January 13, 2011
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The San Joaquin Valley has gained notoriety over the years as one of the worst air-pollution basins in the nation. Moving forward, though, a new sustainability outreach that ends later this month could help Patterson and other cities throughout Stanislaus County change that image.
The Green Communities Program, organized by the Great Valley Center and funded by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and the California Public Utilities Commission, will help cities, free of charge, to develop a detailed list of greenhouse gas emission sources and levels. In the end, with the help of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives’ Local Governments for Sustainability, paid university interns will work with city staff to recommend how each city can reduce the energy it uses each day.
“Hopefully, this will help the city make better decisions, in a cost-effective manner, about how we decide to operate in the future,” said Joel Andrews, interim community development director for the city of Patterson. “We are always looking for ways to do things better, become more efficient.”
Advocates say the effort could help cities reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as mandated by Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which is set to take effect in 2020. Cities must start this year to show how they will meet reduction measures by the 2020 target.
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