City of Claremont: Leading the Way to a Sustainable Future

City of Claremont Goes 100% Renewable While Reducing Community Costs by Over $1.4 Million

Known widely as “the City of Trees and PhDs,” the City of Claremont is rich with public parks and architectural gems coveted by residents – many of whom are graduates of the seven Claremont Colleges. With more than 56 percent of Claremont residents holding advanced academic degrees¹, it comes as no surprise that community members expect forward-thinking, innovative and fiscally responsible city management from local leaders. 

Challenge

When aging infrastructure started to break down, resulting in costly repairs and uncomfortable buildings, Claremont leaders knew they needed an affordable and effective solution.

Aging buildings were deteriorated as roofing leaked and central cooling systems became overwhelmed by summer heatwaves. Community centers where kids practiced martial arts and senior citizens socialized had become unreliable. The police station and other administrative buildings where city staff served the residents of Claremont each day became uncomfortable hindering productivity and morale.

With infrastructure modernization a top priority, the city sought to address three important objectives.

• Modernize 9 aging community spaces without relying on tax dollars. Repairs and long-deferred maintenance costs were growing. City leaders needed to improve these critical public spaces while being good stewards of community budgets.

• Improve Claremont’s resiliency through existing infrastructure Like many Californian communities, extreme weather, heatwaves, wildfires and droughts threatened residents and the environment alike. Since public buildings are often converted into shelters during emergencies, ensuring they operate reliably, comfortably, and safely at all times is always critical.  

• Position Claremont as an innovative and sustainable community. Being good environmental stewards is central to Claremont’s civic values. Residents have formed a Sustainability Task Force to achieve audacious sustainability goals, including reducing carbon emissions through thoughtful city management, nurturing the local urban forest, and transitioning Claremont to rely on 100 percent clean power by 2045. As partners of neighboring communities, Claremont’s leaders wanted to share their formula for decarbonizing while saving money – two goals prioritized by many American community leaders.

Modernizing public spaces with reliable comfort management systems, impactful energy conservation measures, energy-efficient and Title 24 compliant lighting and electrical infrastructure, and affordable renewable energy set the city up to meet its ambitious goals.