Green plan a powerful example

Two years ago, when I and Charleston City Council established the Charleston Green Committee, no one could have predicted that the committee would complete its climate action plan at precisely the same moment that global climate talks got under way in Copenhagen. Both approaches to this global problem rely on a two-step process. They begin with a commitment to reduce emissions by setting clear targets. They are both followed by plans that will result in policies, programs, and enforcement mechanisms, all of which are designed to ensure we reach our goals.

In 2005, I was one of the earliest signers of the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, an initiative of the U.S. Conference of Mayors that now boasts the commitments of more than 1,000 mayors from across the nation to address the problem of global climate change. The agreement demonstrates the power of cities to address the world's most pressing challenges, in this case, the issue of global climate change. While our national government has been unable to act, cities all over America have been taking action. By signing the Mayors Climate Protection agreement, we set a goal for Charleston that our community would strive to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 7 percent or more below 1990 levels.

As in any other complicated endeavor, to meet this challenge we needed a plan. The Charleston Green Plan was developed over a period of two years, through countless meetings that were conducted over thousands of hours and participated in by hundreds of volunteers from throughout our community. The Green Committee is a 22-member, citizen-led network, chaired by local businessman James Meadors, that tirelessly researched and ultimately reduced thousands of recommendations into a few hundred that fit our climate, culture and community.

Our Green Plan is by citizens and for citizens. The plan is about aspirations for a clean economy and environment and improving our quality of life. In the future, it will be about results, specifically those that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With this plan, we know what it will take to meet the challenge of climate change — if we work together to achieve our goals.

We also know that the components of our plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have a host of additional benefits, from energy cost savings, reducing our nation's dependence on foreign oil, adding new transportation options, creating better land use policies that improve quality of life, and the tremendous potential for new job-creating sectors of our economy.

Companies like GE and Wal-Mart have certainly recognized the bottom-line benefits that come from embracing the 'green' movement. Charleston has nearly limitless potential for leading our country in the policies and industries that will help us reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create 'green' jobs. The recent announcement of the creation of the world's finest wind turbine testing facility at the Navy base in North Charleston, funded by federal stimulus dollars, is a prime example.

Our region can become a world leader in wind energy, producing thousands of jobs. If we can become more efficient and expand our production of renewable energy like wind and solar, each of us will use less and produce more. Powering our economy in new ways will bring with it greater price certainty, job security and ultimately lower costs for all Charlestonians.

Overcoming and adapting to climate change will take a triumph of optimism over pessimism, of vision over short-sightedness. As our Green Plan demonstrates, governments can work in partnership closely with the private sector to make our community more healthy and sustainable. This is an especially good time to act, because clarifying the rules of the game will spur more investment by the private sector.

The city's burgeoning energy efficiency partnership is a great example. Providing incentives and streamlining the process that makes buildings more energy efficient puts people to work in industries we know well. It will simultaneously bring down our energy costs and make buildings more comfortable for the people to live and work within them. It will improve the value for those who own them. And this kind of private-sector investment is exactly what we need now.

The involvement of 800 citizens in the creation of the Charleston Green Plan is a remarkable demonstration of how an engaged and energized citizenry can make a difference in local communities to solve vast global problems. We will take its recommendations and turn them into action.

What we do in our cities — whether it's constructing green buildings, weatherizing homes, installing solar panels, planting green roofs or creating legions of good-paying green jobs — will serve as a model for state governments and for Washington, D.C. We know what works and our plan will show the way toward saving our planet. Our Charleston Green Plan will become the blueprint for our city, our state and other communities as we tackle the issue of global climate change and simultaneously improve our region's wonderful quality of life.

Joseph P. Riley Jr. is mayor of Charleston.