Sustainable Development Focus
Long Beach Post - Sep 15 To advance toward a goal of carbon neutrality on campus by 2030, Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) recently completed construction on the largest solar panel installation in the city and of all 23 CSU campuses. Parking lots seven and 14 house the new solar panels. Several awnings line the parking lots without taking up space that might have otherwise been used for student vehicles. The roughly $18 million project is not being paid for by the school, but instead through a Power Purchase Agreement with SunPower, which will be paying for all of the costs upfront. In return, CSULB will pay for the energy that the solar panels produce over the course of a 20-year lease.
Commercial Property Executive - Sep 14 The Swig Co.’s landmark historic San Francisco Mills Building and two adjacent properties were awarded LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Mills Building is one of the longest serving office buildings in the country to secure this certification. Located at 220 Montgomery St., along with 333 and 369 Pine, the Mills Building is believed to be the oldest commercially-owned, multi-tenant building in the Bay Area to be awarded the USGBC’s highest certification. The Swig Co. has owned the building for 63 years and has recently updated the plumbing system to reduce water consumption, developed an indoor air quality program, adopted green cleaning policies, and installed low-energy LED lighting and automation features. Mills also includes recycling and composting, electric vehicles charging stations, and bike racks.
Solar Industry Magazine - Sep 15 The California state legislature has approved Assembly Bill 797, which extends consumer incentives for solar thermal technologies, and the bill now heads to Governor Brown for signature. According to the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA), the bill is part of the state’s ongoing efforts to reduce natural gas use, meet greenhouse-gas reduction goals, and support economic development. According to CALSEIA, solar thermal projects installed under the CSI-Thermal program reduced natural gas use across the state by over 5.8 million therms each year, equal to the annual amount of natural gas used to heat water for over 32,00 homes.
Los Angeles Times - Sep 16 Two bills that would boost protections for consumers taking out PACE home-improvement loans are headed to Governor Jerry Brown’s desk after passing the Legislature. The regulations come amid criticism by consumer advocates that too many borrowers are taking out unaffordable loans for solar panels and other energy-efficiency projects — the kind of upgrades funded by PACE — because contractors misrepresent how the financing works. The bills, if signed, would enshrine a number of reforms into law, including a first-time requirement that income be factored into underwriting. The legislation also bars kickbacks and establishes a minimum training requirement for contractors, who typically also act as salespeople.
Urban Land - Sep 11 Several decades into a voter-approved transit focus, both the city and the county of Los Angeles are proudly showing off a growing list of transit-oriented development (TOD) projects. Supported by a new half-cent tax that could fund an estimated $120 billion worth of public transit improvements over the next 40 years, the region is ramping up the creation of TODs not only in downtown but also along transit lines further out. Private developers are planning and building dozens of TOD projects around transit stations, some of them joint developments with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), to create more comprehensive transit-oriented communities. Angelenos spend an average of 81 hours a year stuck in traffic, and only 5 percent take transit. With 10.2 million people in 88 cities, L.A. County is projected to expand by 2.4 million people in the next 40 years. To mitigate worsening traffic congestion and air pollution in this car-culture region, Metro will double the size of its rail system to better connect downtown L.A. to the county’s edges.
