San Marcos Mayor to Combat Climate Change

By David West
News Reporter

San Marcos Mayor, John Thomaides, joins over 300 mayors across the country to combat climate change after President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accord.

San Marcos was already working on numerous environmentally friendly programs for the past decade before joining the national mayor initiative. Those programs will now shift to a more climate change focus.

Thomaides is focused on working with regional mayors on all issues that affect the community, including San Antonio’s newly elected mayor, Ron Nirenburg.

“We have a standing regional mayor’s meeting to discuss the issues that really affect all of us,” Thomaides said. “Whether it is transportation, now that the federal government is stepping back, in the area of climate change and the mayors are stepping forward that will be a discussion going forward as well.”

Climate change is not the only issue that the regional mayors discuss. Along with reactions to federal decisions, the mayors also discuss economic development and growth.

“Those are some of the things we generally will visit about every three months or so and I look forward to getting Mayor Nirenburg involved in those meetings and hosting him here in San Marcos”

San Marcos has been on a similar track in the past, but was focused on sustainability and efficiency in maintaining resources.

“When we created programs such as out net metering for solar for instance,” Mayor Thomaides said. “What that means is if you have a solar installation on your house or business and you generate more electricity than you need for your facility, the city will buy back the power you generate. Your meter will spin backwards, that is a benefit that citizens of San Marcos have that a lot of communities across this state and across this country don’t.”

For more information on Net Metering and other City of San Marcos energy conservation programs visit their website.

Featured image by David West.