WINDSOR HEIGHTS, Iowa — A town of just over 5,000 people might not seem like the type of place you'd expect clean energy to be a hot topic, but Windsor Heights is trying to think ahead.
Under a resolution unanimously approved by city council on Monday, the city set a goal to get 100% of the city's electricity from carbon-free sources by 2030. That might sound like a tall order, but leaders say Windsor Heights might be just the place to do it.
"We know what our limitations are, we know where our infrastructure is, we know where our electricity is. With that familiarity, it makes it a lot easier to do," said Mike Jones, mayor of Windsor Heights.
So why is the goal set for 2030?
It's to keep the resolution in line with findings from the United Nations, which said that to limit global warming to 1.5° C, greenhouse gas emissions need to be cut by 45% from 2010 to 2030.
With just under eight years to hit the city's goal, residents who spoke to Local 5 were mostly supportive of the idea. But they want to know what the steps to reach it are going to look like.
"We all really need to go out there and stand behind our city councils and make sure they're actually doing what they're saying they're going to do especially when it's a long-term goal," said Ricki King, a Windsor Heights resident.
Fortunately, that planning is already taking shape.
Jones told Local 5 that early priorities include swapping gas-fueled city vehicles to electric ones and working with MidAmerican Energy to identify further clean energy opportunities in the city. And while Windsor Heights isn't expecting to solve the climate crisis by itself, they say it's a step in the right direction.
"We all need to start somewhere, and this ordinance, this resolution, if we can inspire others to do the same, those are starting points. Let's start having the conversations because that's how it starts," Jones said.
Windsor Heights isn't the only city to be taking on a goal like this. Des Moines and Waterloo both have goals to get to 24/7 clean electricity production by 2035.