1. Building Sustainability in Your Community
Lynn France
The implementation of sustainability measures in a community can sometimes be a difficult sell – especially when businesses are struggling to survive a tough economy. That is until business managers see what sustainability efforts can do for their bottom line.

2. The City of Chula Vista recognized that several departments (conservation, environmental services, storm water) were reaching out to our business community trying to get them in compliance with storm water regulations, to conserve water and energy, and increase recycling and reduce solid waste generation. Every time the business turned around it seemed there was another city staff person trying to get into their business.
City staff decided to see if there was a way to streamline the process, reduce the number of visitors to a business and give the business something in return. This was the impetus for the Chula Vista Clean Business Program.

3. This program is really not all that new
This program is really not all that new. We actually followed the program that Sacramento County pulled together, BERC. City Staff teamed up with the Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce and the Third Avenue Village Association to create this program. The goal is to implement operational best management practices that will save the business money - as well as improving their impact on the environment.
We chose to call the program “Clean” rather than green due to the overuse and misuse of the term “green”. Ultimately, we are striving for clean water, air and land – and by using the term “clean” we have avoided the polarizing arguments and the diluted value that “green” sometimes has. Truly, who is not for clean water, air and land? We followed that up with the tag line, Your Community, Your Environment, Your Choice. Small changes, when compounded by similar actions of others make a big difference.

4. Briefly, here is how the program works:
The business completes an application form and reviews the checklists of best management practices in water and energy conservation, storm water/ pollution prevention practices, and recycling and waste reduction.
They check off the practices that are implemented in their business. When they meet the minimum number of practices in each section, the City sends staff out to verify the practices, discuss any additional measures they might easily implement and verify that they are a “Clean” Business.

5. When the business is confirmed as a Clean Business the City places that business on the City’s website. We take them to be recognized before City Council and present them with their certificate and window decal.
For Chula Vista’s Centennial we also made banners for each business to display in their lobby or front window.
The City advertises the business in local newspapers, trade journals, and at special events.

6. CLIMATE PROTECTIONS MEASURES#1
100% Clean Vehicle Purchasing Policy #2
Encourage Others to Adopt Clean Vehicle Policy #3
Business Energy Assessments #4
Green Building Standards #5
Solar & Energy Efficiency Conversions #6
Smart Growth Around Trolley Stations #7
Lawn Turf Conversion Program
The City of Chula Vista was one of the few cities that signed on to the Kyoto Protocol in the 1990s. As a result of that commitment, Chula Vista has been conducting GHG inventories since 1995 and adopted a Climate Action Plan which includes seven action items to reduce ghg emissions. These action items are not that different from action items you might see in other climate action plans.
All city vehicle purchases will be clean vehicles technologies.
City contractors will be encouraged to purchase clean vehicles; waste hauling, street sweeping, etc.
Businesses are now required to have a free energy assessment every three years to coincide with their business license renewal etc,

7. As a follow up to the Climate Action Plan, Chula Vista is the first city is Southern California to adopt Climate Adaptation Strategies to mitigate the potential climate change impacts for our city. Strategy #11 Green Economy includes the following action items

8. Strategy #11 Green Economy
Modify the City’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy.
Revise existing business outreach programs to address recommendations to reduce climate change risks.
Continue to pursue the recruitment and retention of ‘green’/clean businesses and ‘green manufacturing.
Modify the City’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy
Revise existing business outreach programs to address recommendations to reduce climate change risks.
Continue to pursue the recruitment and retention of Clean Businesses and green manufacturing.

9. Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy
Total Cost of Ownership – means a summary of all purchase, operating and related costs for a product or service, including the acquisition, transportation, receiving, inspection, training, maintenance, operating, energy use and disposal costs.
Environmentally preferable purchasing means the procurement or acquisition of goods and services that have a lesser or reduce effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing goods or services that serve the same purpose.
The comparison takes into consideration, to the extent feasible, raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation, maintenance, disposal, energy efficiency, product performance, durability, safety, the needs of the purchaser and cost.
Upon review of our EPP policy we found that we had all the tools we need already in the policy. We just need to fully implement it.
One of the key changes is how we value a product and the “low price” requirements.
We no longer just look at the purchase price of the product but the “Total Cost of Ownership” which includes training employees, maintenance, energy use and disposal costs – If a product becomes hazardous waste when we are finished with it, disposal can be very expensive and definitely needs to be included in the initial analysis of the product value.

10. Revise Business Outreach Programs
This year we beefed up the Clean Business program. Chula Vista was awarded a $15,000 grant from ICLEI (in-kind and $5,000) to implement a year-long business challenge to improve/green business operations. We converted the Clean Business Check lists to a Green Business Score Card applying a points system to the best management practices. We calculated the total points for each Clean business participating in the challenge. This creates their starting point. Each business is provided with a sustainability coach from the City’s Conservation and Environmental Services Sections of the Public Works Department to work with them over the course of the year. All new sustainability best management practices they add to their operations adds to their total points.
We provide free monthly training seminars to all the businesses, but the Challenge businesses receive points for each training they attend. At the end of the twelve months, we will re-score each of the businesses and recognize them for their additional achievements and give them the opportunity to tell their story – how these changes have improved their bottom line, their marketing strategies and the positive impacts on the environment.

11. We created a different marketing strategy which includes sustainability tips for television and radio that further promotes the Clean Business program and ultimately the Clean Businesses. We just keep working to re-enforce the message and the brand.

12. When you look at most products’ life-cycle you will see that the bulk of the emissions actually come from the mining, extraction and preprocessing of natural resources to get the materials ready for manufacturing, If you can skip that step and re-use or more efficiently use the materials that are already extract then you significantly reduce the GHG missions. Efficient use of resources not only improves the conservation of natural resources, it improves the climate impacts of manufacturing, particularly when those products are produced with clean energy.
Chula Vista is part of a CalRecycle - Recycling Market Development Zone program. The Recycling Market Development Zone (RMDZ) program combines recycling with economic development to fuel new businesses, expand existing ones, create jobs, and divert waste from landfills. Businesses that use recycled materials as feedstock for new products may receive assistance by local zone administrators. Local government incentives may include relaxed building codes and zoning laws, streamlined local permit processes, reduced taxes and licensing, and increased and consistent secondary material feedstock supply. Local incentives vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In addition to loans, CalRecycle offers free product marketing through the Recyclestore. There are 35 Zone throughout the State.
World Resource Institute article “Sixty Corporations Begin Measuring Emissions from Products and Supply Chains”

13. In California, approximately 80% of these collected recyclable materials are shipped to other parts of the United States or overseas. With them go jobs, tax revenue and commerce that California needs.
AB 32 and the mandatory commercial recycling requirements under AB 341 were designed to achieve GHG emission reductions. But, In order to achieve the GHG goals these bills set forth we need to ensure that the recyclable materials are recycled into new products here in California under a clean energy scenario, providing an enormous opportunity to existing and new businesses, creating jobs and increased tax revenue.
There is a plan and a call to action to achieve this green economic opportunity for California. Recycling – Build Infrastructure Now or Recycling BIN.
I would like to turn this presentation over to John Davis to tell you more….