Audubon Florida announced the initiative, which will develop baselines for greenhouse gas emissions for 10 visionary cities and two counties in the region, in partnership with ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability and the University of South Florida.
These baselines are a critical first step in helping local governments track the effectiveness of their efforts to improve energy efficiency in their own operations and shift to renewable energy sources over time. Both can result in cost savings to taxpayers and reduced emissions that contribute to climate change.
The municipal GHG inventories will assess the emissions produced by government operations in municipally-owned buildings, municipal fleet usage, and waste services, among others. Student fellows at the University of South Florida are partnered with a representative from a participating city or county. Each fellow will provide important bandwidth for their assigned local government in developing the GHG inventory while receiving specialized training from ICLEI, and experience in this growing field.
By understanding their municipal operations, local governments create a critical framework for local resiliency decisions to reduce emissions and maximize efficiency; student fellows earn valuable experience in project management, resilience planning, and municipal operations.
Audubon Florida is funding and co-facilitating the GHG inventories with the Cohort and ICLEI as part of their commitment to strengthening climate resilience through science, innovation, and entrepreneurship for the benefit of Florida’s communities, ecosystems, and birds.
“Florida’s local governments are seeing the impacts of our changing climate firsthand and are leading the way with this commitment to accountability and innovation,” said Julie Wraithmell, Executive Director of Audubon Florida. “We are thrilled to once again partner on this work, accelerating sustainability, saving taxpayer dollars, and making the greater Tampa Bay region more resilient...all while providing on-the-job training for the next generation of leaders in this field.”
In 2021, Audubon Florida worked with partners on the East Central Florida Regional Resilience Collaborative. Click here to learn more.
About the Partners:
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network of more than 1,750 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 100+ countries, ICLEI influences sustainability policy and drives local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient, and circular development. icleiusa.org
Audubon Florida has worked to protect birds and the places they need in Florida for 120 years, advancing common-sense solutions grounded in strong science. fl.audubon.org
Academic Institutions:
University of South Florida – St. Pete Campus
University of South Florida – Tampa Campus
Local Governments:
Counties
Pasco
Sarasota
Cities/Towns
Largo
Belleair
Sarasota
Treasure Island
Safety Harbor
St. Pete Beach
Clearwater
Dunedin
Tarpon Springs
Oldsmar
