Energy fuels cars, furnaces, national economies. It also costs money, affects our lives, and sometimes makes headlines. If you want to understand where your gasoline comes from, what determines the price of electricity, or how much renewable energy the United States uses, then you are not alone. Energy Explained from the U.S. Energy Information Administration is a great source of energy information: eia.doe.gov/energyexplained.

Much of the energy that we use is derived from the burning of nonrenewable fuels. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, one of the main sources, oil, is used at the rate of 18,771,000 barrels per day in the Unites States, more than any other country in the world (the U.S. consumption is just over 20% of the total world daily consumption). Over 50% of our oil is imported from other countries. Concerns about costs, dependence on foreign countries and environmental impacts are driving the need for improved efficiency in the use of oil and other nonrenewable fuels and a shift to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal and biomass.

In order to become more sustainable and independent from diminishing and increasingly expensive nonrenewable fuel sources, it is important to consider other options such as using renewable fuel sources and to use less in general. Only in this way can we ensure that these resources are available and that a healthy environment exists for future generations.

Climate Change and Resiliency

How the City is Addressing These Challenges

Our air quality is impacted by emissions created from burning gasoline and other fossil fuels. This leads to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. In February 2010, the City completed its first comprehensive greenhouse gas inventory which provides a critical baseline to measure how effective the City is in reducing emissions over time. In October 2010, the City Council adopted the City's first Sustainability Plan, which includes aggressive goals to reduce our dependency on fossil fuel resources and air emissions. Past and ongoing projects demonstrate the City's efforts.

Download the report: Building Climate Resiliency in the Lower Willamette Region of Western Oregon: Summary for Decision Makers by The Resource Innovation Group's Climate Leadership Initiative (2011).

More about how the City is addressing energy conservation and alternative fuel use