JACKSON, Wyo. — During the regular Town Council meeting on Monday, July 1, Councilors unanimously approved the Town of Jackson Sustainability Plan, with the goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions in the valley by the year 2030.
The Sustainability Plan states that its vision is to “preserve and protect the area’s ecosystem in order to ensure a healthy environment, community and economy for current and future generations.” The community-wide plan outline ways to maintain healthy populations of all native species, preserve and enhance surface water and groundwater quality and reduce air pollutants produced in the community.
Priorities of the plan also include, maintaining dark night skies, reducing energy consumption of non-renewable energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions through waste management, water conservation, land use and transportation, increasing energy efficiency in buildings, and meeting future transportation demand with walking, biking, carpooling, transit and micro-mobility infrastructure. The plan also outlines co-benefits associated with the recommended strategies, such as improved community health, increased resilience to natural disasters, reduced energy burden and increased affordability for residents, along with the creation of new economic opportunities.
Included with the Sustainability Plan is a two-year implementation plan that includes current status and all the departments that will be involved. According to the Town, some of the plan’s recommended strategies will require financial investment, which will be brought back before Council in future work plans and budgets.
“Many strategies will directly reduce operational costs such as funds spent on gasoline, diesel, electricity, natural gas, propane, water and maintenance and repair,” the Town minutes state. “Spending money now may save money over the long run.”
Local, regional and federal funding opportunities will be utilized to implement renewable energy installations and upgrade energy efficiency in the next several years, according to the Town minutes.
The timing of the plan’s approval falls a few months shy of Mountain Towns 2030, a nationwide annual climate summit that will be held in Jackson this October. The plan and the event both aim to facilitate climate action plans and accelerate collective climate solutions.
