The city of Florence recently became the seventh “Cool City” in South Carolina after a resolution was passed by Florence City Council on April 22 to endorse the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement.
The decision was due in part to the work of the Pee Dee Sierra Club in bringing the program to the attention of city leaders.
John Ramsburgh, chapter director of the Sierra Club of South Carolina, said he’s glad the local chapter of the organization took the initiative to bring about such a needed change in Florence.
“We’re really excited at the Sierra Club that Florence has joined onto the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement,” he said. “Clearly, we have been hearing that energy efficiency and renewables are not just good for the environment, they’re good for the economy.”
Ramsburgh said cities can cut millions of dollars from their budgets by investing in efficiency.
“That’s what the ‘Cool Cities’ program is all about,” he said.
Peggy Brown, chairwoman of Florence Coutny Citizens for Responsible Economic Development in Florence and director of Natural Resources for the League of Women Voters of South Carolina, said she thinks the move was a good one for the future of Florence.
“I think they had been working on ‘Cool Cities’ for about two and a half or three years,” she said. “I’m very proud that Mayor (Frank) Willis and the city council decided to join that initiative.”
Brown said she thinks the next step would be joining “Cool Counties” initiative from the Coastal Conservation League.
“That may be a little more difficult with the resolution to support Santee Cooper’s coal plant, but I think that is something we have got to start thinking about,” she said. “It’s all about efficiency.”
Brown said she is worried about future industry in Florence County once the proposed Santee Cooper coal-fired power plant is in place in Kingsburg.
“I’m scared about our air quality,” she said. “What’s it going to be like with the extra emissions from the coal plant?”
Brown said she wonders that with all the talk of the added jobs the proposed plant will bring to the area, whether anyone has considered the amount of carbon credits the plant will use up, prohibiting other industries from coming to the region.
“Will we even be able to bring other industries in if we have used all our emission credits on a coal plant?” she asked.
Florence is the most recent city to pass the resolution out of more than 800 cities around the country. The resolution means that the city of Florence must now meet or exceed the standards set by the 2005 Kyoto Protocol to reduce carbon emissions by seven percent by 2012, according to the “Cool Cities” Web site.
Some of the criteria Florence will begin meeting includes encouraging redevelopment of local areas to reduce urban sprawl, promoting alternative means of transportation, and placing a larger emphasis on energy efficiency.
The other “Cool Cities” in South Carolina are Charleston, Clemson, Columbia, Greenville, Rock Hill and Sumter.
On the Web
Cool Cities, www.coolcities.us
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