Lake County hears climate action plan update, consultants recommend contracted sustainability coordinator

At a Lake County Board of County Commissioners work session, county staff and consultants from the Brendle Group presented the scope, timeline and early findings of a community climate action plan and recommended the county hire a contracted sustainability coordinator to help finalize the plan and lead initial implementation.

The presentation, led by Jillian Goulet and Imogen Ainsworth of the Brendle Group and introduced by Community Planning and Development Director Anne Schneider and County Manager Candace Bridal, described the CAP project deliverables, a risk and vulnerability assessment, a community greenhouse gas inventory based on 2023 data, public engagement plans and a proposed approach to staffing for implementation.

Why it matters: the consultants said a completed CAP and greenhouse gas inventory will allow Lake County to qualify for state funding and other competitive grants and to prioritize actions to reduce emissions and increase resilience to wildfire, extreme temperatures and heavy-precipitation flooding.

The Brendle presenters said the community-wide greenhouse gas inventory totals about 92,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) for 2023. According to the consultants, transportation accounted for about 41 percent of those emissions while electricity, natural gas and propane used in buildings together made up about…