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

Check out our newest Climate Smart Leader!

Please help us celebrate our newest Climate Smart Leader, Grace Bonow! Grace is a youth advocate for the Climate Smart Challenge, who formed a Community Group, encouraged other families at Hyla School to join the Challenge, and taught in-school seminars on the program. Congratulations Grace and thank you for your efforts to create a Climate Smart Bainbridge!

Climate Smart Leader- Grace Bonow

Learn More about the ETIPP Program 

The recording of the January 12th webinar on the 2023 ETIPP program overview - "Getting to 100% renewable energy on Bainbridge Island" – is now available on YouTube.  The City was selected as one of 12 communities in the country to receive technical assistance as part of the second cohort of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP). Learn more about activities planned in 2023 to analyze the feasibility and associated costs to move the city towards a goal of 100% renewable electricity by 2040, and to increase the resilience of our electric systems on the island, per actions outlined in the 2020 Climate Action Plan.

New Waste Reduction Regulations Now in Effect

In November 2021, City Council adopted new regulations to reduce single-use plastic waste, effective January 1, 2023. These regulations are intended to reduce waste in our environment and litter in the ocean, protect public health, and reduce our dependence on plastic. Effective January 1, 2023:

  • disposable plastic food service ware is prohibited
  • reusable food service ware is required for on-site dining
  • disposable food service ware is required to be home compostable*
  • expanded polystyrene-based food service ware (all plastics #6 and Styrofoam) for prepared food is prohibited
  • a 25-cent fee for disposable cups is required
  • the distribution of single-use personal care products not packaged in “home compostable packaging” is prohibited in lodging establishments
  • the use of refillable dispensers for personal care products is encouraged in lodging establishments

*NOTE: All businesses have been granted a 3-month grace period to use up their existing supplies of non-home compostable food and beverage packaging for to-go orders (through March 31, 2023).

2022 Annual Progress Report for the Climate Action Plan Now Available! 

Check out the City's first annual progress report on implementation of the Climate Action Plan (CAP). This report focuses on key City activities completed since approval of the CAP in November 2020. You can also review a short summary of key achievements from the 2022 Progress Report in this one-page PDF document. 

City of Bainbridge Island One of Nine Cities Chosen by City Thread for their Accelerated Mobility Playbook

City Thread has selected the City of Bainbridge Island among a diverse cohort of eight other cities to participate in the Accelerated Mobility Playbook (AMP) technical assistance program designed to help fast-forward the build-out of their mobility networks. The City's mobility opportunities are highlighted in the 2022 Sustainable Transportation Plan (STP).  

Bainbridge Island will receive AMP technical assistance that includes a community-specific mobility audit of the city’s current state of practice and an action plan for improved implementation of the STP and strengthening partnerships. City Thread’s AMP provides a roadmap for speeding project delivery, completing network-focused implementation plans, and conducting authentic community engagement. Continuing to build relationships between elected leaders, municipal staff, grassroots, and philanthropic partners will be a key component of the program. The application was prepared in partnership with the City, Squeaky Wheels and Bainbridge GreenWays. 

  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.