Berkeley, California (Thursday, May 3, 2007)  - Berkeley's leadership in the area of greenhouse gas reduction continues with the hiring of a key staff person to help write the Measure G plan to reduce Berkeley's greenhouse gas emissions.

Timothy Burroughs, formerly with ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, has been hired to develop Berkeley’s climate action plan. The plan will be developed in partnership with the community and will serve as a blueprint for achieving the greenhouse gas emissions reduction target established under Measure G.

In November of 2006, more than 80 percent of Berkeley residents voted to pass Measure G, an advisory measure that advises the Mayor to work with the community to prepare an emissions reduction plan for the city. The creation of such a plan involves a great deal of community involvement, interdepartmental collaboration, and issue expertise.

“Timothy Burroughs was a great asset to StopWaste.Org in facilitating the Alameda County Climate Change Project,” said Debra Kaufman, Senior Program Manager of StopWaste.Org. “I’m sure he will provide valuable leadership and technical expertise to the City of Berkeley in its civic efforts to reduce greenhouse gases.”

“Berkeley is lucky to have someone of Timothy’s caliber,” said Newark Mayor Dave Smith. “When it comes to reducing greenhouse gases at the community level, he knows his science and he knows how to involve the community every step of the way. Newark is a little behind Berkeley, but we got started on the road to becoming a green city because of his inspiration.”

Burroughs recently helped create a plan for engaging local Berkeley businesses in the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Prior to that, Burroughs was a program manager for ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection Campaign where he developed, launched and managed regional climate protection projects. One of those was the Alameda County Climate Protection project, in which Berkeley and nine other Alameda County cities participated.

In its Earth Day edition, Newsweek said this about ICLEI: “But if you're a mayor trying to cut greenhouse gases, where do you begin? How do you even know how to measure your current levels? That's where an organization called ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability can help.”

Burroughs has also worked in the Climate Change Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as an environmental educator with Outward Bound, and served two years in the Peace Corps as an agroforestry volunteer in The Gambia, West Africa. He has a Masters of Arts degree in Global Environmental Policy from American University in Washington D.C. and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Mount Saint Mary’s College in Maryland.

“I am thrilled to be working here in Berkeley,” Burroughs said. “We have an opportunity in this community to build a movement that results not only in reduced greenhouse gas emissions, but also in improved quality of life. We’ll achieve our emissions reduction targets in Berkeley with every resident, business, institution and the city government committing to work together to make a difference.”

Berkeley is one of the first cities to offer curbside recycling. More recently, the City converted its fleet to biodiesel, joined the Chicago Climate Exchange and is one of the only cities to document a significant decrease in greenhouse gas emissions since 2000.

Burroughs started May 1 and from his position in the Energy Division will be working with several city departments and the community to develop a plan. The plan is due for City Council review by December of this year.

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