Despite challenging economic conditions, a landmark survey of nearly 400 mayors in all 50 states has found that energy and sustainability efforts have maintained momentum within cities. The study, prepared for The U.S. Conference of Mayors and sponsored by Siemens, was based on survey research conducted from April to May, 2011, by the international research consultancy GlobeScan. The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,210 such cities in the country today, each represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the Mayor.
Among its key findings, the survey noted:
• Three in four cities expect their use of clean energy technologies to increase over the next five years.
• LED/efficient lighting, low-energy building technologies and solar electricity generation are the top three “most promising” technologies for reducing energy use and carbon emissions.
• Mayors are looking to the economic benefits of these clean energy solutions as drivers of their energy strategies.
• For one in three cities, adapting to climate change is already an element of their capital planning or capital improvement programs.
• One-quarter of all cities have already set targets for the use of renewable energy.
“The overwhelming response to this survey – 396 mayors in all 50 states, representing about 74 million people – underscores the strong commitment of the nation’s mayors to clean energy technologies and energy efficiency solutions,” said Conference President Burnsville (MN) Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz. “Mayors are acting on these commitments, which also support our nation’s greater goals on energy independence and security,” she explained.”As a company that provides many of today’s technology solutions for cities, we’re pleased how cities are embracing the many economic benefits of sustainable technologies,” said Daryl Dulaney, president and CEO of Siemens Industry, Inc. “Our next challenge is to help cities come up with financing solutions that have minimal budget impact and keep cities on track with their sustainability goals using proven technologies.”
“LED and other efficient lighting sources are the technology of choice for cities aiming to reduce future energy use and climate-harming emissions,” said Conference Vice President Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa. “We know from our experience in Los Angeles that LED streetlights are the way of the future and having a tremendous impact globally. They save money, protect the environment, and create jobs.” The City of Los Angeles is now replacing 140,000 existing streetlight fixtures with LED units in order to save energy by a minimum of 40%, reducing carbon emissions by approximately 40,500 tons per year. Rob Kerr, Vice President of GlobeScan, which conducted the survey, said, “The survey reaffirms trends that we’re seeing in different countries around the world – that cities are taking the practical lead in pushing national sustainability objectives by actually deploying the technologies today. Sustainability efforts are not going to just go away in tough economic times.”