The town of Highlands has been named a “Cool City” by the Sierra Club for local initiatives to reduce global warming.

“We are thrilled that Highlands sees the things it can do locally to ease the problem of global warming, and we hope that it will provide a strong model to other communities across the state,” said Sierra Club Conservation Organizer Tom Jensen.

The Cool Cities program is based on local mayors signing the United States Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which asks cities to commit to three major things:

• Strive to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets in their own communities through actions ranging from anti-sprawl land-use policies to urban forest restoration projects to public information campaigns.

• Urge their state governments and the federal government to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the greenhouse gas emission reduction target suggested for the United States in the Kyoto Protocol — 7 percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2012.

• Urge the U.S. Congress to pass the bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation, which would establish a national emission trading system.

Don Mullen, mayor of Highlands, signed the agreement in late last year. The Sierra Club held a presentation at Highlands Town Hall last week to present the award. Highlands is showing its commitment on this issue by working to implement curbside recycling and preserve green space through the rewriting of current zoning ordinances.

In the future, Highlands hopes to encourage people to use their cars less through the creation of a new greenway system. It is also looking at using biodiesel in town vehicles and possibly creating a bus line between Highlands and Franklin.