Apr 8 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Jason Hagey The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash.

A Tacoma task force suggests everything from a ban on vehicle idling to requiring sellers to have an energy audit before the sale of any building as ways to reduce Tacoma's carbon emissions.

The 25-member Mayor's Green Ribbon Task Force, appointed by the City Council in February 2007, will share those and other ideas from its draft list of suggestions during a series of meetings this week.

The ideas are divided into broad categories that include ways to reduce vehicle miles traveled; making neighborhoods more compact and livable; increasing energy efficiency in buildings, homes and industry; and reusing and recycling everything from buildings to food waste.

After the public meetings, the group plans to finalize its Climate Action Plan and present it to the City Council in June, the city said.

The goal is a reduction of 55,106 in the city's "carbon ton equivalents" by 2012 and a reduction of 398,166 by 2020, according to the draft document.

Council members heard a preview of the ideas at a committee meeting last month. Councilwoman Julie Anderson suggested putting the requirement for an energy audit onto the buyers of houses and buildings rather than sellers, and possibly adding an incentive to help pay for improvements identified in any audit. An energy audit to inform buyers of potential energy savings could produce an estimated 15,000 reduction in carbon ton equivalents by 2012 and a 60,000 reduction by 2020.

Among the ideas with the greatest potential impact:

--Setting an annual per-capita vehicle-miles-traveled goal that will encourage residents to drive less. There was no short-term estimate, but by 2020 it could lead to a 200,000 reduction in carbon ton equivalents.

--Looking into a low-interest loan program to retrofit older diesel trucks with emission-reducing devices. The estimated carbon ton equivalent drop: 10,000 by 2012 and 125,000 by 2020.

--Starting additional recycling programs to collect 100 percent of traditional recyclable materials (such as paper, metals and plastics) by 2020. Estimated carbon ton equivalent reduction by 2020: 140,000.

Some other ideas include:

--Adopting an anti-idling ordinance for public-sector vehicles by 2012 and private-sector vehicles by 2020.

--Using two-sided printing for all city documents.

--Planting 200,000 trees throughout the city.

Jason Hagey: 253-597-8542

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Tacoma Mayor's Green Ribbon Climate Action Task Force public meetings:

--Wednesday, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Landmark Convention Center (Temple Theatre), 47 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma

--Thursday, 6 to 7:30 p.m., University of Puget Sound, Kilworth Lounge (in Kilworth Chapel), North 18th Street between North Puget Sound Avenue and North Warner Street, Tacoma

--April 16, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Allen Russell Building, 1321 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma

--April 17, 6 to 7:30 p.m., South End Neighborhood Center, 7802 S. L St., Tacoma

More information, including the draft plan, is available at www.cityoftacoma.org/greenribbon.