City of Davis

The Cool Davis Initiative is an independent community-based initiative but is closely linked to the City of Davis, as it was formed in order to support the City’s Climate Action Plan adopted in June 2010. The City of Davis gives strong logistical support to Cool Davis, with staff working closely with community leaders to reduce our community’s impact on the planet.

History of pioneering work on sustainability

Davis can trace its sustainability roots back more than 40 years when the community decided to establish the first bike lanes in the United States. With its early actions to establish alternatives to automobile travel, energy conservation, solar energy production, farmland and habitat protections, inclusionary housing programs, and innovative land use policies, Davis is well positioned to fight global warming and work toward a more sustainable future. The City is also coordinating with UC Davis and other organizations to identify where efforts on sustainability and climate change overlap.

Committed to tackle climate change

In 1999, Davis joined a small group of cities calling for local action and a national policy on climate change. Since then, the City joined the US Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement that called for local and national action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). In spring 2007, the Davis City Council unanimously adopted a strategy to reduce the City’s greenhouse gas emissions. The City completed its baseline inventory and forecast of greenhouse gasses in early 2008. The City has also joined the California Climate Action Registry. The Registry is a non-profit public/private partnership that serves as a voluntary greenhouse gas registry to protect, encourage, and promote early actions to reduce GHG emissions.

The City Council adopted the Davis Climate Action and Adaption Plan (D-CAAP) in June 2010. The Plan is designed to place the community on a path to achieve the local greenhouse gas emission reduction targets adopted by the City Council in November 2008. Those targets were based on a range that uses the State of California targets as a minimum goal and deeper reductions as the desired outcome. The City adopted this range in recognition that emission reductions are not precise and that many scientists believe that a reduction of 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 may not be adequate.

The City adopted a series of “Phase One” actions to get the ball rolling; setting an interim target for the year 2015, with 22 “Priority One” action proposals, in six general categories, many of which invite our participation.

The six categories are:

• Mobility
• Energy
• Waste and Consumption
• Food and Agriculture
• Community Engagement
• Government Operations.

The City has hosted various community forums with topics focused on Transportation, Energy Conservation, Household Carbon Reduction programs, Walkable Neighborhoods, and Local Food Source as some examples.