On July 16, 2007 at the National Association of Counties Annual Conference in Richmond, Virginia, 12 pioneering counties representing 17 million people launched "Cool Counties." The Cool Counties initiative seeks to marshal the resources of all 3,066 counties across the nation to address the challenges climate change poses to our communities.

Participating counties commit to four smart actions: 1) reducing our own contributions to climate change through our internal operations; 2) demonstrating regional leadership to achieve climate stabilization and protect our communities; 3) helping our communities become climate resilient; and 4) urging the federal government to support our efforts.

King County, Washington, Fairfax County, Virginia, and the Sierra Club led the effort to draft this declaration and organize support for its approval. King County will continue to serve as the lead organizing government as we build support across the nation.

As of early November 2007, 22 counties have now committed to becoming "Cool Counties."

For more information about Cool Counties: http://www.kingcounty.gov/exec/coolcounties.

For more information about California counties' efforts:
http://www.acgov.org/coolcounties.