BOISE, Idaho — The City of Boise is launching a new citizen-led initiative to tackle local climate challenges.
The new Boise Community Climate Action Committee is meant to build on the city's Climate Action Roadmap, which lays out goals for the City of Trees to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
The city says, especially with the recent extreme heat and wildfire season - there is urgency to act now to protect Boise for decades to come.
The 20-member citizen committee will work with city staff to make a community-driven climate action guide meant to give residents tools for how they can take steps to address climate change - while also making sure the city's climate priorities align with what residents want.
"We want to be able to provide the community the resources they need to determine what climate action looks like for them as an individual, and to be able to fit it to their custom needs," Bre Brush, a policy advisor for the mayor's office said. "Maybe they can't get an EV, but maybe they're really interested in composting or things like that."
The committee will meet throughout next year to help develop the guide and set of resources. After that, they'll make a recommendation to Boise City Council on the guide and future steps for the city to engage in climate action.
The city hopes this project becomes a launching pad for more, broader community action around climate change.
"Over the next year, this will be our starting point. This committee will lead the effort to reach out to the community through surveys" Brush said. "Then this group will develop a tool or a guide of sorts to be able to help provide the community the resources they need to take climate action and measure their impact."
Applications for the Community Climate Action Committee opened yesterday. The city is looking for 20 Boise residents to be part of the group. They say you do not have to be an expert on climate - but they are looking for people who care about the community and the city's resiliency. More information about the application can be found here.