Santa Barbara County has announced the launch of the One Climate Initiative, a countywide effort to engage residents in reducing carbon emissions.
“Amidst uncertain times and a multitude of crises affecting the state and nation, the board and county staff seek to shine a light to a hopeful future,” Gregg Hart, chair of the county Board of Supervisors, said. “Through One Climate, we want to hear from the community how we can protect what we love, and make our county as prosperous, equitable and resilient as possible.”
The county has already started efforts to combat climate change. The safety element of the general plan is being edited to include information on climate change. A climate-change vulnerability assessment will look for areas to improve in the community.
The 2030 Climate Action Plan is being drafted with a goal of reducing community greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent.
The Active Transportation Plan aims to reduce carbon emissions while expanding transportation mobility and accessible options.
And in 2021, Santa Barbara County will enroll all customers in Central Coast Community Energy, with the exception of the cities of Lompoc and Santa Barbara. The city of Santa Barbara will also begin its own CCE program.
CCE utilizes the current utility carriers to deliver the energy and bill customers but allows local decision makers to choose the sources of energy provided to customers.
Santa Barbara County has been interested in forming a CCE program for a few years and performed a feasibility study in 2018, and it was deemed too expensive. Monterey Bay Community Power offered to expand into the county and rebrand as Central Coast Community Energy.
For more information about the One Climate Initiative, visit countyofsb.org/oneclimate.
email: ahanshaw@newspress.com
