The Business Council on Climate Change (BC3) is a public-private partnership between local government and the business community that works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in San Francisco through collaboration and direct action.
We provide a platform for business-to-government collaboration on projects that help San Francisco meet its climate goals, such as increasing electric vehicle adoption, providing private sector feedback on proposed actions under the climate action plan, and facilitating the creation of a green tenant toolkit to enhance landlord-tenant engagement on sustainability. We serve
the San Francisco Bay Area business community, the City and County of San
Francisco, and beyond (reducing emissions locally provides global benefits).
In June of 2005, the City and County of San Francisco hosted United Nations World Environment Day (WED). At this event, Mayor Gavin Newsom signed on to the UN Global Compact Cities Pilot Program. The program's fundamental aim is to improve the quality of urban life through the effective use of local cross-sector partnerships between business, government and civil society. San Francisco is one of 14 cities participating globally.
For its participation in the program, San Francisco chose to address greenhouse gas emissions in the commercial and residential sectors. Recognizing the need for a regional approach, The Bay Area Council (BAC), the San Francisco Department of the Environment (SF Environment), and the UN Global Compact embarked on a new initiative to foster efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Bay Area's commercial sector.
The Business Council on Climate Change (BC3) was conceived through this partnership to take a position of leadership on the issue of climate change by inspiring Bay Area business leaders to sign on to the BC3 Principles on Climate Change Leadership. The BC3 program seeks to give businesses the tools to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions and to take a lead role in helping their communities and employees do the same.
