Bill Clinton will be in town next week to celebrate the City's launch of its energy efficiency programme. Expect solar power in council-owned buildings.

Former US President, Bill Clinton, will be in town next week to celebrate the City's launch of its energy efficiency programme
(Photo: Franke James )

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OBURG is taking energy saving to a new level with an energy efficiency programme that will be launched on Wednesday, 18 July.

The former US president and founder of the Clinton Foundation, Bill Clinton, will attend the ceremony, to be held at Museum Africa, in Newtown. Executive Mayor Amos Masondo, and representatives from national and provincial government and the energy industry will also attend.

"The ceremony is a follow up to the Large Cities Summit on Climate Change held in New York City on 14 to 16 May this year, where the City signed certain agreements pertaining to climate change," says Nthatisi Modingoane, the City's spokesperson.

The Clinton Foundation set up the Clinton Climate Initiative, aimed at fighting climate change across the world in practical and measurable ways.

Earlier this year, the foundation approached the City to form a partnership on climate change. Joburg was invited to join 40 of the world's largest cities at the New York summit, to try to address the effects of climate change.

At that gathering, Clinton announced a landmark programme to reduce energy use in buildings worldwide, as buildings contribute 40 percent of global green house gas emissions. In keeping with that announcement, Johannesburg has initiated a programme to retrofit five council-owned buildings with energy saving products like solar powered lighting and geysers.

Joburg has pledged to use energy efficient appliances in its buildings

At Cosmo City, in Jozi's northwest, the City has installed solar geysers, using an alternative source of energy to heat water, at 170 households. Solar street lights have also been fitted in Zandspruit, an informal settlement in the west of Johannesburg.

The City is also investigating a gas-to-energy project at five of its biggest landfill sites that will help displace methane, one of the most dangerous greenhouse gases.

"Clinton's visit is also a way to enforce and strengthen ties between [his] foundation and the City. Already, the foundation is funding specialist studies on how we can leverage opportunities for climate change in the implementation of the Bus Rapid Transit system," Modingoane explains.

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