Jefferson Park [photo credit: City of Pasadena]
The event, part of the city’s monthlong Earth Month programming, is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the 4.4-acre park at 1501 E. Villa St. in the Villa Street neighborhood. Admission is free. An online participation option is also available for those who cannot attend in person, according to organizers.
The forum is structured as a two-way exchange, according to organizers. Information tables staffed by local partners, including Pasadena 100 — the community coalition that has pushed for 100 percent renewable energy in Pasadena by 2030 — will offer residents practical entry points for getting involved in the city’s sustainability efforts. Plant-based refreshments from ID Éclair, the French vegan bakery on Green Street in Old Town Pasadena, will be provided.
Discussion topics are expected to include water conservation, expansion of the urban tree canopy and the city’s push toward carbon-free energy by 2030, according to the event description. Residents will also have the opportunity to provide input on the direction of the city’s environmental priorities.
Pasadena’s climate targets are among the most aggressive of any municipality in California. On Jan. 30, 2023, the City Council unanimously passed Resolution 9977, declaring a climate emergency and setting a policy goal to source 100 percent of the city’s electricity from carbon-free sources by 2030. That target places Pasadena 15 years ahead of the State of California’s 2045 carbon-neutrality deadline, established by Executive Order B-55-18 and Senate Bill 100 in 2018.
The council also adopted Pasadena Transit’s Zero Emission Bus Rollout Plan in January 2023, which calls for a fully zero-emission Dial-A-Ride fleet by 2030 and a complete fixed-route transit conversion by 2037 — three years ahead of the state mandate. The city’s Department of Transportation launched its first battery-electric bus into service in May 2025, according to a city press release, and has secured more than $100 million in grant funding toward the $150.7 million project.
In December 2025, the City Council unanimously approved the Optimized Strategic Plan, a roadmap developed with consultant Energy and Environmental Economics, Inc. to meet the goals of Resolution 9977. Councilmember Jason Lyon said after the vote that the city is on track to reach at least a 92 percent renewable portfolio by 2030, according to a report in Pasadena Now.
Pasadena 100, which describes itself as a coalition of 22 nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations and hundreds of individuals, played a central role in pushing the council to adopt Resolution 9977. The group has continued to monitor Pasadena Water and Power’s progress and has advocated for increased local solar and battery storage to close the remaining gap toward full carbon-free power.
The city’s Public Works Department has also been expanding its urban forestry program. In 2025, city officials outlined plans to increase annual tree planting from 400 to 600 trees, using heat-mapping data to target neighborhoods with the least canopy coverage. In 2026, the city adopted a general amendment to its Master Street Tree Plan to allow more flexibility in species selection to promote climate resilience and fire resistance.
On March 30, the City Council issued a proclamation recognizing April 2026 as Earth Month and April 22 as Earth Day, according to a city press release. The month’s programming has included composting workshops, free transit rides on Earth Day, an Arbor Day tree-planting event and a goat-grazing demonstration for wildfire prevention at Brookside Park.
City officials have said that meeting Pasadena’s climate targets will require sustained community participation. Tuesday’s forum is designed to provide one such opportunity.
IF YOU GO
What: Earth Month Community Forum
When: Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 6 p.m.
Where: Jefferson Park, 1501 E. Villa St., Pasadena
Cost: Free
Online option: Available (details from organizers)
