The city of Paso Robles is on track to be equipped with full inventory of its greenhouse gas emissions courtesy of a study being undertaken by a Cal Poly graduate through the efforts of the Sierra Club and Air Pollution Control District and Local Governments for Sustainability.

Karin Johnson, a recent graduate in the university’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design, is currently working on the project with the help of Paso building officials and with the assistance of some high-tech software. The inventory, slated for completion by the end of 2008, involves data entry into a complex software system that will enable the city to develop a baseline for which to measure its greenhouse gas emissions reductions over time.

Johnson’s focus centers on government — everything from buildings, streetlights, water and sewage to the city’s vehicle fleets — to uncover, for example, how much the city uses on average per year in kilowatt hours and how much it costs. She is one of a handful of interns working on similar projects in other cities in the county.

The data gathered will be used to form a baseline, with which city officials can use to compare its progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions as required by Assembly Bill 32, signed into law in 2006 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger laying out a timeframe, by 2020, for the state to come into compliance with the Kyoto Protocol. The protocol calls for greenhouse gas reductions to 1990 levels by 2020. Once the baseline is established, various input strategies, such as changing the kind of light bulbs the city uses, are then calculated based on greenhouse gas reductions and cost.

Schwarzenegger’s decision placed the burden of monitoring and reducing the emissions reductions on the Air Resources Board, or here locally, the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District.

The effort also stemmed from the county’s Climate Action Plan, passed in 2005, which was “the initial call and invitation for all the cities to get on board with local greenhouse gas inventories and climate protection,” said Andrew Christie, Sierra Club Santa Lucia Chapter chair.

The city of Paso Robles has joined Local Government for Sustainability [ICLEI], which effectively allowed it to utilize the clean air climate protection software to facilitate the process. ICLEI provides technical consulting, training and information services to build capacity, share knowledge and support local government in the implementation of sustainable development at the local level, according to its Web site.

Ken Smokoska, Sierra Club California Energy chair, said the work being performed, as is the case in Paso Robles, is “new ground” for many cities.

“We kind of adopt a path of least resistance,” he said of the approach. “Whatever it takes them [jurisdictions] to initiate action. And then we try and work with [government] staff to create a community coalition to help assist the city — because it takes a lot of work.”

Johnson said that she was “pleasantly surprised” that people showed eagerness and curiosity about what is being done in SLO County to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“It has been fun to engage people on this subject,” she said. “Our county is really on the forefront of this effort in California. Other than Sonoma County in the North Bay, we are laying much of the groundwork and will hopefully serve as a model community for others in the state.”

Smokoska cited a public opinion study that demonstrated roughly 50 percent of North County residents “had everything they needed to know about climate change, and 50 percent said it’s not a problem.”

Not all of the data being collected is easy to uncover.

“What’s really tough for the cities is finding data that’s 18-years-old,” Smokoska said.

According to the APCD, an inventory would give officials a better understanding of the primary greenhouse gas sources in the area. It’s hoped that the new data will be utilized so the city can start the process of evaluating ways for it become more greenhouse gas efficient.

“Progress is being made through a collective interdisciplinary effort,” Johnson said.