In the most recent Sierra Club Report issued on the Sierra Club’s Ready For 100 campaign, they outlined the 10 new communities that were willing to put forth the effort to commit to one-hundred percent renewable energy. One of the new communities outlined in the report was Orlando, Florida. This was being pushed by the First 50 Coalition in Orlando, which includes local groups that are environmental and also faith-based organizations. Groups include IDEAS For Us, League of Women Voters of Orange County, the Central Florida Sierra Club and many others as well. Orlando has committed to 100% renewable within municipal operations by 2030, and 100% renewable energy community-wide by 2050. Orlando being added to the list of cities makes four communities within Florida which include Largo, Sarasota, and St. Petersburg, that are committed to 100% renewable energy, that should be placed into action between 2025 and 2050.
Orlando has also put in place a program called PACE which will provide $500 million to residents and businesses for clean energy financing. Two of the solar programs put in place currently allow residents to choose if they’d prefer their energy to come from solar, or if they’d like to opt into having solar panels on their roofs. Orlando is also requiring all new buildings to be solar-ready. The buildings are also required to have a LEED silver rating, which is a globally recognized certification for sustainability. In their report they state that currently ten-percent of Orlando’s energy comes from renewable sources, and the mayor has stated that he knows where we are, and how far Orlando has to go to reach the commitment to one-hundred percent renewable energy, that all that is left is figuring out how to get there as a community.
According to the Sierra Club, there are 6 communities in the United States that have already made the switch to 100% renewable. Aspen, Colorado; Greensburg, Kansas; Georgetown, Texas; Burlington, Vermont; Kodiak Island, Alaska; and Rock Port, Missouri have all switched their resources to 100% renewable. These cities rely on a variety of different renewable energy sources such as 100% wind, a mix of hydropower, or a mix of solar and wind.
If interested in starting a Ready For 100 movement in your community, or for more information, check out this website and click on the “I’m Ready!” button. To read more on the other 9 communities that have commited to 100% renewable, check out the Sierra Report here.
