ROCKLAND — City councilors will hear a presentation Monday evening about what it would take to make Rockland a “Cool City.” The designation has nothing to do with its nightlife or attractions; rather it deals with how environmentally focused and energy efficient the city is.
Cool Cities — also called Cool Communities — is a project of the Sierra Club.
“What we call a cool city or community is our way of explaining the commitment that over 400 mayors in the U.S. have made to reduce global warming and pollution and reduce energy cost and taxpayer money wasted on inefficient energy use and production,” said Glen Brand, director of the Sierra Club’s National Cool Cities Campaign based in Portland.
The commitment comes in the form of signing the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement. By signing the agreement, a city or community makes the commitment to reduce carbon dioxide — the gas that causes global warming — to 7 percent less than 1990 levels by the year 2012, Brand said.
It also offers them a menu of smart and clean energy solutions such as purchasing hybrid vehicles, purchasing Energy Star appliances and electronics or investing in renewable energy, Brand explained.
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