Welcome to the Orange County Office of Sustainability!
The Sustainability Office was formed in February 2024 to assist not only our County departments and unincorporated communities but also to serve as a centralized location for resources for cities, non-governmental organizations and citizens. The Office is currently working on the first phase of the Climate Action Plan (CAP). The CAP includes a greenhouse gas inventory of all County municipalities and unincorporated regions as well as target sectors of focus, emission reduction measures and the associated co-benefits that the document hopes to achieve. The County has hosted six public forums with countless individual meetings and panels and presentations to spread the word about this critical first step in the process. The Preliminary CAP will be presented to the Orange County Board of Supervisors on September 24, 2024.
The second phase of the CAP will include a more detailed analysis of the measures and a full assessment under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A CEQA analysis will help streamline the implementation process in the future and give the County an advantage in the grant application process. The detailed analysis will help prioritize measures for the County in terms of cost-effectiveness and greatest need and ensure we are targeting reductions in our most vulnerable communities.
Other components of the Sustainability Office will be outreach and advocacy in the form of assisting local entities with their grant submittals, GHG inventories, reviewing pertinent legislation and hosting forums ranging from emergency response preparedness to applying for green tax incentives. The CAP will be an evolving document as new technology emerges, funding becomes available, or the needs of the County or constituents shifts.
We welcome your ideas, your participation, and your support. Please do not hesitate to reach out to GreenOC@ocwr.ocgov.com.
Sincerely,
Tara Tisopulos and the Whole Green Team!
Orange County Preliminary Climate Action Plan (CAP)
Thank you for your participation and interest in Orange County’s first Climate Action Plan!
The Preliminary Climate Action Plan (CAP) represents the County’s first step forward in adopting a full plan that targets six key sectors necessary to not only reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) in the County but maintain the natural resources that make this region the unique landscape that it is. The Preliminary CAP includes a baseline GHG inventory, so the County has a starting point for goal setting and where to focus its resources for the most cost-effective reductions. The document also includes feedback and input from seven forums held throughout the County to hear what our communities need and value most.
- Click on Final Preliminary CAP link to access and download.
- Comments received on the Preliminary CAP between August 1 through 21 on the CAP or during August 6th public forum have been incorporated and can be found in Appendix E.
- The Preliminary CAP will be presented to the Board of Supervisors as a receive and file progress update on September 24th. There will be no action taken at this time.
Next Steps
- The next steps will be to evaluate the measures identified in detail for emission reductions, cost-effectiveness, alignment with the County’s Capital Improvement Program and potential secondary adverse impacts under the California Environmental Quality Act.
- The County appreciates your interest and participation in the process and hopes that you continue to share your insights, ideas, and time. Please comment below or email us at GreenOC@OCWR.ocgov.com if you have any questions or need additional information.
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