EVANSTON, ILLINOIS - The City of Evanston has been selected as a finalist to represent the United States in the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Earth Hour City Challenge for the second year in a row.

Last year, Evanston edged Cleveland and Seattle to become the US Earth Hour City Capital. This year, Evanston will compete with Burlington, VT and Boulder, CO for the title, which will be announced later this year.

The WWF’s global challenge honors resilient cities transitioning towards 100 percent renewable energy and addressing local climate threats. The challenge encompasses 124 cities across 21 countries, including Brazil, India, South Korea, and Sweden.

This year, Evanston is on pace to achieve the goals laid out in its 2014 Evanston Livability Plan, which pledged to reduce emissions by 20 percent relative to 2005 baseline levels. In January, Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl announced her participation in the Compact of Mayors, reinforcing the City’s commitment to climate action by taking stock of greenhouse emissions, creating an action plan that includes clear and ambitious reduction targets, and implementing a common system of measuring those emissions and monitoring climate risks.

For more information about the Earth Hour City Challenge, visit worldwildlife.org/pages/earth-hour-city-challenge or call Kumar Jensen at 847-448-4311. For convenience, residents in Evanston can simply dial 3-1-1.