St. Petersburg recently became the first city in Florida to commit to converting to 100% renewable energy. The City Council Committee of the Whole voted unanimously to utilize $250k of their settlement funds from the BP Oil Spill to make this transition in an effort to invest in their community’s long-term sustainability. St. Pete joins 19 other cities in the U.S. that have vocalized their goals to reach 100% renewables to combat rising electric rates, create more jobs, and promote a cleaner environment. Here are 5 of St. Pete’s fellow 100% renewable proponents:
1.) Aspen, CO
A ski bum’s delight, beautiful Aspen reached their goal to utilize 100% clean, renewable energy in 2015 through a combination of hydroelectric, solar, and wind power.
2.) Georgetown, TX
Once the epicenter of Big Oil in the U.S., Texas is quickly becoming the nation’s leader in renewables. Nestled in Austin’s backyard, Georgetown has pledged to reach 100% renewable energy by 2017 through partnering with a nearby wind farm and solar energy from West Texas.
3.) Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Barbara joins several CA cities including San Francisco, San Jose, and San Diego in committing to going 100% renewable. Residential solar in Santa Barbara has grown significantly in recent years, and the city’s plans to make their transition involves developing a large-scale wind farm.
4.) Burlington, VT
Bolstered by Vermont’s larger plan of transitioning to 90% renewables by 2050, Burlington became the first city in the county to achieve their own goal by investing in solar, wind, and hydropower.
5.) Grand Rapids, MI
With their goal of becoming 100% renewable by 2020, Grand Rapids was recognized as “America’s Greenest City” by Fast Company in 2008. The city’s green movement has been encouraged by the strong support of local government. Former mayor George Heartwell said of the transition: “Start something. Start Small…But start some place. Once you get started, it actually feels pretty good.”
