The Mayor of San Jose, California, announced a 15-year plan to put the city at the forefront of sustainable practices.
"Our ‘green vision’ is a road map to becoming the center of innovation in clean technology," said Mayor Chuck Reed.
His high-minded "green vision" is a 10-point agenda that includes a 50% reduction in energy use, the planting of 100,000 new trees, 100% recycling of wastewater and 100% renewable electric power by 2022.
The plan also calls for building 60 miles of new trails, the creation of 25,000 cleantech jobs and the conversion of 100% of the city’s waste (712,000 tons annually) into energy.
Some feel that while the initiative offers bold leadership, it lacks practicality and does not explain who will foot the bill. Currently none of San Jose’s waste is being converted to energy and only about 10% of its wastewater is being recycled. In addition, the population of San Jose is expected to increase more than 20% by the year 2020.
Reed admits the plan is ambitious and will be difficult to achieve, but he believes savings from energy efficiency will eventually save the city money.
"As we have in the past, San Jose can do the research and development necessary to show the cities of the world how to become clean and green," he said. "Over the next 15 years, we can cut our per capita electricity usage in half and get 100% of our electrical power from clean renewable sources. We will demonstrate that energy efficiency saves money and is worth the upfront investment."
The plan also calls for retrofits to create 50 million square feet of green buildings and for 100% of public fleet vehicles to run on alternative fuels.
The San Jose City Council will vote on Reed’s goals later this month.
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