Whitefish Climate Action Plan Goes to City Council

The City Council approved the Whitefish Climate Action Plan on April 16, 2018.

April 17 update:  The Whitefish City Council approved the Climate Action Plan following a public hearing on April 16. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the effort! Join us on Earth Day to celebrate completion of the first Climate Action Plan in Flathead County. Here’s a link to the final approved plan: Whitefish Climate Action Plan – Final April 2018

Original post: The Whitefish City Council on April 16 will hold a public hearing and vote on a motion to approve the Whitefish Climate Action Plan. The Council hosted a work session on April 2 to discuss the plan with CAP Committee members.

We encourage Whitefish residents to step up at the public hearing on April 16 and voice their support for the plan. Click here to view and download the plan: CAP_DrafttoCouncil-4.08.2018

The CAP has two overarching objectives:

Understand and Prepare: The plan identifies the key trends and scientific projections for what a warming, more volatile climate means for Whitefish. It presents a pathway for solutions, such as becoming a fire-adapted community and protecting our water. It presents strategies to safeguard public health, property, and economic vitality.

Reduce Emissions: The City of Whitefish, alongside nearly 400 U.S. cities and 195 nations, has committed to keep global average temperatures from rising more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. This plan emphasizes energy efficiency, local production of clean energy, and conservation of carbon-rich forests and soil.

Climate Smart Glacier Country salutes the amazing team of volunteers who devoted many hundreds of hours over 13 months to produce this comprehensive 129-page report. (Don’t worry about reading it all – the Executive Summary is a good place to start.)

The Whitefish Pilot ran an article April 11 about the draft Climate Action Plan.

The CAP Committee will present the approved plan to the community during a public celebration on Earth Day, April 21, to coincide with the public launch of the Center for Sustainability and Entrepreneurship at Whitefish High School.  Please join us!

Members of the Whitefish Climate Action Plan Committee