A recent high point for me was being appointed to serve on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Task Force on Climate Actions. The Goals of this initiative are to:
- Gain an understanding of the implications and issues associated with carbon pricing and other potential climate actions
- Learn how carbon pricing policies outside of the U.S. are impacting companies and the competitiveness of the economies in which they operate
- Explore the extent to which and how businesses weigh potential risks and opportunities of climate change
- Assess the impacts of explicit (e.g., carbon tax or cap and trade) and implicit (e.g., regulation) carbon price mechanisms
- Promote a solutions-focused dialogue among companies and sectors
My work on this task force will allow NACC to be an invaluable conduit of information between federal climate actions and what is being discussed locally among our member businesses and the Naperville Environment Sustainability Task Force (NESTF).
As we look to become more actively involved in climate issues, we want to underscore the commitment to climate actions in our membership. Chairman’s Circle Chamber Member, BP, who is a major player in the energy arena internationally, operates their U.S. technology hub, where scientists and engineers test innovative ideas and share their results worldwide in Naperville. Nicor Gas, another Chairman’s Circle Chamber member, was the 2018 recipient of the Illinois Sustainability Award for its efforts to implement innovative and sustainable technologies and its demonstrated commitment to sustaining environmental, social and economic health.
Furthermore, Executive Premier member, IKEA, is aggressively involved in sustainability efforts as a corporation overall as well as their work at their local Bolingbrook store which operates with 43% renewable energy use through their rooftop solar panels and IKEA’s investment in wind turbines, etc. In addition to the efforts of our members, the City of Naperville orchestrated the development of NEST to recommend long term strategic plans to promote the environmental and economic sustainability of our community. This group is currently seeking input from our business community in its data collecting process. Please consider completing their survey at this link: http://bit.ly/nestf-business-survey.
Stay tuned as the NACC unifies the voice of our local members and city government and provides a valuable exchange of information between local and federal climate initiatives. If you have an interest in becoming more involved with the climate conversations, please contact me at rosborne@naperville.net or (630) 544-3387.