STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
negative impacts. Additionally, the City adopted an Accelerated Pension Pay-down Plan in 2013 and FY 2023-24 marks the 11 th year of the Pay-down Plan. Further information is located later in this section.
N ATURAL E NVIRONMENT
The City of Irvine was built with environmental stewardship as its cornerstone, protecting one-third of the community as open space. Reflecting the community’s priority to enhance the natural environm ent, the City reviews operations to ensure compliance with state mandates, and improve quality of life in Irvine. In partnership with our Green Ribbon Environmental Committee, the City created a sustainability strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions community-wide. This will be accomplished through development of a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, and implementation of our Strategic Energy Plan. Other key actions include installation of electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure at key facilities to support the transition to EVs, and review of energy efficiency, solar, and battery storage feasibility for each of our capital improvement projects. For example, we are exploring installing solar panels in the parking lots at the Civic Center, Irvine Train Station, and Colonel Bill Barber Marine Corps Memorial Park. To comply with the State’s organic waste mandates, the City is setting up food waste collection at City facilities, and working with 1,500 Irvine businesses to ensure their participation in food waste diversion. From 2020 - 2022, over 5,800 tons of food waste was diverted from the landfill, resulting in an estimated avoidance of nearly 2,300 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. The successful incorporation of environmental sustainability initiatives in the community relies on strong civic engagement and outreach programs. To assist businesses in adopting sustainability measures into their business practices, the City launched the free Green Business program in October 2019, with 39 businesses certified to date. The Environmental Programs Division also hosts planned educational events, publishes a quarterly Environmental Programs newsletter, and offers virtual opportunities to make engagement with the community accessible to all. The City continues to support the Cool Irvine program which launched in 2022 to educate residents on emergency preparedness and sustainability. In the first year, the program saw 210 households reduce their carbon footprint by an average of 30 percent, equivalent to removing the emissions from 71 cars each year. Residents can sign-up to participate at coolirvine.org.
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FY 2023-25 Adopted Budget
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