OBERLIN – This college town has been invited to become the 18th city in the world to join the Clinton Climate Initiative, which has a goal of reducing the impact of urban areas on global warming.

City Council President David Sonner said he is excited about the prospect of Oberlin joining the effort. The city is examining a memorandum of understanding.

There are no membership dues, and Sonner said Oberlin should be able to benefit from the association with the climate group, which is part of the William J. Clinton Foundation.

“There will be companies, institutes, philanthropies eager to participate and help Oberlin become a model for a post-carbon economy and society,” Sonner said.

Other cities involved in the effort include San Francisco; Destiny, Fla.; London; Toronto; Melbourne; Sydney, Australia; Panama City, Panama; Seoul, South Korea; and Stockholm, Sweden.

Oberlin made headlines in its effort to become carbon-neutral when it was one of a handful of communities to opt out of a utility’s plan to build a new coal-fired electrical plant on the Ohio River. The coal-fired plant has since been dropped in favor of a plant fueled by natural gas.

Sonner said Oberlin now is looking at options such as purchasing electricity created through biomass or landfill gas to serve customers of the municipal electrical utility.

“It’s not going to come in one big chunk,” Sonner said.

Oberlin College, which is building a number of green buildings, also is expected to be a major player in the Clinton Climate Initiative. It has been pursuing alternatives to its coal-fired electrical plant and is working on plans to create a Green Arts District including a conference center and hotel to replace the Oberlin Inn.

A spokesperson for the Clinton Climate Initiative was unavailable for comment Thursday on the invitation for Oberlin to join the effort. The initiative’s Web site states it is committed to creating solutions to problems causing climate change.

Cities occupy 2 percent of the world’s land mass, yet contribute more than two-thirds of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the institute.

Working with governments and businesses around the world, the initiative focuses on three strategic program areas: increasing energy efficiency in cities, using technologies that will deliver clean energy on a significant scale by 2020, and working to stop deforestation.

Projects include building retrofits, outdoor lighting and waste management. The initiative’s program helps municipal governments improve energy efficiency and measure the reductions of emissions, according to the Web site.

The initiative’s Clean Energy program develops projects using technologies that will deliver clean energy on a significant scale by 2020 and have long-term commercial potential, according to its Web site.

Contact Cindy Leise at 329-7245 or cleise@chroniclet.com.

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