Mayor Kasim Reed announced that the City of Atlanta was recognized by the Climate Disclosure Project, an international organization which motivates companies and cities to disclosure their environmental impact, for its climate control reporting. CDP selected the City of Atlanta as a top ten city out of 308 cities worldwide after evaluating its sustainability practices and policies. In addition, the Atlanta Regional Commission awarded the City of Atlanta the CREATE Community Award, an honor presented to local governments for their innovative efforts in Atlanta, in Environmental Sustainability for its 2015 Atlanta Climate Action Plan.

“We are honored to receive recognition for our sustainability efforts,” said Mayor Reed. “Thanks to strong public-private partnerships and an excellent record of performance by my Office of Sustainability, we continue to strive to protect our environment and work towards our goal of becoming a top-tier city for sustainability.”

Every year, CDP highlights ten city governments reporting their climate change process to the organization through a report called InFocus which formally cataloguesthe cities’ achievements. The City of Atlanta will be featured in the InFocus Report and information such as the City’s strategy, governance practices, risks and adaptation, opportunities and total emissions will be included. The report is used to showcase overall climate leadership and to demonstrate to stakeholders the steps the City of Atlanta is taking to build climate resilience.

The 2015 Atlanta’s Climate Action Plan, created by the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and adopted unanimously by the City Council last September, details approaches and policies that the City of Atlanta is uniquely positioned to implement, including actions that can reduce energy and water usage, create local jobs, improve air quality and reduce the city’s carbon footprint.

“The Office of Sustainability is excited to be recognized for our climate work,” said Stephanie Stuckey Benfield, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. “I would like to thank CDP and ARC for these honors and our more than 50 stakeholder experts across Atlanta who helped us earn them.”

The other nine cities recognized by CDP include: Adelaide, Australia; Canberra, Australia; Durban, South Africa; León, Mexico; Mexico City, Mexico; New Taipei City, Taiwan; Oslo, Norway; Ravenna, Italy; and Vancouver, Canada.

Other cities and organizations recognized by ARC with the CREATE Community Award include: the City of Lawrenceville; the GR8 Exchange and the City of Norcross and partners; Suwanee Youth Leaders and the City of Suwanee; Try-City Initiative and the City of Lake City; the Zagster Bike Share Program and the Town Center Community Improvement District.