City Government, Sustainability

Hayward singled out again in 2021 for environmental leadership among cities worldwide

January 11, 2022

Hayward vista and the red CDP logo

Hayward was recognized in 2021 as one of 95 cities worldwide and among five in the San Francisco Bay Area on the 2021 CDP Cities A List for its ambition, leadership, and transparency on climate action.

The CDP A-List designation, announced in November, marks the third time in four years that Hayward has earned the honor.

The designation recognizes the City for moving Hayward electricity customers to entirely carbon-free sources of power including all municipal accounts; for municipal investment in on-site renewable energy generation and recycled water infrastructure; for commitment to developing zero-net-energy facilities including Hayward’s new downtown library; for new building standards to phase out reliance on natural gas; and the for the adoption of the Hayward Regional Shoreline Adaptation Master Plan in response to rising sea levels.  In 2021, Hayward also adopted an Urban Water Management Plan emphasizing conservation and opportunities to reduce demand while providing for the water needs of growing city and region.

CDP, formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project, is a not-for-profit charity based in the United Kingdom that runs a global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts.

Every year, more than 600 cities report their climate data through CDP’s environmental disclosure platform and in so doing demonstrate commitment, transparency, and ambition in climate action.  All disclosed data is made available free of charge on CDP’s Open Data Platform.

In 2018 CDP began to score cities from A to D based on their disclosures for who effectively they are managing, measuring and working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and for adapting to climate risks.  That year, Hayward was one of just seven percent of cities who reported their environmental data through CDP to receive a grade of A.

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