San Francisco's Civic Center sits at the core of one of the most visited cities in the world.
Our city has always been a leader -- willing to think differently and act boldly. And now, San Francisco's Civic Center will stand as a global model for how we achieve a more sustainable future.
Today in New York City joined by former President Bill Clinton I announced that San Francisco has agreed to a formal partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) to transform our Civic Center into a first-of-its-kind sustainable resource district over the next three years.
Our new and improved government center will maximize energy and water efficiency, reduce waste, and increase the use of wastewater. The sustainable resource district will also create jobs, improve our environment and demonstrate that if government can go green anybody can.
Sustainable strategies will be implemented on the Civic Center's buildings and public spaces to provide measurable and replicable results for cities worldwide and create a global center that educates the public on sustainable concepts.
The goals of the sustainable resource district are:
• 80% potable water use reduction
• 45% wastewater discharge reduction
• 35% peak power demand met by renewables
• 33% annual energy reduction
• Reduction of the community carbon footprint by 2,225 tons annually; the equivalent of the annual greenhouse gas emissions of 1,286 San Francisco households
Although implementing the overall vision will take several years, this 3-year Commitment to Action is anticipated to launch on October 20th, 2008 with a formal partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI), followed by planning and evaluation with the community and experts, design development, identifying potential funding, and public outreach, with installation of the first projects set for late 2009.
Potential initial projects include the installation of solar rooftop photovoltaics, water conservation fixtures, living roofs, and a public Wi-Fi connection, among others.
What better way to educate the world on sustainability than by transforming that heart of our city government to showcase how we can use water more efficiently, promote food security, and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
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1. Reducing the cringe-factor of the Tenderloin (the neighborhood in which Civic Center sits). Having been a student in the area, I became overwhelmed by the homelessness, crime, heavy drug use (I've seen people shoot needles into their veins, literally), grime in the streets and overall nastiness of Tenderloin.
2. Eliminating the irony of skyrocketing rent in SF, including the nasty Tenderloin. A one bedroom apartment in the Tenderloin can go for $1995. With few grocery stores in the neighborhood, cars constantly getting broken into on the street, shootings and other poverty-related crimes, I can't help but to wonder what San Francisco is trying to sustain-- Perhaps the ever-expanding gap between rich and poor?
3. A modern public transit system, where Muni runs frequently, on time and all night. BART would go to ALL neighborhoods, even out in the Bayview, and SF would stop patting itself on the back just because it's transit is "better than LA." It's not that much bettter in LA, and it's sure no better than New York or Chicago. Have you ever tried to actually use Muni to go multiple places? At night?
4. A city where people of color are not pushed out of their neighborhoods because this city has become too expensive, overly gentrified and rather uncomfortable for anyone with brown skin. Even professionals of color have fled SF. The city is no longer cosmopolitan. It is elitist.
5. A city where the public transportation system doesn't have one of the highest pedestrian kill rates of any city.
6. A city where you might see a tree or two every once-in-a-while.
7. A city where the middle class, of all colors, is not hanging on by a thread.
8. A city where you don't have to worry for your life when you visit the zoo. (sorry, that was mean, but I was at the zoo that day).
It's like magic to me.
However, many homeless are just out of their minds, unable to work at all and think that pink elephants are walking down the street. The mental health/medical system is an atrocity. Working in the medical field, I see day by day how this so-called great system is "working' while the greedy denounce any form of universal health care (do you want a beauracrat making your medical decisions? Uh, doesn't happen, but too many bozos think it does).
As long as we live in a rabidly greedy society, the homeless are going to keep piling up.
While I no longer call San Francisco home, I'm a fifth generation San Franciscan and I'm so proud that you have taken the lead on not only this issue, but a whole range of issues including gay marriage and the homeless situation.
San Francisco has always been at the epi-center of progressive politics and it's key that you continue to relfect that tradition and advance the progressive agenda. You're a great example of the political model for our present and future leadership.
Kudos.
Tell me, what are you doing to get homeless people back into homes, and to work?
You cannot walk on Market street past 9 PM for fear of being accosted.
It's not much better on Union Square.
we need to call a stop to all these horrible, devastating industrial wind and solar projects which will kill off millions and millions of acres of our open spaces, and look instead to the POINT OF USE and work on conservation, efficiency, smart metering, and renewable generation. NO massive power plants, new road systems and gigantic transmission lines are needed, and they will do far more harm than good (the GHGs emitted by building and maintaining these scams will FAR outweigh the GHGs offset by them). We need local solutions, owned by US, not monopolistic infrastructure paid for by us, but owned by Big Energy,
so, thanks for doing so much within your city to relieve the unfair, disastrous burdens on our open spaces due to urban over-consumption and unsustainability. keep it up, there is a lot more to do!