Real estate Web site bestows honor on the city by the sea
CITYWIDE Green seems to be a color that Santa Monica sports quite nicely, and others are starting to take notice.
The municipality has been lauded by real estate Web company Move.com, which named Santa Monica as one of the 10 green-est cities in the United States.
In an article published last week, author Nicki Kipen lists the various city governments that have done a good job at exercising sustainable practices, implementing programs and offering services with their residents’ well-being in mind, services such as a strong public transit system, clean water and air programs as well as farmers’ markets.
Kipen was not available for comment by deadline on Monday.
Santa Monica was recognized along with other cities that have long-established themselves as leaders of the green movement, including San Francisco and Portland, which currently has more than 50 buildings that are certified as being environmentally friendly by the United States Green Building Council. The council certifies buildings that have satisfied the strict Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design guidelines.
The list also includes a few surprise names, including New York City, which was recognized for its vast public transportation network and energy-efficient housing.
Dean Kubani, the environmental programs division manager for City Hall, said Santa Monica officials collaborate frequently on sustainability projects with many of the cities mentioned in the top 10 list. Santa Monica has been at the forefront of environmentalism since City Hall launched its sustainability program in 1994, one of the first municipalities in the country to organize such an undertaking. Since then, the changes have been evident — approximately 75 percent of the public works fleet has been converted to run on alternative fuel; the amount of greenhouse gas emissions has been reduced; and a number of public and private facilities have been LEED certified.
The city was also recognized for its four farmers’ markets, community gardens and Big Blue Bus.
“Buying food produced locally... reduces a lot of greenhouse gas emissions that is used to ship food from half-way around the world here,” Kubani said. “There is a much lower embodied energy in the food.”
But the city government has faced criticism during the past few months for what some residents have called an un-environmentally friendly project — a plan to uproot more than 50 ficus trees from Second and Fourth streets as part of a streetscape improvement program.
Kubani said he doesn’t see the controversy with the tree removal as damaging to Santa Monica’s image as being a green leader, adding that more than half of the trees will be transplanted and every empty plot will be replaced with two ginkgo bilo-ba trees.
“I’m seeing that the project is going to expand the size of the community forest and ultimately is going to be a good thing,”he said.
Perhaps the biggest impact City Hall’s sustainability initiatives have had is a trickle-down effect on its residents and businesses, which too have adopted the green mindset.
Sustainable Works, a Santa Monica-based nonprofit organization, launched a green business certification program in October 2006, giving eligible businesses the chance to show their customers that they can exercise sustainable practices.
Businesses must first fulfill a minimum number of measures to demonstrate their sustainability, after which point they receive a decal to display in their window. The program, which ranges in cost from $175 to $400, depending on the size of the operation, is a good marketing tool for businesses, especially in a city where residents are willing to support green businesses. A total of 12 businesses, including Santa Monica Power Yoga and the Library Alehouse, have been certified since the launch of the program.
“You see a green trend everywhere today,” said Susy Holyhead, the director of the business greening program. “Marketing wise, there is a cost benefit (for businesses).”
Sustainable Works experts also work for free with businesses for a year through its greening program, conducting free environmental audits and offering recommendations on how to make the operations a bit more ecologically friendly. About 20 businesses participate in the program every year.
Residents and Santa Monica College students are also responding to the green movement, participating in the organization’s residential and student greening programs, which are six and nine-week workshops, respectively. There are about 300 students expected to graduate from the program this semester.
Many of the students take the workshop to receive extra credit and come into the program with very little enthusiasm for environmental initiatives, said Genevieve Bertone, the executive director of Sustainable Works. The students undergo a complete transformation by the end of the program.
“They come out really empowered with solutions,” Bertone said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 2, 2007. Read the original PDF.