2008 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry

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Informal Sessions Description

Additional Informal Sessions may be organized on-site during the Summer Study.

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Moving Toward Zero Carbon Communities (ZCCs)

John "Skip" Laitner and George Burmeister

Tuesday, August 19
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

As cities get more serious about tackling climate change and improving their sustainability efforts, the concept of Zero Carbon Communities (ZCCs) has emerged. Stabilizing increasing CO2 levels is expected to require close to a 60-percent reduction in emissions by 2050. To achieve these emission reductions a change in investment strategy is needed, while we continue to grow our local economies.

California has a large market potential that can open up the nation's development to ZCCs. Our team has designed a model that shows ZCCs are possible by 2050 with a very modest change in the investment pattern of the community—starting in the range of redirecting only 1/3 of one-percent of existing capital within the next year and increasing that investment to roughly seven-percent by 2030. Using Ontario, California data we learned that the benefits derived from this redirection in community investment would flow at a 2-to-1 ratio by 2030. This session will bring together international experts to discuss ways to advance domestic zero carbon communities, while also presenting a progress report of a three-year pilot project funded by the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Sustainability Alliance, which assists local governments and developers in making informed decisions that lead to effective implementation strategies for greening their portfolios of existing and planned communities. Zero Carbon Communities are possible by the year 2050 with a very modest and replicable change in the investment pattern of the community. We will show that some cites are already moving toward zero carbon use, and that city-led efforts are a powerful, market changing force.

For more information, contact:

John "Skip" Laitner
ACEEE
e-mail:jslaitner@aceee.org

George Burmeister
Colorado Energy Group, Inc.
e-mail:coenergygroup@aol.com

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