The City of Goleta is pleased to report that it received second place in the Sustainable States Community Energy Challenge. The August 2020 competition included 30 communities from five states. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) examined the participating cities’ efforts to make homes and buildings more energy efficient, to scale up the use of renewable energy, and to ensure community involvement in developing equitable clean-energy policies.
Goleta earned points in all categories, most notably for the City Council adopted 100% community-wide renewable energy by 2030 and 50% renewable energy at municipal facilities by 2025 goals, green building policies, LED streetlight acquisition, and support programs for building energy code compliance.
City of Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte said, “The City of Goleta is honored to be recognized for promoting sustainability in our local government operations and in the community. We are fortunate to have outstanding City staff who are dedicated to delivering on our sustainability commitments. We envision our current and future city to be a cleaner, greener Goleta for all residents, and we will continue to strive today and tomorrow for a better future.”
City of Goleta Sustainability Coordinator Cindy Moore said, “By participating in the Sustainable States Community Energy Challenge, Goleta hopes to learn from other cities across the country as we embark on the next clean energy initiative promoting a more equitable and sustainable community.”
“We found that even quite small cities and towns can take meaningful action to cut energy waste and reduce carbon emissions,” said David Ribeiro, director of local policy at ACEEE. “A number of critical tools to fight climate change—and to do so in an equitable way—are things that have to be set locally. From the largest cities to the smallest ones, they’re all going to need to step up further. We hope some of these leading cities can help show the way for their peers.”
San Luis Obispo received first place. Third place went to St. Louis Park (Minnesota) followed by Manhattan Beach, West Hollywood, West Hartford (Connecticut), Rockville (Maryland), Dublin (California) and Red Wing (Minnesota) (tied), and Rochester (Minnesota).
ACEEE evaluated each of the communities on policy metrics assessing government operations, community initiatives, buildings policies, and energy and water utilities. The combined scores allowed ACEEE to rank the municipalities. The analysis assessed policies and programs to make energy efficiency upgrades in homes and businesses, accelerate the adoption of renewable energy, set long-term commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and establish and enforce building codes.
The City of Goleta is committed to being a green and sustainable community. In October 2021 Southern California Edison accounts in Goleta will begin enrollment in Central Coast Community Energy’s electricity program, a milestone outlined in the City Council adopted 2019 Strategic Energy Plan to help reach the City’s 100% renewable energy goal. Learn more about the City’s sustainability and climate adaptation programs here.