What's happening across the Bay Area: 45

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Here you will find information about climate change policy making throughout the Bay Area. 

HCD Housing Element Workshops

Bay Area cities are currently in varying stages of updating their housing elements. In September, HCD and ABAG are sponsoring workshops across the region. These workshops will include an "overview of housing element law, including recent statutory amendments."

ABAG will be presenting at these workshops, talking in part about the importance of addressing energy and climate in a housing element update. (for a workshop outline click here)

BAAQMD Regionalizing Best Practices

For the 2008-9 year as part of their overall Climate Protection Program, BAAQMD funded several cities to initiate or continue climate planning activities. Below is a list of the participating cities and what they were funded to do. We will provide periodic updates on these efforts as we can.

• Albany: Develop local climate action plan
• Benicia: Develop local climate action plan
• Berkeley: Community-based approach to implement climate plan, Sustainable energy financing districts for solar
• Fremont: Integrate climate protection into general plan
• Hayward: Develop climate action plan
• Lafayette: Integrate climate protection into downtown plan
• Menlo Park: Develop local climate action plan
• Mountain View: Integrate climate protection into general plan
• Newark: Seed-funding for Climate Protection Special Assistant
• Richmond: Integrate climate protection into general plan
• San Carlos: Integrate climate protection into general plan
• San Leandro: Develop local climate action plan
• San Rafael: Develop local climate action plan
• Vallejo: Integrate climate protection into general plan

The Bay Area Alliance for Sustainable Communities (BAASC)

Sustainable Silicon Valley

Sustainable Silicon Valley (SSV) is a multistakeholder collaborative initiative to produce significant environmental improvement and resource conservation in Silicon Valley through the development and implementation of a regional environmental management system (EMS). SSV is hosting a climate change / local government forum on July 9th to provide guidance to local governments planning for GHG reductions.

KQED's Forum talks about sprawl, climate change and land use

On September 3rd, Michael Krasny talked with experts about housing, sprawl and the impacts of SB375 - the legislation targeting transportation planning. From the description, "The state legislature has passed a bill aimed at reducing greenhouse gasses in California by discouraging suburban sprawl and lengthy commutes. The bill, SB 375, would reward urban development around transportation hubs. We look at some of the bill's provisions and at what housing would look like if it passes."

Guests for this broadcast included; 

Listen to the archived broadcast here. 

The Bay Area leads the pack among America's 50 greenest cities

Popular Science has ranked American cities based on 4 criteria of "greenness"; electricity, transportation, green living, and recycling and green perspective. The list highlights some of the ways Bay Area cities are leading the nation in municipal greening. Four Bay Area Cities number in the top 15: #2 - San Francisco, #4 - Oakland, #7 - Berkeley, #13 - Sunnyvale.