Chicago made history on Wednesday by becoming the largest U.S. city to commit to 100 percent renewable energy before the middle of the century.

It is, in the summation of Kyra Woods, Chicago organizer with the Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 Action Campaign, “a monumental achievement.”

Chicago Becomes the Largest City in the Country Committed to 100 Percent Clean Energy https://t.co/WhL0mTgJWe #readyfor100action pic.twitter.com/ylbsW1e9Df

— Sierra Club (@SierraClub) April 10, 2019

Chicago city council passes its commitment to 100% clean, renewable energy unanimously!! #ChicagoisReady as the largest city in the country to make the commitment to an equitable, 100% renewable transition #ReadyFor100Action pic.twitter.com/TE2H1d6SDu

— Illinois Sierra Club (@SierraClubIL) April 10, 2019

According to the Sierra Club, the city council unanimously passed a resolution that commits the city to 100 percent renewable energy in buildings by 2035 and electrification of the city’s bus fleet by 2040.

The nonbinding resolution, backed by the Ready For 100 Chicago Collective, points to the kind of extreme weather including catastrophic flooding the region is already experiencing. “Climate change,” it reads, “will bring unprecedented environmental changes including extreme heat, heavy precipitation, and flooding to our region.”

“Residents of communities experiencing disproportionate cumulative impacts of environmental exposures and population vulnerability, as well as other communities across Chicago, desire a just transition away from all fossil fuels that prioritizes environmental justice, public health, community self-determination, high-quality jobs, and ownership opportunities for local residents,” the resolution also states.

As Woods noted, the move adds the Midwest metropolis to a list of over 100 other cities including Atlanta, Ga., Berkeley, Calif., and Gainesville, Fla. that have adopted clean energy goals.

“The Chicago Collective who wrote this resolution—comprised of frontline environmental justice communities, green groups, and unions—proves that not only can Chicago build a climate-safe future for next generations, but that a truly just transition also creates good, family-sustaining jobs to lift up communities,” said Kassie Beyer, campaign director of Jobs to Move America Illinois.

“We look forward to working with the mayor’s office in making our vision for a just transition a reality,” she added.

Source: commondreams.org

Photo credit: hectorlo/flickr/cc

“Many cities and towns across the country have set aggressive targets, and we are doing our part now — our future is now,” said Glenwood Springs Mayor Jonathan Godes.

Glenwood Springs, Colorado, one of the oldest historic resort towns in America, will launch a 100% renewable energy program on June 1 of the year 2019. The announcement was made at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, a nationwide park in Colorado that overlooks Glenwood Springs, becoming one of the first such parks to be powered by 100% clean, renewable energy.

Glenwood Springs, Colorado’s Western Slope city, will become the seventh US city to be 100 percent dependent on renewable energy. Aspen was the first Colorado city to have everything be on its electricity from renewable energy sources. Its mix is 50% wind, 45% hydropower, and 5% from solar and gas, as reported by the Sierra Club.

Wind energy will be the dominant supply of Glenwood’s renewable energy, with energy generated at the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) and MEAN generating stations on the eastern prairies supplying 6.8 percent.

“Sustainable tourism is an important issue these days and this move is a huge step in the right direction for Glenwood Springs as a whole,” – said Beckley, owner of the park.

– said Beckley, owner of the park

The caverns are the very first area park in the country to be powered entirely with renewable sources. There are organisms that live deep in the caves that are part of the Beckley ecosystem and because of that the caverns are not simply for an adventure tourist.

The city decided to commemorate a move to renewable energy by signing the contract in a theme park above the Iron Mountain elevation of about 7,000 feet in Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. The park provided a free gondola ride for attendees and the 1st fifty guests got a free LED light bulbs.

Glenwood Springs has been encouraging energy conservation with customers and companies by supplying a rebates program since 2009. Glenwood Springs has been 35% renewable on the power grid since 2013. According to MEAN, 77,156 tons of CO2 emission would be saved if switched to 100% “green energy”, that could otherwise be released into the environment by the City of Glenwood Springs.

The new contract will reduce the city’s cost per megawatt-hour (kWh), from $51 to $46. This will save the city approximately $500,000 per year.

“We are thrilled that Glenwood Springs is on the cutting-edge utilizing 100 percent renewable energy. Our community has proven that clean energy is an important part of our local economy. This commitment to sustainability makes our community shine in a positive way.” – said Angie Anderson, president and CEO of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association

– said Angie Anderson, president and CEO of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association

On 100 percent renewable energy are already running other six cities Burlington, Vermont, Georgetown, Texas, Aspen, Colorado, Rock Port, Missouri, Greensburg, Kansas, and Kodiak Island, Alaska.

References: inhabitat.com
aspentimes.com
glenwoodcaverns.com
denverpost.com

by Jake Johnson

The judge’s ruling today shows that the president cannot just trample on the constitution to do the bidding of his cronies in the fossil fuel industry at the expense of our oceans, wildlife, and climate.”

Preserving over 120 million acres of federal waters from exploitation by fossil fuel giants, a federal judge ruled late Friday that President Donald Trump’s effort to open the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans to oil and gas drilling is illegal.

“President Trump’s lawlessness is catching up with him,” said Erik Grafe, the lead attorney for Earthjustice who helped argue the case against the Trump administration. “The judge’s ruling today shows that the president cannot just trample on the constitution to do the bidding of his cronies in the fossil fuel industry at the expense of our oceans, wildlife, and climate.”

U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason ruled (pdf) that Trump’s April 2017 executive order revoking the Obama administration’s ban on drilling in most of the Arctic was “unlawful.”

The Trump administration is expected to appeal the decision, which applies to 98 percent of the Arctic.

As Alaska Public Media reported: “Gleason’s decision was the second one she released Friday in favor of environmental groups. In a different lawsuit, she rejected a Trump administration effort to facilitate construction of a road through a national wildlife refuge on the Alaska Peninsula.”

Gleason’s decisions came just over a week after the Trump administration’s fossil fuel agenda also hit a roadblock in Wyoming, where a federal judge temporarily blocked fracking on 300,000 acres of public land.

“Experts in environmental law estimate that the Trump administration has now lost about 40 environmental cases in federal courts,”

– the New York Times reported.

Photo credit: Petty Officer 1st Class Sara Francis/U.S. Coast Guard

Originally published by Common Dreams