Background

Green Cities California (GCC) is a coalition of ten local governments that have implemented groundbreaking environmental policies. Our mission is to take collaborative action to accelerate the implementation of sustainability policies and programs.

Scientists are ever more urgent in sounding the alarm about the catastrophic consequences of climate change and other looming environmental emergencies including the over-consumption of natural resources, peak oil, availability of clean fresh water, food security, and environmental justice. That urgency is a primary reason these jurisdictions have joined together to amplify and accelerate their individual sustainability efforts.

Leveraging traction gained at the local government level is crucial for two reasons.  First, for the first time in history, the majority of the planet’s population lives in cities. Second, local governments are relatively small, flexible, and directly responsible to their constituents and are proving to be more effective in advancing forward thinking sustainability policies and programs than State or Federal governments. 

Current GCC members are the cities of Berkeley, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica and Marin County, all leaders in developing and implementing leading edge sustainability policies and practices.  The bar for GCC membership is high, by design.  Pre-requisites include the adoption of 1) a local sustainability plan, 2) the United Nations Urban Environmental Accords, and 3) the Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. 

All GCC members have demonstrated leadership in achieving effective solutions to the environmental challenges faced by urban communities.  While many cities are just now beginning to explore the feasibility of mandating green building standards or conducting their first Greenhouse Gas emissions inventory, most GCC members are on their second and third iterations of these and other sustainability related policies and initiatives. 

Green Cities California Goals

1. Influence State and National policy in the areas of :

• Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions
• Extended Producer Responsibility
• Sustainable Land Use, Building and Development
• Waste Reduction
• Water Conservation
• Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
• Reduction in Vehicle Miles Traveled and Single Occupancy Vehicles
• Equitable distribution of environmental benefits and burdens

2. Assist other local governments throughout the state and the nation to adopt and implement sustainability related policies and practices.

3. Work collaboratively on specific “eco-initiatives” such as collectively agreeing to purchase only 100% recycled paper and prohibiting the use of city funds for bottled water.

GCC Initiatives

• Recycled Paper: In spring 2008, GCC members agreed to require that all paper purchased for city operations be 100% post consumer recycled paper. Collectively GCC jurisdictions purchase half a billion sheets of office paper annually, at a cost of $5 million. By switching to 100% recycled paper, GCC members annually save:

• 8,600,000 pounds of CO2 emissions,
• 19,600,000 gallons of water,
• 11,500,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, and
• 67,000 trees

• No More Bottled Water! In the fall 2008, GCC members agreed to ban the use of city funds for bottled water, resulting in annual savings of more than $5 million.

• Promote Bans on Single Use Bags Statewide: GCC has commissioned a Master Environmental Assessment (MEA) on single use bags, following the filing of lawsuits against cities that have passed single use bag fees or bans without conducting a full Environmental Impact Review (EIR). Since an EIR is prohibitively expensive, particularly for small cities, the MEA will dramatically decrease the cost of an EIR and will facilitate fees and bans on single use bags.  The MEA will be completed in March 2010.

• Collective Voice on State Legislation: The collective voice of GCC’s high performance cities has contributed to the success of legislative proposals on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and renewable energy. GCC members are currently advocating for more aggressive climate protection targets in AB32, California’s landmark Global Warming Solutions Act.