Climate Action

In November 2020, Bainbridge Island City Council approved the first-ever Bainbridge Island Climate Action Plan (CAP). This plan is a culmination of a three-year effort by the Climate Change Advisory Committee working with City staff, community stakeholders and the public. 

 The CAP has three overarching goals:

  • Mitigation: Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 90% by 2045 compared to 2014 levels with interim milestones of 25% reduction by 2025 and 60% by 2035.
  • Adaptation: Ensure that Bainbridge Island is climate savvy and can withstand the impacts of climate change.
  • Community Engagement: Inspire community action and partner with local and regional organizations to take meaningful and equitable climate change mitigation and adaptation actions. 

Communitywide GHG emissions increased 9% from 2014 to 2018. Achieving the goals outlined in the CAP will depend on everyone in the Bainbridge Island community working towards a clean, healthy and vibrant future.  

Curious what actions will have the biggest climate benefit for your household? Want to reduce your carbon footprint, save money, and improve the health of our community? Join the Climate Smart Challenge today! Learn more about steps you can take to help reduce GHG emissions and prepare for climate change. 

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News & Current Topics of Interest

Electric Vehicle (EV) Car Sharing Program Coming to the Island

You may have noticed two new electric vehicle (EV) chargers in the visitor lot at City Hall!  

  • One EV charger is available for anyone with an electric vehicle to use by signing up and paying, per the directions on the charger pedestal.  One of the public EV charging parking spaces is designated as an accessible parking space, which means that only electric vehicles with a handicap placard/designation can park there while charging. 
  • One EV charger is available specifically for use by electric vehicles that are part of a new carshare program administered by ZEV co-op: https://zev.coop/. The carshare program is scheduled to launch in late May/early June 2023 so stay tuned for more information! 

Both chargers – and the new electric carshare vehicles – were paid for with grant funds from the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Zero-Emissions Access Program. Mobility for All – a non-profit advocacy group based on Bainbridge Island – was the grant recipient and is working with ZEV co-op to administer the carshare program. The City of Bainbridge Island provided parking stalls and electrical work to support both chargers and the carshare program, per actions outlined in the City’s Climate Action Plan and Sustainable Transportation Plan. The City is not otherwise involved in the carshare program and is not earning any revenue from carshare operations. Electricity use associated with charging vehicles at both chargers is paid for by ZEV co-op. 

To learn more about the community EV carshare program, please contact ZEV co-op at https://zev.coop/ or 833-387-4273.

New EV parking at City Hall

Meet our newest Climate Smart Leader: Sara Daubenberger! 

Please help us celebrate our newest Climate Smart Leader, Sarah Daubenberger! Sarah helped initiate the Climate Smart 4th Grader pilot program at Ordway Elementary School, working with City staff to bring this program from an idea to implementation.  Congratulations Sara and thank you for your efforts to create a Climate Smart Bainbridge for both today's residents and future generations!

Climate Smart Leader- Sara Daubenberger


  1. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
  2. City Actions Related to Sustainability


In 2019, the City worked with Cascadia Consulting Group to complete a comprehensive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory to quantify the amount of climate pollution produced in our community.  This information is summarized in a fact sheet (PDF) and will help track progress and inform decisions related to our Climate Action Plan goals.

Graph of 2018 Communitywide Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The majority of community GHG emissions stem from electricity use in homes and commercial buildings and gasoline and diesel fuel use for both on-road vehicles and air travel. Detailed information on sources of emissions can be found in the 2019 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Report (PDF), which includes three distinct inventories:

  • A community inventory that estimates GHG emissions produced by activities of the Bainbridge Island community, including residents and businesses.
  • A municipal inventory that estimates GHG emissions resulting from City of Bainbridge Island government operations.
  • A consumption-based inventory that estimates GHG emissions associated with the consumption of food, goods, and services within the community, regardless of their origin.

The report also presents findings from additional analyses, including contribution analyses that identify key drivers of observed trends in emissions, such as changes in weather, population, or economic activity. A carbon sequestration analysis that estimates the amount of carbon dioxide that Bainbridge Island trees absorb—or sequester—from the atmosphere on an annual basis is also included.

Learn more about what the City is doing – and actions you can take – to both reduce GHG emissions and prepare our community for the impacts of climate change by exploring the links on this page.