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Climate Policy Office presents 2025–26 work plan emphasizing household action, electrification and a coordinated county response
Summary
The newly created Climate Policy Office outlined a work plan that focuses on residential behavior change, an energy information hub, corporate engagement, building electrification and supporting a comprehensive climate action plan; the board and staff emphasized equity and cross‑departmental coordination.
The Arlington County Climate Policy Office presented its 2025–26 work plan to the County Board on Feb. 25, detailing a program of residential outreach, business engagement, building electrification support and government operations steps intended to cut greenhouse gas emissions and increase resilience.
Assistant County Manager Jennifer Fioretti and Climate Policy Office Director Rich Dooley summarized the office’s “4 C’s” approach — championing, commitment, coordination and communication — and reviewed initiatives that include a residential communications campaign, a one‑stop energy information hub, a climate toolkit for community partners, a corporate climate leaders program, and toolkits to support electrification of homes and commercial buildings.
Fioretti said households account for about 24% of the county’s greenhouse gas emissions and argued behavior change and clear, accessible resources can materially reduce local emissions. The office is also coordinating updates to the community energy plan and a greenhouse‑gas inventory that will inform a comprehensive climate action plan. "Our work is organized into what we like to call the 4 C's of the Climate Policy Office," Fioretti said in presenting the plan.
The plan calls for partnerships with nonprofits, utilities, workforce‑development organizations and regional jurisdictions; staff highlighted programs to increase contractor readiness for heat‑pump installations and to package existing county resources into user‑friendly guides for homeowners and commercial property managers.
Board members and staff emphasized equity and the importance of engaging underserved residents. The board had adopted a climate resolution earlier in the month; CPO staff said their actions will implement and coordinate that policy across departments.
No board vote was required for the presentation; the CPO will continue work on the greenhouse‑gas inventory and the Community Energy Plan and expects to return with measurable recommendations and engagement plans over the coming year.
