City of Los Altos Recognized for Greenhouse Gas Reductions

Los Altos, Calif. – February 10, 2023 – The city of Los Altos has been awarded four Institute for Local Government (ILG) Beacon Program Spotlight awards for its significant and voluntary reductions in greenhouse gas output for the award period covered from 2015 to 2018. These awards, received in August 2022, were officially presented to the Environmental Commission during the January 24 council meeting in the newly reopened council chambers.  

Platinum-level awards were presented to the City for Agency Greenhouse Gas Reductions and for Community Greenhouse Gas Reductions, both at the 40% reduction level, and for Agency Natural Gas Savings at the 30% savings level. A silver-level award for Sustainability Best Practices was also awarded.  

The Climate Action Plan adopted by the City Council in 2013 targeted a 15 percent reduction in carbon emission by the year 2020, using 2005 as its baseline. The City and community exceeded this target and achieved a 40 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2018.  

In March 2022, City Council approved the succeeding Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) 2022 to build upon this success. CAAP 2022 identifies 15 strategies and 68 separate actions that will enable the city and community to reach carbon neutrality by 2035.  

ILG is the nonprofit affiliate of the California State Association of Counties, the League of California Cities, and the California Special Districts Association. It works with local governments, assisting them with complex, real-world issues facing the communities they serve. The Beacon Program, a branch of ILG, recognizes local jurisdictions in California that are voluntarily addressing climate change and promoting more sustainable communities.