At the C40 Summit earlier today, former president Bill Clinton announced that the Clinton Foundation is going to give a billion dollars (yes, you read that correctly!) to sixteen city halls around the globe so they can “go green.”

At the summit, Clinton said “if all buildings were as efficient as they could be, we’d be saving an enormous amount of energy and significantly reducing carbon emissions. Also, we’d be saving a ton of money.”Wired writes

The planned projects include replacing heating, cooling and lighting systems with energy-efficient networks; making roofs white or reflective to deflect more of the sun’s heat; sealing windows and installing new models that let more light in and keep the elements out; and setting up sensors to control more efficient use of lights and air conditioning.

Cities getting the green update include New York, Chicago, Houston, Toronto, Mexico City, London, Berlin and Tokyo, Rome; Karachi, Pakistan; Seoul, South Korea; Bangkok, Thailand; Melbourne, Australia; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Johannesburg, South Africa.

via Wired

via treehugger