South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Philanthropist donates $2.5M to help Orlando fight climate change
Billionaire philanthropist Michael Bloomberg announced Friday that he is adding Orlando to the list of cities he is providing with $2.5 million to help fight climate change.
A former mayor of New York City, Bloomberg last year began rolling out his “American Cities Climate Challenge” to provide $70 million in assistance to 25 cities from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh and from Seattle to St. Petersburg.
“Washington has been trying to drag us backwards, but America really is moving forward on climate change as cities continue to lead where Washington hasn’t and wo n ’t ,” Bloomberg said in a statement issued after appearing in Texas, where he announced that Austin, San Antonio, Albuquerque, N.M., Denver and Orlando are the most recent recipi- ents of the prize.
Orlando’s plans for the grant include adding 150 electric-vehicle charging stations by 2020, further converting the city’s fleet of cars and buses to electric, promoting efficiency in buildings and expanding solar energy.
“Cities throughout Florida are facing tangible and immediate effects from climate change, and Orlando is no exception,” Mayor Buddy Dyer said.
With i t s B l o o mb e rg prize, Albuquerque will develop solar power for citygovernment operations, which are to run entirely on renewable energy by 2022.
Austin will emphasize cutting greenhouse-gas emissions in the transportation sector by encouraging sustainable commuting, advanced parking management and work with local dealers to increase sales of electric vehicles.
Denver also will focus on transportation, with im- proving public transportation a priority.
Like Orlando, San Antonio will seek improvement in energy efficiency of buildings.
St . Pe t e r s b u rg wa s awarded the prize earlier this month, with Bloomberg stopping by for coffee with Mayor Rick Kriseman.
kspear@ orlandosentinel.com