Stephanie Steinbrecher, stephanie.steinbrecher@sierraclub.org
CLEVELAND, OH -- The Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 campaign joins with faith leaders, public health officials, residents, and community groups in urging Mayor Frank Jackson and the City of Cleveland to announce a goal of sourcing 100 percent of the city’s electricity from clean, renewable energy like wind and solar by 2050.
The Ready for 100 campaign launched a print ad in The Plain Dealer on Sunday and digital ads calling on the city to stand with the community by moving to clean energy for all. The ads can be viewed here.
The ads were released days before Mayor Frank Jackson’s 10th Annual Sustainable Cleveland Summit takes place on September 20-21. At the summit, Mayor Jackson will present the city’s new Climate Action Plan and discuss the city’s sustainability future. This event is a chance to committing to move towards a healthier, economically vibrant, and more resilient Cleveland by committing to ambitious new renewable energy goals -- including being powered by 100 percent clean and renewable electricity across the city by 2050.
The first draft of Cleveland’s 2018 Climate Action Plan -- a document that is updated every five years to keep the city on target for meeting critical climate action objectives -- tentatively lists the goal of 100 percent clean electricity for Cleveland by 2050. The draft notes the city is “currently evaluating feasibility.”
“By committing to move Cleveland to renewable energy at this week’s summit, Mayor Jackson can truly make this the ‘Year of Vital Neighborhoods,’” said Jocelyn Travis, campaign coordinator for the Cleveland Ready for 100 campaign. “Our campaign has worked across the community to highlight calls for lower energy bills, clean air, and new local clean energy jobs for years. It’s time for a just and equitable transition to a better energy system to power all of Cleveland, and at the summit, we need Mayor Jackson and the city to be leaders in realizing this vision.”
“The transition to renewable energy presents one of the greatest economic opportunities of the 21st century. Cleveland has the opportunity right now to set itself apart as a leader in the new energy economy. With a strong 100 percent renewable electricity goal, Cleveland can signal that its open for business on clean energy,” said Drew O’Bryan, campaign representative for the Sierra Club’s national Ready for 100 campaign.
According to pollster Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, a strong bipartisan majority (70 percent) of Ohioans support the goal of 100 percent clean energy -- and support across the state is highest in Cleveland, at 76 percent. Additionally, more than three out of four Cuyahoga County voters feel more favorable toward an elected official supporting clean energy.
As the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco last week indicated, cities and subnational leaders from across the globe are already demonstrating that climate action will be led locally. The threats posed to communities by failing to curb emissions and pollution are great, but the opportunities afforded by taking bold action now are even greater. To date, over 80 cities across the nation have committed to 100 percent renewable energy, including Atlanta, St. Louis, Minneapolis, and San Diego. Cleveland would be the first city in Ohio and across the Rust Belt to commit to being powered entirely by renewables.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.