News Release
February 27, 2008
Contacts
Leslye Asera, Community Relations Manager, (925) 671-3272
lasera@ci.concord.ca.us
Concord is one of America’s 50 Greenest Cities
Popular Science magazine has named Concord one of America’s 50 Greenest Cities. The article appears in the March edition of the magazine.
To find America’s 50 greenest cities, the authors considered cities with populations of more than 100,000 and used data collected from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Geographic Society’s Green Guide.
Portland, San Francisco and Boston ranked one, two and three respectively. Concord ranked number 43.
Statistics were compiled in four broad categories: electricity (10 points), transportation (10 points), green living (5 points) and recycling and green perspective (5 points).
In the electricity category, cities were given points for drawing energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar, biomass and hydroelectric as well as for offering residents incentives for investing in their own power sources, such as solar panels.
Transportation points were given for number of commuters taking public transportation or carpooling.
Green living points were earned for number of buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council and for area devoted to open space, public parks and nature preserves.
The recycling and green perspective category measured how comprehensive a city’s recycling program is and how important citizens rate environmental issues. Concord received its highest marks in this last category.
Concord has initiated a number of green initiatives in the last few years. A Green Ribbon Task Force was convened in 2007 to take a comprehensive look at ways the city could be more “green.” Many of the Task Force suggestions have been implemented and others will be considered as resources become available.
At the end of last year, the city took delivery of its first all-electric utility vehicle, which replaced a gas-powered vehicle. This summer, 80 gas-powered golf carts at the city’s Diablo Creek Golf Course will be replaced with electric carts.
During the holidays, the city gave away 500 strings of energy efficient LED lights to residents who traded in strings of traditional lights.
Next month, Concord’s Civic Center will receive a Bay Area Green Business Award. The Bay Area Green Business Program is a partnership of environmental agencies and utilities that assists, recognizes and promotes businesses and government agencies that volunteer to operate in a more environmentally responsible way. To be certified "green," participants must be in compliance with all regulations and meet program standards for conserving resources, preventing pollution and minimizing waste. The city’s Fleet Management Program, Parks Division and Printing Services Division have all received Bay Area Green Business Awards.
The city will help residents recycle more efficiently as Concord Disposal rolls out single stream recycling over the next year and expands the types of materials that can be recycled.
The city’s litter-reduction program, which includes public education, partnering with neighborhood associations and putting additional receptacles in litter-prone areas, received a 2007 Distinguished Project Award from the Northern California Chapter of the American Public Works Association.
For many years the city has sponsored annual creek clean-up days, and has encouraged employees to participate in Bike to Work Day.
The article’s authors point out that cities are far ahead of the federal government in taking “successful and rapid environmental action.” Because cities can act relatively quickly and are working on a smaller scale, leading edge projects are becoming reality and are spreading to other cities.
Ten specific civic projects are highlighted, including New York City’s underwater turbines that generate enough power for 8,000 homes, and the use of photovoltaic cells atop Moscone Center in San Francisco. The cells create enough energy to power the building during events and 180 homes when the center is dark.
The article is available online at www.popsci.com. For more information about Concord’s green initiatives, contact Stormwater Program Manager Jeff Roubal, (925) 671-3394.
