mayor robert garcia

Photo courtesy of Mayor Robert Garcia’s office.

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia was recognized for his climate protection efforts during an awards ceremony today in Miami, held in conjunction with the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ 85th Annual Meeting.

Garcia won first place among large cities along with Newton, Massachusetts Mayor Setti Warren who beat out other small cities “for their energy and climate protection efforts.” They were selected by an independent panel of judges from a pool of mayoral applicants, according to a release.

“Mayors Setti Warren and Robert Garcia are national climate leaders, taking us into the next decade of mayoral climate leadership and demonstrating how action helps our cities and the nation,” said Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of USCM, in a statement. “Mayors continue to be the first responders in our global climate battle, and the innovative programs underway in Newton and Long Beach will help inspire actions by other cities here in the U.S. and throughout the world.”


 

Garcia’s recent announcement of making the Port of Long Beach a zero-emissions port and the purchase of battery electric, zero-emission Long Beach Transit buses were factors in Garcia’s win, along with the city’s integration of green technology into city design that city leaders say helps both the economy and the environment.


 

“Long Beach is honored to be recognized for its leadership and will continue to lay the groundwork to make it a sustainable city for the next generation,” Garcia said in a statement.

Warren was honored for Newton’s efforts in reducing inequality as well as achieving sustainability through solar energy.

“This project came out of our desire to marry these two priorities in a way that is efficient, innovative, and inclusive and share the benefits of solar technology with lower income households,” Warren said in a statement. “We are honored to receive this reward from Walmart and The U.S. Conference of Mayors and appreciate their ongoing support of mayors’ work to address the climate challenges before all of us.”

Celebrating its 11th year, the Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards program is an initiative sponsored by USCM and Walmart.

The ceremony also awarded Honorable Mentions to mayors in four large cities and four small cities for their achievements and efforts to promote climate protection.

Large City Honorable Mentions:
William Edgardo Miranda-Torres, mayor of Caguas; Frank G. Jackson, mayor of Cleveland; Stephen K. Benjamin, mayor of Columbia; and Harry Kim, mayor of Hawai’i County.

Small City Honorable Mentions:
Trish Herrera Spencer, mayor of Alameda; Philip Levine, mayor of Miami Beach; Shelley Welsch, mayor of University City; and Zach Vruwink, mayor of Wisconsin Rapids.

For more information on the Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards program, click here. For more information on the conference, click here.

Stephanie Rivera is the community engagement editor. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter at @StephRivera88.