This Phoenix-area city wants to be first in Arizona to go 100 percent green
Mar 13, 2018, 7:14 PM | Updated: Mar 14, 2018, 8:55 am
FILE - In this Nov. 30, 2011 file photo photovoltaic modules and a windmill are pictured in the village of Feldheim near Berlin, Germany. The UN Climate Change Conference 2017 will take place under Presidency of the Government of Fiji in Bonn, Germany and starts on Monday, Nov. 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)
(AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)
PHOENIX — A Phoenix-area city has voted to become the first in Arizona to lay out a plan that will allow officials and residents to tackle the problem of global warming head on.
Members of the Tempe City Council voted last week to set goals to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 and 100 percent renewal energy in city operations by 2035.
Councilwoman Lauren Kuby told KTAR News 92.3 FM that the city wants to increase investments in energy efficiency, such as wind, solar and electrified transportation.
“It’s not about renewable energy, it’s about energy efficiency,” Kuby said. “We need to have energy efficient buildings before we decide to solarize them.”
The city council passed a measure back in 2014 to use 20 percent renewable energy in municipal properties by 2025. It is currently at around 10 percent.
Kuby said transitioning to 100 percent clean and renewable energy will protect kids and families from pollution, will create new jobs and will ensure that all people have access to affordable energy.
“Cities are about 70 percent of the problem when it comes to carbon emissions,” Kuby said. “Cities need to be 70 percent of the solution.”
The councilwoman said the city’s goals are not a roadmap or a blueprint, but a vision for moving forward and an aspirational goal that the city will obtain in the years to come.
KTAR News’ Bob McClay contributed to this report.
