The Town of Truckee has been awarded a 2019 Silver Beacon Award

The Town of Truckee has been awarded a 2019 Silver Beacon Award by the Institute for Local Government for efforts made toward sustainability.

The annual Beacon Awards recognize achievements of towns and cities working to address climate change. In 2018, four other towns and cities in California received Silver Beacon Awards and two received gold awards for reductions of greenhouse gases, electric and natural gas savings, and other activities involving sustainability and use of best practices.

The town of Truckee brought in a consultant team, which produced a strategic energy plan that included $300,000 worth of recommended energy efficiency actions. The town budgeted $240,000 to implement those improvements in the 2019-2020 fiscal year. As a result, the town’s greenhouse gases were reduced by 33% and the town reached gold levels for a 12% reduction in agency greenhouse gases and an agency energy savings of 13% which qualified as platinum level in the four areas of accomplishment required to receive a Beacon Award according to information supplied to the Institute for Local Government. The town also reached a silver level for natural gas savings of 6% due to boiler insulation projects and other projects related to heating.

Other activities the town has implemented to address climate change included partnering with regional agencies to produce the Tahoe-Sierra Stormwater Resource Plan, launching of the Keep Truckee Green website, replacing streetlights along Brockway Road with solar-powered lights, installation of roundabouts to improve traffic flow, and the town’s involvement in preserving the Truckee River corridor and Donner Lake.

Congratulations Town of Truckee!