SACRAMENTO - The community-based CoolCalifornia City Challenge, a competition among cities to cut carbon emissions, kicked off this week with 10 participating cities.

Cities will now work to encourage residents to take small, voluntary steps that can lead to big carbon reductions. Last year’s inaugural Air Resources Board-generated competition enrolled close to 3,000 individuals in eight cities.

Cities competing in the 2014 City Challenge, which runs through Aug. 31, are Arcata, Burlingame, Chula Vista, Claremont, Corona, Mission Viejo, Long Beach, Lynwood, Rancho Cucamonga and Riverside.

The CoolCalifornia City Challenge was created to encourage voluntary carbon footprint reductions throughout the state and to keep track of household greenhouse gas emissions reductions from city to city. The program is designed to integrate with cities’ existing sustainability initiatives and support their greenhouse gas reduction goals. Cities connect with their citizens about the best ways to cut their carbon footprint through simple tasks, such as riding a bicycle instead of driving or hanging clothes on a laundry line instead of powering up the dryer.

Participants log their actions to reduce greenhouse gases onto an online carbon calculator which determines how much carbon is being cut in each municipality. The winner will be named the “Coolest California City” at an awards ceremony in October.

Cities in the challenge will receive prize money based on how many people they sign up and how many points they earn at the end of the contest. Initially, $50,000 will be distributed among cities based on the percentage of households signed up by May 30. Energy Upgrade California™ has joined this year as a new partner and sponsor.

For more information about the City Challenge, click here or email challenge@coolcalifornia.org.