On January 13, the City of Irvine celebrated the community-wide launch of the Cool Irvine program — a climate "moonshot" to reach carbon neutrality by 2030. Irvine is one of three cities, along with Los Angeles and Petaluma, that will each receive $1 million to support the Cool Block neighborhood program and develop a climate moonshot strategy — an ambitious, exploratory, and ground-breaking approach to reach community-wide and inclusive sustainability.

More than 185 community members attended the virtual event to support this endeavor to build a climate-smart future for Irvine. Irvine Mayor Farrah N. Khan and Congresswoman Katie Porter opened the event to celebrate the City of Irvine’s participation in the Cool City Challenge and encourage Irvine's climate action efforts. A recording is available for those who were unable to attend.

At this event, attendees heard from climate leaders, youth activists, and our partners that will develop the initiatives to accelerate an ambitious climate plan for Irvine. The Cool Irvine team reviewed the Cool Block Program and engaged participants on priorities for climate action and their vision for a climate-resilient future in Irvine, resulting in the sustainability vision image below.

The launch event will be followed by the first Cool Block cohort training beginning Saturday, January 22. This first training is full, but those who are interested in serving as Cool Block Leaders are invited to sign up for the next cohort. Training sessions will be available every few months throughout 2022.

To learn more about the Cool Irvine initiative and upcoming training opportunities for the Cool Block program, please visit coolirvine.org.