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U.S. EPA’s Climate Showcase Communities:
Innovative Models of Low Carbon Sustainability
Megan Samenfeld-Specht
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
UN-HABITAT, World Urban Forum 7
Medellín, Colombia
April 10, 2014
Overview
 Local Sustainability and Climate Action in the
United States
 U.S. EPA’s Climate Showcase Communities
 Appendix of U.S EPA resources to support local
climate action
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Local Sustainability and Climate
Action in the United States
 Local governments are leading by example and demonstrating the
multiple benefits of investing in sustainability
 Greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions
 Air quality improvements
Transportation
 Cost savings
 Energy security and reliability
Renewable
Energy
Community
Design
 Economic development
 Public health protection
 Quality of life improvements
 Local governments are well
Energy
Efficiency
SUSTAINABILITY*
Materials
Management
positioned for this work
 Jurisdiction over relevant sectors
 Connections to local priorities
*Major opportunities to reduce resource consumption,
energy use, and GHG emissions
 Relationships with citizens
 Opportunities to develop and implement inventories, action plans, and
targets
 Community Values + Local Action = Sense of Identity + Pride in
Community
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U.S. EPA’s Climate Showcase
Communities
 Competitive grants to fund implementation of climate
change mitigation pilot projects across the United States
 50 projects, $100,000-$500,00 grants
 Awarded to 44 local governments and 6 tribal nations
 Mission
 Create models of cost-effective and persistent GHG mitigation
 Catalyze broader local and tribal government climate actions
 Improve environmental, economic, health, and social
conditions
 Scope





Residential and commercial energy efficiency
Energy production
Land use
Waste management
Transportation
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Climate Showcase
Communities: Who They Are
Diverse geographic regions, community sizes, government structures & capacity
Northern Cheyenne Tribe,
Montana:
Green jobs training for tribal
members and energy
efficiency and renewable
energy upgrades to tribal
buildings
West Union, Iowa:
Downtown revitalization with
a geothermal heating and
cooling district and a green
streetscape
Albuquerque, New
Mexico:
Landfill methane capture
and use in municipal
applications
Cherry Hill, New Jersey:
Small communities
partnership to identify GHG
reduction actions in
buildings and transportation
Durham, North Carolina:
Neighbor-to-neighbor outreach
to promote home energy
retrofits and a community
GHG reduction competition
Alameda County,
California:
Waste reduction by
working with businesses
to create reusable
packaging
Houston, Texas:
Bike-sharing program
and electric vehicles
Little Rock, Arkansas:
Employer-based access
to audits and low-interest
financing for residential
energy efficiency retrofits
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Climate Showcase
Communities: Who They Are
Participants in the EPA-OAS grantee twinning project
Salt Lake City, Utah:
Community-based
campaigns to promote
alternative transportation,
reduce vehicle miles
traveled, and improve air
quality
Central New York
Regional Planning and
Development Board:
Small communities
partnership to develop
climate action plans and
clean energy projects
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Projected Annual Benefits
of all 50 Grants by 2015:
350,000
Metric Tons
of GHGs
Reduced
116,000
MW of
Electricity
Saved
147,000
Tons of
Waste
Avoided
435,000
Gallons of
Gas Saved
$119,000 in
Costs
Avoided
Improved Quality of Life in Communities
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Opportunities for Your
Community
Cost-effective Models of
Climate Action
Demonstrated Results
Lessons Learned, Stories
& Tools for Replication
Peer-Exchange &
Networking Opportunities
Replication & Scale-Up
Check out our case studies,
videos, and toolkits
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Closing thoughts
 Local governments and communities have an
important role to play in addressing climate change
 U.S EPA has resources available to help you reduce
your GHG emissions while pursing a range of
sustainability projects with multiple benefits
 The Climate Showcase Communities are developing
concrete models of local climate action and achieving
real results that make a difference for the quality of life in
their communities
 U.S EPA is committed to learning from these
communities, documenting their stories, and
sharing their experiences with you to promote
replication and scale up of climate action
Connect with Us!
Megan Samenfeld-Specht
International Environment Specialist
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of International and Tribal Affairs
Samenfeld-specht.megan@epa.gov
(001) 202-564-9964
Emma Zinsmeister
Lead Local Climate Strategy Analyst
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Climate Showcase Communities
State and Local Climate and Energy Program
zinsmeister.emma@epa.gov
(001) 202-343-9043
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Appendix of U.S. EPA
Resources
 State and Local Climate and Energy Program
 Website
 Guide to U.S. EPA Climate and Energy Program Resources
 Local Climate and Energy Strategy Series
 Assessing the Multiple Benefits of Clean Energy
 GHG Inventory Tools
 GHG Equivalencies Calculator
 ENERGY STAR
 Portfolio Manager
 Combined Heat and Power Partnership
 Combined Heat and Power for Enhancing Building
Reliability and Resiliency
 Building Blocks Program
 Walkability Audit Tool (Available in Spanish)
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U.S. EPA State and Local Climate
and Energy Program
Resources for Local Governments and Communities
 Guidance and Tools
 Provide technical resources on developing, implementing, &
evaluating GHG and heat island mitigation projects (e.g., Local
Government Climate and Energy Strategy Series)
 Link to internal and external technical support programs
 Peer-to-Peer Exchange (International participants are welcome!)
Leadership
 Facilitate knowledge transfer & project replication
 Engage a wide range of stakeholders to leverage resources &
expertise
 Provide training webcasts to support capacity building and
newsletter updates to highlight new resources/funding
opportunities
 Climate Showcase Communities (CSC) Program
Partners
Success &
Validation
 Support, document, and showcase replicable
models of sustainable climate action
 Demonstrate value of investing in communities
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U.S. EPA State and Local Climate
and Energy Website
Provides governments with:
 Background information on
sectors related to climate
change
 Guidance on designing,
implementing, and evaluating
programs and policies that
reduce GHG emissions
 Links to tools, guidance
documents, webcasts,
podcasts, and other technical
assistance offered by EPA
 Examples, case studies,
stories, and videos from
communities across the U.S.
Visit: www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate
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Other Technical Assistance
Programs from U.S. EPA
Printed copies
available onsite
today!
Available at: www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/documents/pdf/slb_guide_to_program_resources.pdf
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Local Government Climate and
Energy Strategy Series
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Straightforward GHG emissions
reduction strategies local governments
can use to achieve economic,
environmental, social, and human health
benefits
Each document provides an overview of:
 Benefits
 Planning and design
 Key stakeholders
 Policy mechanisms
 Implementation considerations
 Costs and funding opportunities
 Programs and resources that offer
technical assistance
 Examples and case studies
Available at:
www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/resources
/strategy-guides.html
Documents in this series include:
Energy Efficiency
 K-12 Schools
 Affordable Housing
 Energy-Efficient Product Procurement
 Local Government Operations
 Combined Heat and Power
 Water and Wastewater Facilities
Transportation
 Transportation Control Measures
Community Planning and Design
 Smart Growth
Solid Waste and Materials Management
 Resource Conservation and Recovery
Renewable Energy
 Green Power Procurement
 On-Site Renewable Energy Generation
 Landfill Gas to Energy
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Assessing the Multiple Benefits of
Clean Energy
 Document designed to help state energy, environmental, and
economic policy makers identify and quantify potential benefits
of clean energy initiatives:


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Energy - Energy Savings; System Benefits
Air - GHG Reductions; Air Pollutants
Health - Public Health Benefits & Cost Savings
Economic - Jobs
 It provides an overview of:
 Why it is important to think about the multiple benefits of clean
energy
 An analytical framework for understanding multiple benefits
 Approaches to calculating or estimating energy savings as the
foundation for deriving multiple benefits
 Different tools and approaches for estimating benefits across
varying levels of rigor
• Includes tips on the advantages, disadvantages, and appropriateness
for each approach.
 Examples of state analyses and estimates of the multiple benefits
of numerous clean energy options
Available at: www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/resources/benefits.html
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Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Tools
 Modular, Microsoft Excel-based tools that provide
a framework and default data and emissions
factors to simplify inventory process
 Tools can be modified for international users
 State Inventory Tool (SIT)
 Facilitates state-wide GHG Inventories for 19902010, Projections through 2030
 Compares to U.S. Inventory; top-down emissions,
not facility level data
 Available at:
http://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/resources/tool.html
 Local GHG Inventory Tool (LGIT)
 Framework for single year inventories—divided into
government operations and community wide
 Based on protocols from ICLEI-Local Governments
for Sustainability and The Climate Registry
 Designed for cities, counties, regional planning, and
organizations
 Currently in development (not available yet)
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Greenhouse Gas
Equivalencies Calculator
 Enables you to
Available at:
www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html
communicate the
magnitude of GHG
reductions using
quantities that people
can easily
understand, such as
number of trees
planted
 Tool can be
modified for
international users 18
• Management Tool – Helps business and organizations by offering a
platform to:
– Assess whole building energy and water consumption
– Track changes in energy, water, greenhouse gas emissions, and cost
over time
– Track green power purchases
International users can
– Share/report data with others
track energy performance,
but benchmarking is only
– Create custom reports
available in the U.S.
– Apply for ENERGY STAR certification
• Metrics Calculator – Provides key performance metrics to integrate
into a strategic management plan
– Energy consumption (source, site, weather normalized)
– ENERGY STAR 1-to-100 score (available for 15 building types)
– Greenhouse gas emissions (indirect, direct, total, avoided)
– Water consumption (indoor, outdoor)
 Accessible in a free, online platform: www.energystar.gov/benchmark
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Combined Heat and Power (CHP) for Enhancing
Building Reliability and Resiliency
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•
•
•
•
Developed by the U.S. Dept. of Housing
and Urban Development, U.S. Dept. of
Energy, U.S. EPA to respond to the
Hurricane Sandy Task Force Strategy and
its recommendations
Makes the case for CHP as a disaster
preparedness and energy resilience
strategy
Spells out requirements and costs
associated with a CHP system that can run
independently of the grid
Assists program implementers and project
developers in determining whether CHP is a
good fit and comparing it to other options
(e.g., back-up generation)
Provides information on financing options
and a list of CHP resources (e.g., on project
development, resiliency/reliability)
Available at: http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/sustainable_housing_communities/chpguide
U.S. EPA’s Building Blocks Program
• Provides quick, targeted technical assistance
to communities using a variety of tools that
have demonstrated results and widespread
application.
• Assist local and/or tribal governments
implement development approaches that
protect the environment, improve public
health, create jobs, expand economic
opportunity, and improve overall quality of life.
• Organization of American States adapted
Building Blocks program for its technical
assistance, focusing directly on Walkability
Audits.
Available in English
and Spanish
Visit: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/buildingblocks.htm