GREEN LA

An action plan to lead the nation in fighting global warming

In May, 2007, Mayor Villaraigosa, in partnership with the Los Angeles City Council and environmental leaders, unveiled GREEN LA - An Action Plan to Lead the Nation in Fighting Global Warming.

GREEN LA will reduce the City of Los Angeles' greenhouse gas emissions by 35% below 1990 levels by 2030. The 35% reduction by 2030 goes beyond the targets set in the Kyoto Protocol and is greatest reduction target of any large US city.

The cornerstone of GREEN LA is increasing the City's use of renewable energy to 35% by 2020. GREEN LA has over 50 initiatives that will reduce the City's carbon footprint and uses the ingenuity, entrepreneurship and perseverance that is making Los Angeles the greenest big city in America.

A Summary of GREEN LA
The unique characteristics of Los Angeles’ municipal government offer an unprecedented opportunity to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Ownership of the largest municipal utility in the country allows the City to directly affect a major source of greenhouse gases – electricity production. Overall, City operations account for one-third of all CO2 emissions.

Investing in energy efficiency and renewable power at the municipal level is only part of the solution. The City must leverage change in the public and private sectors by promoting green energy, conserving water, building a world-class transportation system, reducing waste, greening the port and airports, creating more open space and park land, and adapting our economy to the realities of global climate change.

GREEN LA offers a bold, innovative blueprint for reducing our City’s carbon footprint and addressing climate change in an effective, efficient and tangible manner. The following steps provide an outline of our efforts to tackle this challenge on a citywide level and make Los Angeles the cleanest and greenest big city in the nation:

Green the Power from the Largest Municipal Utility in the U.S.

    • Increase renewable energy from solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal sources to 20% by 2010 and 35% by 2020

    • Not renew contracts for power imports from coal-fired plants

Transform Los Angeles into the Model of an Energy Efficient City

    • Complete energy efficiency retrofits of all city-owned buildings to meet a 20% or more reduction of energy consumption

    • Install the equivalent of 50 “cool roofs” per year by 2010 on City buildings

    • Improve energy efficiency at drinking water treatment and distribution facilities

Help Angelenos Conserve Energy

    • Distribute two compact fluorescent light bulbs to each City household

    • Increase the level and types of customer rebates for energy efficient appliances, windows, lighting, heating and cooling systems

    • Expand the distribution of energy efficient refrigerators to qualified customers

Decrease Per Capita Water Consumption by 20 Percent

    • Meet all additional demand for water resulting from growth through water conservation and recycling

    • Implement the City’s innovate water and wastewater integrated resources plan

Reduce the Environmental Impact and Carbon Intensity of Transportation

    • Require 85% of city fleet to be powered by alternative fuels by 2010

    • Convert 100% of MTA buses to alternative fuels.

Focus on Mobility for People, Not Cars

    • Boost Flyaway services serving the Los Angeles International Airport and other regional airports and convert existing Flyaway buses to alternative fuels

    • Expand City employee rideshare program

    • Extend the regional rail network

Create a More Livable City

    • Promote high-density housing close to major transportation arteries and public transit train and bus lines

    • Support and implement transit oriented development

    • Clean up brownfield sites for community economic revitalization projects and open space opportunities

Shift from Waste Disposal to Resource Recovery

    • Recycle 70% of trash by 2015

Green the Port

    • Complete strategic plan for the Port of Los Angeles, including sustainable and green growth options

    • Identify opportunities to link the Port’s investment in green growth to new economic opportunities in the green sector

Green the Airports

    • Employ the Sustainability Performance Improvement Management System to track and improve airport sustainability initiatives

    • Develop and implement comprehensive policies to green Los Angeles airports to meet green building (LEED) specifications

    • Evaluate options to reduce aircraft related greenhouse gas emissions

Unpave Paradise

    • Create 35 new parks by 2010 and work with schools to build more parks in their communities

    • Revitalize the Los Angeles River to create more open space opportunities

    • Plant one million trees throughout the City of Los Angeles

    • Develop locations for storm water infiltration to recharge groundwater aquifers

Catalyze the Growth of the Green Economic Sector

    • Promote local research, development and production of green technology

    • Strengthen global economic relationships to secure investment in Los Angeles’ green sector and help environmentally-focused companies penetrate local and foreign markets

    • Identify locations for green businesses and offer effective incentives for the growth of these businesses

    • Train residents of low and middle income communities, local university students and participants in adult education programs for jobs in the green economy

Climate Proof Los Angeles

    • Develop comprehensive plans to prepare for climate change impacts on the City, including increased drought, wildfires, rising sea levels, and public health threats

    • Review current zoning and building codes to minimize climate change impact