South Pasadena Mayor Diana Mahmud in New Video for the CoolCA Challenge

The CoolCalifornia Challenge, a competition between California cities to motivate and reward residents for reducing their carbon footprints and build more sustainable communities, just got a little more competitive. With 22 cities vying for the title of “Coolest California City,” nine mayors and city officials upped the stakes today, sharing rousing videos to promote the challenge and encourage participation among residents.

In the videos, mayors discuss what makes their cities “the Coolest” and offer a range of ideas to improve sustainability in their cities, from mainstream concepts like biking to work to more creative ideas like “No Flush Fridays.”

“The CoolCalifornia Challenge is a fun way for cities and residents to band together and see their sustainability efforts rewarded in a tangible way,” said Pamela Wellner, Manager, Climate Change Programs for Energy Upgrade California. “These mayors have taken the competition to the next level by infusing some humor and creativity into their calls to action. As we kick off a New Year, we hope these videos inspire residents to resolve to cut carbon emissions.”
The videos feature mayors or officials from the following cities:

• Benicia, Mayor Elizabeth Patterson
• Burlingame, Mayor Terry Nagel
• Claremont, Mayor Corey Calaycay
• Fairfax, Council Member Barbara Coler
• Huntington Beach, Mayor Jim Katapodis
• Martinez, Mayor Rob Schroder
• Redwood City, Former Council Member Barbara Pierce
• San Mateo, Mayor Joe Goethals
• South Pasadena, Mayor Diana Mahmud

Three additional cities — Richmond, Larkspur and Corte Madera — have already answered the call and are producing videos with their mayors, expected to go live in the coming weeks.

Households in participating cities can join the CoolCalifornia Challenge by registering at CAChallenge.org. They can then track energy use and vehicle miles driven, as well as share energy saving tips to earn points for their cities. The city with the highest sustainability points at the end of the challenge will be crowned Coolest California City. Two runner-up cities will be named Cool California City. All participating cities will receive a portion of a $150,000 prize based on the percentage of their points that will be used to support local sustainability projects.

This year’s participating cities include Claremont, San Mateo, Buellton, Indio, Burlingame, Long Beach, Elk Grove, San Carlos, Lynwood, Martinez, South Pasadena, Redwood City, Huntington Beach, San Pablo, Benicia, Corte Madera, Mill Valley, Sausalito, El Cerrito, Fairfax, Larkspur and Richmond. Current standings of the cities can be found at: http://www.CAChallenge.org.

The CoolCalifornia City Challenge ends March 30, 2016, and the winning city will be recognized during Earth Week, April 21, 2016.

CoolCalifornia Challenge is a partnership between Energy Upgrade California®, the CoolCalifornia.org program at the California Air Resources Board, and the Cool Climate Network at the University of California, Berkeley’s Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory.

About Energy Upgrade California

Energy Upgrade California is a state initiative to help Californians take action to save energy and conserve natural resources, help reduce demand on the electricity grid, and make informed energy management choices at home and at work. It is supported by an alliance of the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Energy Commission, utilities, regional energy networks, local governments, businesses, and nonprofits to help communities meet state and local energy and climate action goals. Funding comes from investor-owned utility customers under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission. For more information, visit www.EnergyUpgradeCA.org.

California Air Resources Board

ARB’s mission is to promote and protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain health based air quality standards.