Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan was one of 80 mayors the White House invited to attend the Copenhagen Climate Conference in December, and she almost missed her chance to attend the international summit.
Hanrahan recounted that her December trip to Denmark to attend the conference meant to act as an international successor to the Kyoto Protocol Monday evening to about 30 people at Volta Coffee, Tea & Chocolate.
As Hanrahan recalls, she almost forgot to collect her conference passes before her trip across the globe.
The international conference was held in Copenhagen from Dec. 6 to Dec. 18 with Hanrahan attending the conference from Dec. 14 to Dec. 17.
Her trip was funded by Local Governments for Sustainability, a membership association of more than 600 U.S. local governments committed to protection and sustainability.
The talk at Volta, which was sponsored by Alachua County Young Democrats, also included a Q-and-A session where members of the audience questioned the mayor about Gainesville’s sustainable future.
Derek Helmick, a UF senior and member of Alachua County Young Democrats, asked Hanrahan what she thought the most effective use of her time was as mayor.
Hanrahan cited reducing Gainesville’s reliance on coal.
“To up renewable energy to 26 percent is a pretty cool thing,” Helmick said, referring to Hanrahan’s plan for a biomass power plant for the city.
Danielle Emenhiser, 23, a UF alumna and president of Alachua County Young Democrats, said she felt it was important to have a mayor who attends conferences like the one in Copenhagen.
“Gainesville has become world renowned for environmental efforts,” she said. “I think it’s an incredible opportunity.”
Jon Reiskind, 69, chairman of the Alachua County Democratic Party, also attended the talk.
He said although the event was sponsored by a Democratic organization, its message was for all citizens of Gainesville.
“We’re not talking about a Democratic issue,” he said. “We’re talking about an international issue.”
