Rather than waiting for broad national changes that aren’t likely to come soon, Irvine will join a handful of Orange County cities with their own plans for reducing harm to the environment.

The city is in the beginning stages of creating a climate action plan, which will outline how it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and measure the success of steps it’s already taking to produce less waste and be more energy efficient.

Most Orange County cities don’t have climate action plans in place, but Fullerton, Aliso Viejo and Laguna Beach are among those that do, according to the website of grassroots group Orange County for Climate Action.

Strategies can include encouraging people to bike or use public transit instead of driving, planting more trees to absorb carbon dioxide and phasing out the use of natural gas (its delivery pipelines can leak methane), she said.

She would also like to pursue “community choice energy,” a program that would allow the city to make its own power purchase deals instead of relying on Southern California Edison. Irvine could look into a variety of alternative power sources.

Moving to reduce harm to the environment can lead to future savings, Fox said. Irvine already saves about $160,000 a year from more efficient LED traffic lights, and seven community centers generate some of their own power from solar panels.

Earthwise Hauling your Eco-Friendly Junk Removal Company loves to hear about Orange County cities taking action! Hopefully in the near future every city decides to join the fight in saving the environment.