The “green” movement in San Francisco is hardly a 21st Century phenomena that’s new or trendy. Nor is it a “fringe” trend sprung from the Haight-Ashbury “hippy” legacy of the 1960s. One has to stretch back to the 19th Century to pinpoint roots of San Francisco’s green activism in conservation, sustainable food, recycling and more that forms a green foundation ingrained in the Golden Gate’s past, present and future.
Conservationism
The World Environment Day “Green Cities” put San Francisco on the green map as a leader when the city hosted the first and only World Environment Day in the United States June 1-5, 2005. World Environment Day is a project of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Since its inception in 1972, it has given a human face to environmental issues and promoted an understanding that communities are essential to changing attitudes about the environment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Environment_Day#2005
The Culinary Slow Lane
Preserving the environment includes supporting local farms and using seasonal, and if possible, organic produce. As early as the 1970s, Alice Waters of Chez Panisse promoted using locally grown food and fresh ingredients on her menus. She stated that international shipment of mass-produced food is both harmful to the environment and produces an inferior product on the table.
Many San Francisco chefs have taken their cues from Waters, and with the ample fresh ingredients available in the Bay Area, is has been natural for them to commit to the concept of “Slow Food.” Slow Food is a grassroots movement that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment. The dedication to sustainability also includes fair trade practices – that people producing food are treated with dignity and justly compensated for their labor.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
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Today, San Francisco has one of the most aggressive recycling laws in the country with a current 70 percent recycling rate:
- In 2007, San Francisco banned plastic bags
- In 2009 San Francisco passed the “Mandatory Recycling and Composting Ordinance,” requiring all San Francisco residents and businesses to separate recyclables, compostables and landfilled trash and participate in recycling and composting programs. Those who refuse to participate will receive a fine of up to $1,000.
- The city’s goal is 75 percent by 2010 and zero waste by 2020.
Green Initiatives for 2009
Many San Francisco hotels, tours and attractions have embraced green concepts. Here are but a few – for a complete list of eco-practices, visit www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/green.
Orchard Hotel Earns LEED Certification for Existing Building
In April 2009 the 104-room Orchard Hotel, 665 Bush St., joined its sister property, the Orchard Garden Hotel, 466 Bush St., in “green” certification, earning LEED-EB® (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design-Existing Building) certification for an existing building by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). San Francisco's only hotel to earn this honor, the Orchard Hotel is the second hotel in California and fourth hotel in the world with this certification.
SPUR Opens Urban Center Venue in San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Arts District May 2009
The San Francisco Planning & Urban Research Association (SPUR) opened its contemporary, LEED-certified green Urban Center, 654 Mission St. Designed to be a bright and airy space evoking the dynamics of living and working in San Francisco, this $18 million facility offers engaging exhibits detailing the urban planning process, be equipped with flexible seating and state-of-the-art audiovisual.
U.S. EPA Awards SMG and San Francisco’s Moscone Center Environmental Honor
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Pacific Southwest Region 9 has awarded The Moscone Center and SMG the prestigious 2009 Environmental Achievement Award for distinguishing itself as a sustainable building that has helped to protect the environment.
SFO Launched Green Rental Car Program Discount Program
On Jan. 1, 2009, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) launched the first green rental car program that rewards customers for renting “green” alternative-fueled vehicles and rental car companies for increasing rentals of high mileage and alternative-fuel vehicles. The innovative incentive program is expected to eliminate more than 4,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually. Customers who rent hybrid cars that receive an EPA rating of 18 or higher will receive a $15 discount at the rental car counter.
California Academy of Sciences Received Highest Possible LEED Platinum Rating from U.S. Green Building Council
The California Academy of Sciences is now officially the greenest museum in the world. On Oct. 7, 2008, the U.S. Green Building Council issued its formal rating for the new building, awarding the Renzo Piano-designed facility with its highest possible certification: LEED Plantinum. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system is a voluntary, consensus-based standard for evaluating high performance, sustainable buildings.
San Francisco Botanical Garden Opened Newly Renovated Ancient Plant Garden
The Ancient Plant Garden, a distinctive region of San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum, opened October 2008. The garden showcases a spectacular collection of plants that tell the story of botanical evolution. Formerly referred to as the Primitive Plant Garden, it has been redesigned and divided into five epochs or periods of geological time: the Devonian, the Pennsylvanian, the Jurassic, the Early Cretaceous, and the Eocene. The new layout allows visitors to move chronologically through the five different time periods, recreating the feel of the ancient ecosystems and offering a hint of what it must have looked and felt like to be among these plants “back in the day
San Francisco Ferry Building Won the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced in December 2008 that the Ferry Building of San Francisco had won the 2008 Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA) for its green initiatives. GEELA is the state of California's highest and most prestigious environmental honor. The award program recognizes individuals, organizations and businesses that have demonstrated exceptional leadership for voluntary achievements in conserving California's resources, protecting and enhancing the environment and building public-private partnerships.
Alcatraz Cruises Adds Hornblower Hybrid to Fleet
A 64-foot-long recycled catamaran, originally built for use as a commercial diving vessel, has been retrofitted – and renamed the Hornblower Hybrid . The 149-passenger vessel is powered by a combination of Tier 2 diesel-powered engines, electric motors, wind turbines and photovoltaic solar panels to charge batteries that will power all the functions of the vessel. Other environmentally friendly adaptations include carpeting, counter tops, lights and signage.
Paint the Town, Red, Green or Off-White
San Francisco is the first and only city to collect unused residential paint, donate it to Bay Area service groups and schools for graffiti, as well as send it to countries around the world . Since the program started in 1995, Recology has sent more than 18,365 gallons of recycled paint overseas. The paint comes in three shades: red, green or off-white..
San Francisco is at the forefront of conservationism, food sustainability and recycling, and its efforts to improve air quality and protect the environment are much more extensive. Hotels, restaurants and attractions in the city all contribute to reduce their carbon footprint. For updates about San Francisco’s “ecothusiam,” visit the Only in San Francisco green Web site at www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/green.
