CAP+Case+7


 * 1) //Who did it//: StopWaste.Org, the Alameda County Waste Management Authority and Source Reduction & Recycling Board, a regional JPA representing a population of 1.4 million in 14 cities, 2 sanitary districts and the County on waste issues. The Agency has a goal of 75% diversion from landfill and programs include residential and commercial recycling, food scrap recycling, (offered to all residents in the County), Green Building, Bay Friendly Landscaping, and schools recycling.
 * 2) //What they did (and when)//: Hired ICLEI in 2007 to create a template climate action plan that accurately describe the role that recycling, composting and reducing waste can play in helping a city achieve its greenhouse gas goals. ICLEI also conducted GHG inventories for all 14 cities and the County under a master contract with StopWaste with contributions from the cities. StopWaste commissioned research from ICLEI on the issue of what landfill methane capture rate to use. Funds from landfill tip fees were used to support this effort with the justification that materials sent to landfill generate GHG.
 * 3) //Why they did it//: The cities, through the County Conference of Mayors were looking for a regional, countywide approach to Climate Action Planning. StopWaste.Org offered to facilitate such a countywide approach and started the Alameda County Climate Action Project. The project consisted of inventories conducted for each of the cities by ICLEI under a master contract facilitated by StopWaste.Org. StopWaste.Org also had ICLEI prepare a Climate Action Plan template that gave materials management the priority that it deserves. They also quantified the impacts of many of the recycling, composting, waste reduction measures that a city can undertake to help make the case for these activities. Part of the template plan is a quantification of Green Building and Bay Friendly landscaping practices.
 * 4) //Results/outcomes/successes/failures/lessons learned//: The template was used by many cities in developing their own customized Climate Action Plan. Many cities improved upon it, but used it as a starting place. The template can be found here (click on "Final Report": []. Making this a regional effort meant increasing efficiencies over each city conducting their own greenhouse gas inventory on thier own and the template helped provide the background they needed to develop a climate action plan and include discussion of and quantification of waste reduction and recycling practices.