Brian Moura Assistant City Manager 600 Elm Street San Carlos, CA 94070 Phone: (650) 802-4210 Fax: (650) 595-6710
Green Programs & Climate Protection
Overview
The City of San Carlos continues to be a leader in Green Programs and initiatives dealing with Climate Protection at the City, County and Regional levels.
In San Carlos, the City has teamed up with the San Carlos Chamber of Commerce and San Carlos Green to bring these programs and efforts to a city-wide audience. The City Staff handles Green Programs at the City Government, the Chamber of Commerce works with the business community and San Carlos Green works with San Carlos residents. Regionally, San Carlos is a charter member of the Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Climate Protection Initiative.
Click on the links below to read more about the City's efforts as well as what's going on at the Business and Resident levels.
The City of San Carlos was an early leader in several Green Program areas including the recycling of office paper, LED traffic signal lights, relamping of City Hall to reduce energy usage and costs and an award winning photovolatic installation at the City Corporation Yard on Bransten Road. In the past year, the City teamed up with the South Bayside Waste Management Authority (SBWMA) to give away compost to San Carlos residents and to pilot a Residential Battery and Cell Phone Curbside Recycling Program that was so successful that it is now in place for residents at all 12 SBWMA member agencies.
City Council Approves Expansion of Green Programs and Climate Protection Work
On May 14 2007, the City Council considered a report from the City Staff to expand the City's Green Programs and to launch an effort to work on Climate Change and Climate Protection. It included a Community Solar Discount Program in partnership with SolarCity, San Carlos Green – a community based program focused on Green Activities, Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Climate Protection Initiative, San Mateo County Green Business Program and other regional programs in this area. The City Council voted to move ahead with these recommendations and expanded the City's Green and Climate Programs. Click on these links for more information on each of these areas.
At the invitation of San Mateo County Supervisor Mark Church and the County's Recycle Works.Org Division, San Carlos became one of 6 cities in San Mateo County to pilot this County's participation in the Bay Area Green Business Program last summer. The program, which started 10 years ago in Alameda County is sponsored by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and encourages local businesses of all sizes to adopt Green Business Practices and then to participate in a certification process. Certification involves completing an 11 page checklist, working with your City, local utilities and regulators and the County. Certified Green Businesses receive a Green Business Program window sticker for their firm, Green Business artwork for their web site and a listing in a Bay Area Green Business Guide that now tops 1,000 firms.
To date, 20 San Carlos businesses have earned the Bay Area Certified Green Business designation. Several more are in the process of gaining their Certified Green Business award. We invite San Carlos businesses to review the program information and consider becoming a Certified Bay Area Green Business !
San Carlos Businesses and the Chamber of Commerce Green Task Force
Businesses in San Carlos have been active in Green Programs and Climate Protection in cooperation with the City. The San Carlos Chamber of Commerce is playing a leading role here through their creation of a Green Business Task Force. The Task Force meets regularly and is providing information and profiles of leading businesses in San Carlos in their newsletter. The Chamber is also aiding the City in identifying local firms to participate in the Bay Area Green Business Certification Program and has held one of their Pulse of Business monthly programs on adding green practices to your company.
San Carlos residents are a key part of efforts to work on Green Programs and Climate Protection in San Carlos. A group of participants in the Enhancing the City of Good Living effort have formed a community based group named San Carlos Green to spearhead a number of the residential efforts in this area including the Solar City Discount Solar Program and the Yahoo Greenest City Contest. Led by Ann Iverson of Iverson Marketing Communications and Suzanne Emerson of Emerson Environmental, San Carlos Green is active with a number of green and climate initiatives in the community.
Recognizing the size and scope of the challenge, the City of San Carlos was a charter member of the Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Climate Protection Initiative. Today that effort has grown to include all 42 cities and counties in Silicon Valley. Assistant City Manager Brian Moura is a member of the Steering Committee of this impressive regional effort and resource. The City has also joined and participated in several related efforts including work by ICLEI, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the League of California Cities.
Subscribing to Green Programs & Climate Protection Information
To subscribe to updates of this section and the Green Programs Newsletter by email, you will need to join the City's eNotify service. Click on the link below to start your subscription.
Once on the eNotify service, you will also be able to have Agendas and Minutes from the City Council and over 30 other documents and program updates eMailed to you if you like.
