FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mayors Make Sundance Summit Annual Event

CONTACT: Jill Rosenblum Tidman
(510) 844.0699 *325 / jilltidman@yahoo.com

SUNDANCE, UTAH—Mayors from 45 cities, representing 28 states and more than 10 million
U.S. citizens wrapped up their three day Sundance Summit hosted by Robert Redford, Salt Lake
City Mayor Rocky Anderson and the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives
(ICLEI) by committing themselves to tangible actions to address climate change.

Agreeing that they can and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the mayors
collectively expressed a belief that they can create new markets; increase their use of renewable
energy sources; work to both educate and engage their citizens around not only the issues but
the actions to address them; coordinate with state and federal resources to maximize potential;
create a communication network amongst mayors to share specific successes and ongoing
information and resources and to make Sundance Summit an annual event.

“What happened over the course of the past two days will change the way US cities
consume resources and do business,” says Michelle Wyman, ED of ICLEI, “One of the major
challenges we’re facing is education on the issue, information dissemination, statement of fact,
and actions you can take to mitigate global warming. The mayors who joined us indicated their
strong support to go back to their cities and take action.”

The mayors agreed that their leadership and commitment to reducing greenhouse gas
reductions will impact other governance levels. On Monday morning, July 11th, New Mexico
Governor Bill Richardson addressed the group and Monday evening former Vice President Al
Gore engaged in a candid discussion with the mayors.

More than 75 percent of the mayors in attendance at the Sundance Summit have
committed to participating in ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection Campaign—a program that
works directly with local governments to achieve quantifiable greenhouse gas reductions.
Among those actions are:

• Expand public transit access and increase utilization to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions
• Increase use of renewable energy in electricity portfolio
• Implement a municipal green purchasing program (more)
• Work with school districts to develop a global warming curriculum
• Meet with local media including editorial staff to encourage inclusion of global
warming and the city’s climate protection activities in local media
• Increase the scope of communications (and effectiveness) on climate protection
actions the cities are leading
• Develop urban heat island mitigation strategies

The Sundance Summit mayors along with ICLEI and Robert Redford have committed to
continuing to advance climate protection as a collaborative group. The Sundance Summit will
meet on an annual basis and hold regional meetings in the interim. The goal is to drive more
mayors and more cities to join the Sundance Summit to progressively take tangible local action
to address the issue of global warming.

“The Sundance Summit has resulted in an exciting and growing movement, led by the
actions of mayors across this country who are closest to real people and are offering real
solutions to the most daunting challenge of our time,” said conference co-host Robert Redford.
“These tangible steps save money, protect the environment, enhance public health and overall
quality of life and leave me incredibly optimistic for the future.”
More on-line: www.sundancesummit.com

ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability/www.iclei.org - Founded in 1990 by local
governments at the United Nations Headquarters in New York as the International Council for
Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), ICLEI is a democratically-governed membership
association of cities, towns, counties, metropolitan governments, and local government
associations. ICLEI’s mission is to build and serve a worldwide movement of local governments
to achieve tangible improvements in global, environmental sustainability.

Sundance Village/www.sundanceresort.com - Founded by Robert Redford in 1969, Sundance
Village is a 6,000-acre, destination location, nestled at the base of 12,000-foot Mt. Timpanogos in Utah’s Wasatch Mountain range. Sundance offers diverse year-round mountain recreation,
rustically elegant mountain cottages, and award winning dining. Year-round cultural
programming offers guests an opportunity to experience performances by leading musicians,
discussions with leading authors, art exhibitions, film screening and theatrical programs.
Salt Lake City, Utah/www.ci.slc.ut.us - Situated at the base of the magnificent Wasatch
Mountains, and just 30 minutes away from several designated Wilderness Areas, Salt Lake City
is a diverse community, home to a wide array of arts, cultural, and outdoor recreational
opportunities. Under the leadership of Mayor Rocky Anderson, the City has developed Salt
Lake City Green, one of the most comprehensive municipal environmental programs in the
nation. Salt Lake City has been a leader in combating extreme climate change by significantly
reducing greenhouse gas emissions and has fought against sprawl development, automobile
dependence, and deteriorating air quality by incorporating principals of smart growth
development in its transportation, housing, and downtown revitalization program.

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