FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 12, 2005
CONTACT:    Brian O’Malley, 202-675-6279
            Glen Brand, 207-272-0484



            SIERRA CLUB LAUNCHES NATIONAL COOL CITIES CAMPAIGN
      Working With Mayors To Solve Global Warming One City At A Time
               [www.sierraclub.org/globalwarming/coolcities]


CHICAGO, IL -- At a time when U.S. oil dependence is increasing, and the threat of global warming is heating up, the Sierra Club has launched its new "Cool Cities" campaign that encourages local leaders throughout the country to move forward with innovative solutions to reduce heat-trapping global warming pollution.  This campaign showcases local leadership on the part of over 180 U.S. mayors to curb global warming in stark contrast to the Bush administration's history of missed opportunities and broken promises on global warming.

"Mayors around the country aren't waiting on the federal government to move foward with real clean energy solutions like hybrid cars and renewable energy," said Glen Brand, Regional Representative for the Sierra Club’s Global Warming and Energy Program.  "These cities show that we can curb global warming and save money at the same time."

Today, at the first event on the Cool Cities campaign in Chicago, the
Sierra Club praised Chicago Mayor Richard Daley for signing on to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection agreement, which was launched in 2005 by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels.  Mayor Daley has joined 182 other mayors nationwide, representing nearly 40 million Americans in 38 states, who have pledged to reduce global warming carbon dioxide pollution in their cities to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012 (for full list of cities and background on the agreement, see www.seattle.gov/mayor/climate/<http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/climate/>).

"While it is encouraging to see the growing list of cities supporting
action to curb global warming, many mayors do not yet have the strategies in place to meet these targets, said Brand.  "This is why the Cool Cities campaign will tour the country and advocate for local energy solutions that can help cities meet their climate protection commitments. "

Today’s launch is the beginning of a national fall tour to over 20 "Cool
Cities" in Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin in the Midwest;
Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire in New England; and North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky in the Southeast.  Each tour stop will feature a rally where "Cool City" mayors and local Sierra Club leaders will call for proven local energy solutions that will re-energize our cities and help curb heat-trapping global warming pollution.

To accompany the tour, the Sierra Club has released a new guide, "Cool
Cities: Solving Global Warming One City at a Time." The guide explains the steps toward making cities "cool" and tells success stories from a broad range of cities, from greening municipal vehicle fleets with hybrid cars in Houston and Charlotte; energy efficient street lights and buildings in Salt Lake City and Scottsdale, Arizona; to renewable energy investments in Waverly, Iowa and Columbia, Missouri.   The guide is available online at sierraclub.org/globalwarming/coolcities.

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