Dec 19, 2006

City commits to eco-friendly plan

By Kristina Peterson / Daily News Staff Writer

On the same day Palo Alto received national recognition for its environmental efforts, the city prepared to launch the next phase of its climate change revolution.

At Monday night's City Council meeting, the mayor's Green Ribbon Task Force presented the results of its six months of research. Mayor Judy Kleinberg called the detailed plan a "greenprint" for environmental action.

Earlier in the night, Palo Alto was lauded as the first city in California and the fourth nationwide to be recognized as a "Green Power Community" by the Environmental Protection Agency.

"We received an award tonight ... we're already moving forward with the next steps," Council Member Peter Drekmeier said.

The task force presented two principal recommendations to the council.

In order to reduce the city's annual emission of 644,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, the group proposed creating a formal climate action plan for the city's utilities department to create new standards and codes.

City Senior Resource Planner Karl Knapp said developing such a plan for the utilities department is a "no-brainer."

"They make up about half of estimated emissions, and it's a department of the city," Knapp said.

The group's second main recommendation was crafted to "deal with all the stakeholders in the community," said task force chair Walt Hays.

Hays suggested creating a public-private partnership in which an "at least part-time" city employee would work to coordinate the city's efforts with private businesses and citizens, possibly in conjunction with an environmental nonprofit like Acterra.

"The model would be the Family Resource Center where ... one person steers people to the right agency," Hays said. He also encouraged the council to reconvene the task force periodically to stimulate the continual development of new ideas.

Other members of the task force presented subcommittee recommendations that specified ways to reduce air and car travel, and offered ideas for incentives in designing new, greener buildings.

"Ninety percent of commute emissions are generated by vehicles with a single occupant," task force member Bret Anderson said. He urged the city to convert its fleet to green vehicles to promote more efficient transportation.

The council offered broad support for the recommendations.

Drekmeier pointed out that the Policy and Services Committee will be examining the concept of public-private partnerships and will bring ideas to the City Council in January.

"Big plans get implemented not instantly, but incrementally," said Council Member Jack Morton, who urged residents to "get your pens out and start writing ... I'm sure Ms. Pelosi will be happy to hear from everyone."

Council Member Larry Klein said Palo Alto's efforts could have national repercussions. "Efforts like this and (those) in neighboring communities will filter up to the top," he said.

E-mail Kristina Peterson at kpeterson@dailynewsgroup.com