Corte Madera cuts greenhouse gases 34% since 1990 — now comes the hard part
Corte Madera's communitywide greenhouse gas emissions sit 34% below 1990 levels, well ahead of the county's 24% average, Christine O'Rourke of the Marin Climate and Energy Partnership told the Climate Action Committee at its August meeting. The Town's Climate Action Plan aims for a 40% cut by 2030. Electricity emissions are down 92% since 2005 and waste is down 38%, but transportation — down only 25% — remains the biggest slice of the pie.
Coordinator Goulden's mid-year work plan update filled in the to-do list: the fleet electrification plan is now complete, more chargers are coming to the Corporation Yard, and staff are eyeing purchase of the North Menke Park lot for public charging. Also on the list: vehicle-miles-traveled reduction, commercial parking-code updates, street impact fee changes, tracking of SB 222 heat pump permitting, and AB 1572 compliance on non-functional turf at the Corporation Yard and Central Marin Fire Headquarters.
With five members and a full plate, the committee carved the work into three ad hoc subcommittees: landscaping (tackling the Fire Headquarters turf project), led by Chair D'Alexander and Member Muller; heat pump regulatory messaging, led by Vice Chair Lang; and continued EV charging work, led by Burtis and Simon. Resident David Bell suggested the committee also look at tree planting at Bayside Trail Park and offered to pitch the committee's participation in Oktoberfest to event organizers.
The committee's September 16 agenda turns to a deadline with teeth: a new Bay Area Air District rule requires new residential water heaters sold or installed starting January 2028 to meet zero-NOx emissions standards — a bar that, for now, only electric heat pump water heaters clear. The heat pump subcommittee is drafting outreach messaging to get homeowners ready.