| BEYOND
GREEN
| Las Vegas Takes on
California Rivals for the Green Trophy |
|
 The
rivalry between Los Angeles and San Francisco, which once
expressed itself as a volley of insults between surgically
altered foreheads and sweaty leather sandals, is now transcending
stereotypes. The mayor of each city has challenged his constituents
to become the country’s greenest city.
Los Angeles currently accounts
for 0.5 percent of humanity’s carbon dioxide emissions.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa laments, “[That’s]
roughly equal to… the entire country of Sweden.”
He now wants to change that. According to the Los Angeles
Times, the mayor has adopted a plan that would reduce his
city’s greenhouse gas emissions to 35 percent below
the 1990 level over the next two decades.
The plan is extensive.
The city intends to invest in renewable power sources for
its city-owned electrical plant. The goal is to produce one-third
of its power from renewable sources by 2020. In addition,
an intense tree-planting campaign will “unpave paradise”
and absorb carbon dioxide. In order to conserve power, the
city plans to distribute fluorescent light bulbs to every
resident. Despite the U.S. Congress’s refusal to ratify
the Kyoto global climate treaty, Los Angeles intends to meet
or beat the goals outlined in Kyoto.
In fact, Los Angeles has
already reached a number of milestones. For instance, the
city recycles more than 60 percent of its solid waste, the
highest among the nation’s five largest cities. The
city’s alternative-fuel vehicle fleet saves more than
10 million gallons of fuel annually. Despite a hefty population
growth, Los Angeles has reduced its carbon footprint to below
1990 levels. The number of smoggy days in L.A. has decreased
by 85 percent since 1978.
Not to be outdone, San
Francisco wants to outpace Los Angeles to become the nation’s
greenest city. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has outlined
a plan that would reduce San Francisco’s carbon footprint
by 20 percent below its 1990 levels.
 Even
before these actions are implemented, San Francisco is already
a conservation-minded city. Public transportation, bike lanes,
and bike paths offer alternatives to driving. Compared to
other cities, San Francisco’s public transportation
is fast and reliable. In addition, the city boasts more than
200 miles of bike lanes and paths.
Mayor Newsom has proposed
to reduce automobile traffic by expanding both municipal and
regional public transportation. Moreover, bus stops will soon
use GPS technology to display each bus’s exact location
and estimated time of arrival, making buses a far more attractive
form of transportation.
Los Angeles and San Francisco
have joined more than 600 cities worldwide in the Cities for
Climate Protection® campaign. Both cities have implemented
green building codes based on LEED standards. But which of
the rivals will have a greater impact on the environment?
San Francisco’s building
regulations are far more stringent than those of Los Angeles.
However, L.A.’s plan would decrease the planet’s
carbon footprint more than San Francisco’s plan because
Los Angeles has five times the population of San Francisco.
SustainLane.com currently
ranks San Francisco the second-greenest city in the nation.
Los Angeles, on the other hand ranks 25th. Clearly, San Francisco
has been a sustainability-minded community for longer than
Los Angeles, but L.A.’s population gives it an opportunity
to make a far larger impact.
Las Vegas ranks 27th in
greenness, just behind Los Angeles. Fortunately, our city’s
mindset is quickly evolving toward sustainability.
As a desert settlement, Las
Vegas has taken the lead in water conservation. The Desert
Breeze Water Distribution System has the capacity to reclaim
10 million gallons of water per day for watering golf courses
and other landscapes. The Las Vegas Valley Water District,
which built the distribution system, has also built a 3.1-megawatt
solar energy collection system to power six of its facilities.
Las Vegas not only produces
solar power, but also manufactures utility-scale solar parts.
In 2008, Palo Alto-based Ausra opened the world’s highest-capacity
solar parts factory in Las Vegas.
Thanks to forward-thinking
developers, Las Vegas now ranks 11th in the nation for LEED-certified
buildings. Also, the city’s highways are less congested
than the average city’s.
 Despite
our successes, Las Vegas has a long way to go. Water depletion,
energy over-consumption, and suburban sprawl continue to plague
the city. Transforming Las Vegas into a sustainable habitat
is an ambitious undertaking. Fortunately, our city was built
from a patch of barren desert into the world’s most
fabulous destination. Las Vegas is nothing if not ambitious.
The boardroom battles
of capitalism have created a global economic war where profits
are more important than the long-term health of the human
race. Fortunately, that same competitive spirit is now being
channeled to save our species. Which city will be the greenest
in the world? Regardless of who takes home the trophy, the
true winners are the 6.7 billion people who live on planet
Earth.
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