East Lansing joined the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement on Tuesday afternoon, fulfilling a long line of requests from residents concerned about global warming.

Signing the agreement will add to the list of wise decisions East Lansing already has made, said Aileen Gow, director of Urban Options, an environmental education center.

"This is a continuance of a long history of good decisions, and they are getting better," she said. "This has got to be the cleanest darn town I have ever seen."

With the signing of the agreement, East Lansing will perform a rigorous evaluation of its emissions. Once that is complete, the city will push for a 7 percent reduction of greenhouse gases, based off its 1990 levels.

Guidelines for the agreement are based on the Kyoto Protocol, an international pact created in 1997, calling for a reduction in greenhouse gases by industrialized nations. Controversially, the U.S. did not join the 169 nations that signed the agreement.

East Lansing has been successful in reducing greenhouse gases, said Dave Smith, the city's environmental specialist.

The city's recycling program alone reduced greenhouse gas emissions last year by 1,100 tons, he said. East Lansing also has seen a reduction in emissions from fueling city vehicles with biodiesel, he added.

City officials will begin creating new environmental programs once it completes an energy audit.

"It will steer us in the right direction," Smith said. "We have been interested in doing it for a while."

East Lansing began switching to energy efficient lightbulbs in 1997. City officials will continue to search for ways to conserve more energy in its buildings, he said.

"The agreement is not only about government buildings and vehicles," Smith said. "It's about educating the community."

The city of Lansing signed the agreement earlier this year as a part of the "Go Green, Go Lansing!" campaign.

East Lansing Mayor Sam Singh said he will work with Lansing to help galvanize additional communities in the region.

"Coming together as a region makes great sense," he said. "We need to take a look at what each community is doing — we need synergy."

The federal government has done little to fight climate change, Singh said. Grassroots movements like the one in East Lansing are the key to getting things done, he added.

"What other mayors are doing across the country is making this issue central stage," Singh said. "If the federal government is not going to lead, we are going to lead."