Residents are invited to online Community Climate Kickoff Event

For the Reporter

To help tackle climate change locally, and build on existing initiatives, the city of Mercer Island is writing its first-ever Climate Action Plan (CAP) to guide the government, business and resident actions needed to reduce the community’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and protect the environment.

Residents can get involved in an online Community Climate Kickoff Event from 6:30-8 p.m. on Dec. 8. Staff will provide a short update on the timeline for the plan, an overview of recent actions and emissions status, and seek early feedback from attendees. To register, visit https://www.mercerisland.gov/publicworks/page/climate-action-plan-community-kickoff.

“Community participation is critical to ensure that this planning process is a success,” said Ross Freeman, who leads the city’s sustainability efforts and will be overseeing the CAP process. The city will offer workshops, surveys, webpages, and other opportunities for everyone to share their feedback and help shape the development of the plan over the next year.

The plan will also address climate resilience and measures to accommodate some of the climate-related impacts that are already present. It will also draw on the King County Climate Action Toolkit, other city of Mercer Island multi-year planning documents, and recent climate plans from other cities.

Learn more about the Mercer Island CAP at www.mercerisland.gov/CAP. The meeting will be recorded and posted on the CAP page for later viewing and submission of comments.