On Tuesday, Clarkston adopted a resolution to transition to 100 percent clean and renewable energy, becoming the second Georgia municipality to do so, after Atlanta.
The City Council unanimously approved the resolution sponsored by members Andrea Cervone, YT Bell and Jamie Carroll, according to a news release. The measure establishes a community-wide goal of transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050, and also says the city’s fleet vehicles will be zero-emission by 2035.
The decision isn’t surprising in Clarkston, a small progressive, refugee-friendly town, which claims to be the first American municipality to have a city council comprised of mostly millennials.
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The councilmembers who pushed the measure hope it’ll help the city do its part in fighting climate change, as well as spur development that is also environmentally friendly.
“This city has a global perspective,” Nina Dutton, chair of the Sierra Club Metro Atlanta Group said, “and its millennial leadership knows how much there is to lose as climate disruption unfolds — for our generation and for future generations. We also know how much we have to gain by ending our dependence on fossil fuels and building a better energy system.”
The resolution says the city manager and planning department will work with the Environment and Transportation Committee to develop a plan by March 2019. The city also committed to including public input in the planning and implementation process, as well as “ensuring that benefits of a clean energy economy will extend to all residents of Clarkston,” the news release said.
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