Three Valley Cities Honored by SRP Sustainable Cities Program
Salt River Project has recognized Mesa, Phoenix and Tempe as SRP Sustainable Cities for their commitment to sustainable growth while supporting SRP’s environmental policies and goals.
The pilot program, which is managed by economic development consulting firm Boyette Strategic Advisors (Boyette) and the SRP Economic Development team, provides a structure to assist cities in understanding and demonstrating their efforts in the area of sustainability to ensure their future competitiveness.
The cities worked with Boyette and SRP to inventory their sustainable assets and programs.
“Embracing sustainability continues to be important for cities and communities to remain competitive in today’s world,” said Tom Cooper, Director of SRP Corporate Strategy, Sustainability and Economic Services. “SRP remains committed to promoting smart and sustainable growth across Arizona.”
The SRP Sustainable Cities program also helps the utility meet its own 2035 corporate goals including proactively partnering with communities and Tribal Nations on economic development initiatives as well as programs related to water, energy and sustainability.
The cities were awarded the following designations:
- Mesa – Platinum
- Phoenix – Platinum
- Tempe – Platinum
The honored cities provided information about sustainability programs such as:
- Mesa Climate Action Plan
- Mesa's Trees Are Cool initiative that engages the community to plant 1 million trees by 2050.
- The City of Phoenix Transportation Electrification Action is seeking to accommodate 280,000 in the city by 2030 to help meet air quality targets.
- Office of Heat Response and Mitigation for the city of Phoenix implementing programs and policies to lower urban temperatures and creating over 100 cool corridors by 2030.
- City of Tempe Climate Action Plan
- City of Tempe Electric Vehicle Charging Station Program
“Smart economic growth and responsible environmental practices go hand in hand, and as Mesa grows, our Climate Action Plan is helping to keep these priorities front and center throughout our organization,” said Mesa Mayor John Giles. “Our city continues to be a leader in implementing sustainable practices, and we’re proud to be counted among the SRP Sustainable Cities alongside Phoenix and Tempe.”
“Phoenix understands that sustainability is central to our continued economic prosperity and quality of life,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. “I’m proud to have strong partners in Mesa and Tempe, as well as SRP, as we work to build a healthier, more sustainable region.”
“Tempe has always been a forward-thinking city. Implementing sustainable practices in all aspects of our community is important to conserving valuable resources, saving money and embracing innovation,” said Mayor Corey Woods. “We know that businesses are interested in multi-modal transportation, electric vehicle charging stations and heat reducing efforts. By leading efforts to provide these services we can attract more companies to our community while helping our planet. Thank you, SRP, for recognizing our efforts.”
Additional cities in SRP service territory will have the opportunity to apply to participate in the program in the Fall 2023. For more information on the SRP Sustainable Cities Program, contact Marc Valenzuela at marc.valenzuela@srpnet.com.
SRP is a community-based, not-for-profit public power utility and the largest electricity provider in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, serving approximately 1.1 million customers. SRP provides water to about half of the Valley’s residents, delivering more than 244 billion gallons of water (750,000 acre-feet) each year, and manages a 13,000-square-mile watershed that includes an extensive system of reservoirs, wells, canals and irrigation laterals.