Boca Raton Receives Scholarship for Florida Race to Zero Cohort

Boca Raton, FL – The City of Boca Raton has been awarded a scholarship to join the Florida Race to Zero cohort, a friendly competition between municipalities to showcase how they are leading the way to carbon neutrality. Boca Raton is one of just 22 municipalities in the state to receive the scholarship from the Florida League of Cities.

The City recently committed to the global Cities Race to Zero pledge, which aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions before 2050. Mayor Scott Singer, who signed the pledge on behalf of Boca Raton, reiterated the importance of collaborative regional efforts. “The City is prepared to be a leader in addressing climate change while working with our peer communities. Regional, national, and global efforts are required to achieve meaningful impacts and meet the goal of net zero before 2050.”

As a Florida Race to Zero scholarship recipient, the City will join a cohort – a structured, technical assistance training program that will guide participants toward tangible results. Cities will receive assistance conducting greenhouse gas inventories, developing science-based targets, implementing an action plan, reporting results and more – all in alignment with the Race to Zero campaign.

“The City Council showed great leadership by acting on climate change and signing on to the Cities Race to Zero pledge. To meet the program goals, we’ll develop science-based emission reduction targets for 2030 and the high-impact actions necessary to meet them. As part of the cohort, we now have access to the technical support, expertise, and partnerships necessary to make sure that Boca Raton is on track to a net zero future,” explained Lindsey Roland Nieratka, the City’s Sustainability Manager.

As a coastal community, Boca Raton has long championed and protected all its natural environments. In 2019, the City introduced the Sustainability Action Plan, the framework to implement general goals and policies related to sustainability. The Race to Zero pledge incorporates climate actions from this Plan, including an assessment of the City’s fleet for electric vehicle adoption and an evaluation of City facilities that are equipped for renewable energy generation. Additional efforts include setting the City’s science-based 2030 target which will represent the city’s “fair share” of global carbon emission reductions.

Additional information about the City’s Sustainability Action Plan can be found on the City’s website at www.myboca.us/sustainability. To see a list of communities that are participating in the Race to Zero, visit https://www.floridaracetozero.com/

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