Burns

Mayor, City of Geneva

Environment Committee Chairman, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus

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