[Student Reporters] How Los Angeles is going "green"
By Chiyoung Kim North Hollywood High School Grade 10 and Thomas Cho LACES Grade 10
Going green seems to be all the rage lately- hybrid cars houses with solar paneled roofs even green thumbs. The city of Los Angeles has also started to become more environmentally conscious with the launch of "Green LA." Cleaner technology climate air water and earth are the five parts to this action plan for the city.
The Tech Advancement Fund is a fund that supports the development of businesses including green businesses in Los Angeles to promote a more environmentally sustainable Los Angeles. It has been used to improve and build many electric trucks all around Los Angeles. The Mayor's Job Team also works on creating attracting and retaining green companies all throughout Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Department for Water and Power (LADWP) has also been promoting energy efficient technologies. The most popular has been the solar panels because the LADWP has been paying cash rebates to solar panel users as an incentive. Solar panels are able to collect more natural energy.
Tae Cho an architect working in Los Angeles has been looking for new technologies specifically in solar panels. Recently visiting the L.A Convention center for energy conservation he described the new panels he saw.
In 2007 Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa unveiled "Green LA" setting it on a course to reduce the city's gas emissions by 35 percent below 1990 before 2030 which exceeds the standards of the Kyoto Protocols. It will also increase the City's renewable energy source to 40 percent including more than 50 initiatives to minimize the city's carbon footprint. The city will also install LED lights for street lights saving more than $10 million a year.
The project has also launched the "Clean Air Action Plan" that will force 16000 diesel trucks in the Port of LA to meet the toughest standards in the nation. It plans to cut back on 45% of emissions from the Port which is the fifth busiest port complex in the world by container volume encourage ships to use cleaner fuels and set stricter standards for ships accessing the Port.
In terms of regulating transportation on land a major environmentally conscious program in transportation is being led by Metro the public transportation authority in Los Angeles. Its 2300 buses use only compressed natural gas (CNG). Many Metro projects promise to decrease several million drivers hence more transit users with less gasoline used.
"Securing LA's Water Supply" calls for meeting half of the water demand in Los Angeles by 2030. Aside from conservation of water the city will also start a program to recycle water by recycling groundwater and collecting rainwater to convert into potable water.
The "Green LA Project" will also restore the Owens Valley and the LA County's many public parks. The plan has already restarted water flow in the Owens River Valley as well as opened 35 new and expanded parks. The Terminal Island Renewable Energy project has also begun creating renewable energy from organic sources.
Through the "Green LA Project" and various other environment conservation efforts the city of Los Angeles is in the vanguard of the green crowd.