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Climate Action Plan

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The CAP was adopted on April 4, 2023. Please visit www.mercerisland.gov/sustainability for information about implementation and projects. 

The City of Mercer Island has completed its first ever Climate Action Plan (CAP) to guide the government, business, and household actions needed to reduce the community’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and protect our environment.

This page was used for the public engagement components of the process, such as gathering feedback via public comment, online surveys, and Q&A. It also provides easy access to documents and presentations that supported the plan drafting.

The City used a range of other outreach tools such as workshops, pop-up events, and public meetings throughout the 16-month CAP process, and the CAP was adopted on 4 April, 2023. Now the City will turn to implementing the first Early Actions, and seeking additional funding.

Read our 2-page explainer summarizing the CAP process.

To learn more about CAP next steps, climate change in general, and to view GHG tracking information, visit the main CAP website at www.mercerisland.gov/CAP

The City of Mercer Island has completed its first ever Climate Action Plan (CAP) to guide the government, business, and household actions needed to reduce the community’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and protect our environment.

This page was used for the public engagement components of the process, such as gathering feedback via public comment, online surveys, and Q&A. It also provides easy access to documents and presentations that supported the plan drafting.

The City used a range of other outreach tools such as workshops, pop-up events, and public meetings throughout the 16-month CAP process, and the CAP was adopted on 4 April, 2023. Now the City will turn to implementing the first Early Actions, and seeking additional funding.

Read our 2-page explainer summarizing the CAP process.

To learn more about CAP next steps, climate change in general, and to view GHG tracking information, visit the main CAP website at www.mercerisland.gov/CAP

The CAP was adopted on April 4, 2023. Please visit www.mercerisland.gov/sustainability for information about implementation and projects. 

  • City Council Adopts Final Climate Action Plan

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    We're pleased to announce that on April 4, the City Council formally approved (7-0) the final version of the first Mercer Island Climate Action Plan (CAP), after discussing approximately 75 changes to the draft version at its March 7 Meeting.

    Over the past 16+ months, through surveys, workshops, and public comment, residents engaged in the plan’s development, identifying firsthand what priorities, challenges, and opportunities they see in the fight against climate change. This input helped the project team and the City Council to develop a suite of goals and targets, along with 59 specific near-term and long-term climate actions.

    This approved CAP sets Mercer Island on a realistic, trackable, and well-defined path to transition to clean energy sources, to electrify transportation, to enhance stormwater and tree planting programs, to reduce waste, and to strengthen climate resiliency.

    Read or download the final CAP here (142 pages with Appendices).

  • Mar 7 CAP Edits & Review with Council

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    At the March 7, 2023 City Council Meeting, staff delivered a presentation on the range of public comments and suggestions collected on the Climate Action Plan (CAP) draft - over 100 separate comments were received, many with multiple parts. After analysis, staff distilled these comments (from City Councilmembers and the public) into approximately 75 items for consideration at the Council Meeting. There were also several more substantial revisions to the Draft CAP text that were presented as separate exhibits. Initial discussion included the following agenda items:

    • Exhibit 2 - Question and Answer Matrix (answers/clarifications that did not trigger revisions)
    • Exhibit 3 - New Section: Executive Summary
    • Exhibit 4 - New Callout Box: The Cost of Inaction
    • Exhibit 5 - New Callout Box: PSE's GreenPower Program
    • Exhibit 6 - Revised Section: Natural Systems Targets, Metrics, and Actions

    The City Council then spent the rest of its time discussing two more exhibits that included more substantive revisions and items flagged for further discussion. These were:

    • Exhibit 7: Included 47 suggested changes that staff recommended for approval, some with discussion
    • Exhibit 8: Seven topics or proposals that required discussion and direction from the City Council

    The project team is preparing a summary of the changes agreed to by the City Council and that will be included along with the final CAP when it is presented to the City Council for final review and adoption on April 4.

    All March 7 meeting materials are available here (Item 7), or link directly to the archived video of the presentation. View the slidedeck presentation.

  • Draft CAP Comment Deadline: Feb 7

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    A reminder that we are coming to the end of the 4-week public comment period for the Draft CAP. Please submit comments by midnight February 7, or sign up to speak (in-person or online) at the Public Hearing that night.

    Here are some useful links:


    [ Update: Summaries of all comments received during the 4-week public comment period are now available over in the Document Library ]

  • Jan 17 CAP Handoff to City Council

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    At the January 17, 2023 City Council Meeting, staff officially delivered the Draft of the Climate Action Plan to the City Council with a short presentation outlining key sections followed by brief discussion. Council was appreciative of the significant effort involved to meet the publication deadine and committed to providing internal feedback on the Plan during the public comment period, which ends on Feb 7 after a Public Hearing at that evening's scheduled City Council Meeting.

    The project team will summarize and discuss themes in the comments received on the Draft CAP during a longer presentation at the March 7 City Council meeting.

    January 17 meeting materials are available here, or link directly to the archived video of the presentation. View the slidedeck presentation.

  • Draft Climate Action Plan Published

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    We're pleased to announce that the Draft Climate Action Plan is now published and available for review! Over the past 14 months, through online and mailed surveys, community workshops, and wide-ranging public comment, we have learned firsthand what priorities, challenges, and opportunities residents see in the fight against climate change. This input helped staff and the City Council to develop a suite of goals, targets and actions that demonstrate our commitment to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improving climate resilience, while preserving the natural environment.

    The Draft CAP sets Mercer Island on a realistic and defined path to transition to clean energy sources, to electrify our transportation, to enhance stormwater and tree planting programs, to reduce waste, and to strengthen our climate change preparations. In order for this plan to succeed, community engagement and widespread participation will be critical. For the next four weeks, through Feb 7, we are asking community members to read it over and let us know your thoughts and comments. Here are some links to all the relevant materials:


    If you'd prefer to provide your comments in person, the City Council will be holding a Public Hearing on the CAP at its Feb 7, 2023 meeting. If you'd prefer to Email your comments, please send them to sustainability@mercerisland.gov

  • Community Meeting #2 - Event Summary

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    Tuesday night's Community Meeting #2 (Nov 29) drew about 25 attendees who received an update on the recent CAP survey, greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory, and then split into four breakout groups for 45 minutes of discussion on CAP Actions, suggestions for ranking methodology, and how Mercer Island can measure those actions focused on resilience (vs GHG reduction). We appreciate the time attendees took to offer so much valuable input!.Here are some follow-up materials and links that were sent to all registrants and attendees.

    Next Steps:

    • Keep an eye out in early January for more information about reviewing the draft CAP during our upcoming public comment period!

  • Nov 15 Update to Council - Survey Results

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    This week, the results of the recent Random Sample Survey gauging public priorities and support for various proposed climate actions were presented to the City Council on November 15. The survey enjoyed a 10% response rate and received 264 responses from the randomly selected group of residents. Another 123 responses were submitted by the general public via the online survey portal.

    Overall, the random sample respondents ranked air quality, electricity disruption, and extreme heat events as their top climate concerns. They also preferred incentives and education over mandates as the best form of response. Across all climate strategy categories, the majority of survey respondents (74% of random sample and 76% of general public respondents) "strongly supported" or "somewhat supported" proposed strategies. Only two climate actions (out of all 58 proposed) received a score below 50% support. Read the final CAP Survey Report.

    As part of the City’s ongoing public engagement activities around the CAP, a community workshop scheduled for November 29 (see previous news post) will walk through the survey results, GHG emissions status, and gather additional community feedback..

    City Council Meeting materials are available here (Item 1), or link directly to the archived video of the presentation. View the slidedeck summary of the survey results or the final survey report. These are also posted in the Let's Talk CAP Document Library.

  • Community Workshop #2 - Registration Open

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    Save the Date! Our next community workshop (postponed from this summer) is set for November 29, at 6:00pm. At this online Workshop, participants will discuss the City's updated Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory, hear about the results from the recent community survey, and then provide important feedback on your priorities using breakout sessions. REGISTER now. [Advance registration closed on the afternoon of November 29, but the discussion guide that was emailed to all registrants is available here. Use this ZOOM link to join the meeting.]

    If you can't make the meeting, it will be recorded as usual, and the presentation materials will also be available afterwards. If you have a general question about the CAP process, please use our Ask a Question tab so that everyone can learn from the answer. Or you can make a comment in the Public Comment tab. Thank you!

  • CAP Survey Reminder Postcard

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    This week, we mailed a reminder postcard (see photo) to the 2,500 randomly selected households that recevied the Climate Action Plan survey in late September. If you have filled out your survey on paper or online, thank you! If you have not yet returned it, please do so today before the survey closes in a few weeks -- we want to be sure to include your response in our statistical analysis. Please contact Ross Freeman, the CAP Project Manager (sustainability@mercerisland.gov) if you have questions or need a replacement paper survey.

    If you have lost your return envelope for the paper survey, the return address is: Cascadia Consulting Group, Attn: CAP Survey, 1109 First Ave - Suite 400, Seattle, WA 98101.

    An identical online survey is also open to all other residents here on this page, and the results will be tabulated separately.

    An analysis of responses should be completed in November, and our current schedule plans for a presentation to City Council at its November 15 Meeting.

  • Community Surveys Are in the Mail!

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    We're pleased to announce the release of our second community survey for the Climate Action Plan. Our first survey (online) was tied to the kickoff workshop in December 2021. This second survey asks about community priorities, and then drills down to the specific actions the City and community could take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and/or improve climate resilience.

    Because we want to be both statistically valid and inclusive, we are conducting the survey by mail with an online option. This week, mailed surveys were sent to 2,500 randomly selected households -- if you receive a paper survey in the mail, please fill it out! Your mailed copy also provides two ways to take the survey digitally: use your unique ID number on the outer survey envelope (a printed “CODE” next to your address) to access it online or scan the QR code to take it on your cellphone or other smart device.

    If you do not receive a paper version in the mail, your voice is important to us, and you can still complete the survey online! The identical, community-wide survey is available to all residents here on this page, and the results will be tabulated separately.

    An analysis of responses should be completed in November, and our current schedule plans for a presentation to City Council at its November 15 Meeting. Along with other sources of information and guidance, survey results will help the City Council determine the best actions to include in the draft Climate Action Plan to be released later this year.

    [This survey closed on November 8, 2022]