City first in ‘green’ buildings
CITY HALL — Santa Monica was one of 70 cities worldwide last week to commit to municipal guidelines aimed at improving sustainability efforts.
The Urban Environmental Accords were signed by mayors from around the world during the United Nations World Environment Day Conference in San Francisco, in which participating cities pledged to make strides in eco-friendly urban development.
Santa Monica Mayor Pam O’Connor attended the event, along with three city staff members, and signed the accords. Staff members said the city can expect gains in its own sustainability efforts as a result of attending the conference.
The accords are not legally binding, but they do offer 21 ways cities can become “greener.”
According to organizers, cities that sign the accords are promising to adopt three new policies each year which provide economic incentives for sustainable growth.
O’Connor said she was glad to attend because cities are picking up where federal governments are failing on environmental grounds.
“It was quite energizing seeing we had a lot of shared problems and realizing there are things we can do as mayors and members of city councils to make inroads in improving the environment, because a lot of our federal government is not doing it,” said O’Connor. “Part of that is sharing what we are doing.
“If one city found something works, others can learn and don’t have to start from square one.”
San Francisco was the first U.S. city to host World Environment Day, celebrated each June 5. WED was established in 1974, with annual conferences staged since 1987, according to organizers.
The theme of this year’s gathering was “Green Cities,” with the slogan “Plan for the Planet.” The conference ran between June 1-5, during which time cities traded ideas on renewable energy, recycling, public transportation, parks and clean air and water. More than 230 activities were scheduled in and around the San Francisco Bay area.
O’Connor credited San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom for the success of the event.
“He went out of his way to get WED in North America and had the idea to make it into a several-day event which allowed for the kinds of exchanges we had,” O’Connor said. “He did an excellent job.”
O’Connor said the conference helped her realize the importance of the direction the city is heading in sustainable efforts.
“It gave me reassurance about what we’re doing,” O’Connor said. “Santa Monica is one of the cities at the forefront, so I will reinforce that continuing down the road.”
SANTA MONICA PLACES FIFTH IN SUSTAINABILITY Brian Johnson, environmental program manager with the city, said Santa Monica was recognized at the conference for being ahead of the pack when it comes to sustainability efforts.
He said SustainLane, a privately held company, conducted a comprehensive search to determine the most sustainable cities in the U.S., in which Santa Monica was ranked fifth overall.
SustainLane representatives said their ranking system measured 25 U.S. cities’ cumulative performance and programs across 12 economic development and quality-of-life categories. The information was gathered by 20 public and nongovernmental organizations.
According to Johnson, SustainLane’s awards were the only ones presented to American cities during the conference, and that he felt the group’s ranking was worthwhile because of the quality of the research that went into it.
“SustainLane is fairly new on the scene, and its most effective claim to fame was the credibility of the analysis,” Johnson said.
In addition to placing fifth overall, SustainLane representatives said Santa Monica finished first in the rankings for its number of “green” buildings, as well as for the city’s solid-waste diversion program, planning and the environmental knowledge of residents.
However, Johnson said the city may have ranked even higher had it not been for factors outside the city’s control, such as air quality and transportation issues.
“Santa Monica is such a unique community,” Johnson said. “It is an urban island in a sea of Los Angeles, and that sort of regional condition dragged our ranking down a bit.”
Still, he said Santa Monica’s environmental programs are a great source of pride for the city.
“It’s not about the destination. It’s about the journey.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 9, 2005. Read the original PDF.