Climate- Protecting Measure Adopted
By WILLIAM HAGLE

Mayor Jane Egly asked the 150 or so people who assembled at City Hall on Tuesday night, "How many support the recommended action?" to adopt a plan of action to protect the climate. Such action would formalize a pact adopted locally in February 2007 and by 800 other cities nationwide.

Almost every hand shot up in support.

"How many opposed?"

Only one hand flew up.

That's a measure of how wildly popular the idea of reducing greenhouse emissions has become. The plan's goal for Laguna is to reduce manmade greenhouse gases 10 percent by 2012.

Twenty local contributors listed on the action plan withstood showers of thanks from nearly every direction. They were lauded for the report's completeness and topicality.

Now comes the hard part. The report identifies six areas for meeting climate goals that involve buildings, transportation, land use, government operations, commerce, water management, and public outreach.

Judy York, an environmentalist and UC Irvine instructor, said Laguna Beach's emissioncutting goals are aligned with even more aggressive state targets. Statewide, scientists calculate that 28,000 pounds of greenhouse gas are generated per capita. The governor set a statewide greenhouse gas reduction goal of 80 percent by 2050.

The majority of emissions statewide and in town comes from gasoline and diesel fuel combustion by autos, trucks and buses, natural gas burned to heat homes and businesses and fuelpowered electricity to pump and treat water.

The local protection plan lists multiple ways of achieving the goals and is a lengthy, but worthwhile read. Under measures to make buildings easier on the climate, for example, Green Building Guidelines list highefficiency appliances, rainwater catchment, grey water irrigation, and environmentally sensitive building materials as aides to conserving energy resources.

For some, the measure does not look like enough, fast enough.

Local resident Arnold Hano said, "There will be no next time. This is an action plan. We should speed up the process. We want to get it right. But we want to get it right away."

The town could go a long way towards achieving its goals with a culture change towards development, Councilmember Toni Iseman said. "It's time to say we don't need a house that big," she said to applause.

Other building suggestions from a list of 20 include roofing materials that reflect rather than absorb heat and to adopt dark sky guidelines to reduce lighting needs at night.

Water management and potential bike routes throughout the city were all mapped, calculated and appended in the report. Laguna's transportation resources need rebalancing, according to the plan, between walking, bicycling, public transport and private vehicles.

There is a proposal to place the plan on the City website to aid in compliance and to stimulate emission reducing ideas.

Rose Hancock of the Chamber of Commerce pledged to work diligently with city organizations and cross reference the program on the chamber's website.

Councilmember Kelly "Boyd said, "We will send this to all the city council standing committees."

The bill passed unanimously.