CLAREMONT>> The battle for the “Coolest California City” is between this city and Riverside.
Only 93,000 points separate the two top spots in the statewide challenge that invites residents of each city to adopt more environmentally sustainable practices.
As of Tuesday, Claremont trails Riverside in the CoolCalifornia City Challenge. Claremont has earned 1.66 million points while Riverside leads with 1.75 million points. In a last-minute push to the top, there will be a sign-up party Saturday at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.
The city with the most points not only wins the challenge but will get a portion of the $50,000 prize money. Claremont has until Sept. 29 to collect data from residents to close the gap, said Christopher Veirs, Claremont’s senior planner and sustainability coordinator.
“What we’re fighting for right now is pride, we want to win,” he said.
The program aims to get residents involved in the process through social media, community efforts and online tools. It encourages residents to look at ways to reduce energy use at home by taking such measures such installing solar rooftops. Other moves could be as simple as choosing to walk or use a bike one day out of the week or to switch out their light bulbs to energy-friendly ones.
Based on a points system, the participating cities can score anytime it can get residents who sign up for the program to track and reduce their energy consumption at home, as well as vehicle emissions.
The city has managed to shoot to the top of the list through its aid from the community-based group Sustainable Claremont, which has helped register 389 members. Meanwhile, Riverside has 855 participants, more than double Claremont’s list.
Despite being outnumbered in participants, Veirs said Claremont has remained competitive because it has earned extra “green” points for measures residents have taken such as retrofitting homes to save energy or adding solar panels.
On Saturday, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m, Claremont residents can get free admission into the botanic garden if they bring in a recent Southern California Edison electric bill or Southern California Gas Co. bill.
Members of Sustainable Claremont will then assist residents in signing up or updating their progress on the Cool California City Challenge website.
“Our goal is to win, and maybe little things like this will put us over the top,” Veirs said.
Unlike the water bill, which for months has caused dissent in this city, residents are looking to their electricity to help the city win the challenge, said Councilman Larry Schroeder.
Besides the competitive nature of the challenge, Schroeder said he thinks the challenge has prompted residents to modifying their behavior.
“If people become aware of what they use and how much they use then they will make changes,” he said. “It was more an awareness campaign on sustainability. It’s good for the environment, preserves things for future generations, and at the same time you save some money.”
