What Happened
The city of Hermosa Beach, California, has developed a sustainability plan that includes a building retrofitting/redevelopment ordinance, which aims to reduce net fossil fuel use to zero by 2030.
So What?
The Hermosa Beach plan is an example of a city going beyond mandated state requirements, and demonstrates how municipalities can address the unique characteristics—in this case, building density—in sustainability plans.
The Green Task Force
In 2011, California changed its state law to require that new development and demolition meets sustainability guidelines per the new “CalGreen” code. The City of Hermosa Beach, in developing its own plan, went on to require additional measures, such as:
- Reducing Waste—Reduce greenhouse gases, landfilling, and use of raw materials; work toward carbon neutrality
- Reduce Energy Use—Reduce greenhouse gases, utility costs, and air pollution; work toward carbon neutrality
- Water—Reduce stormwater runoff and marine degradation; conserve water
- Air—Improve indoor air quality; reduce air pollution, improve health
Action Plan
Due to building density in Hermona Beach, the majority of the city’s plan addresses remodeling and building renovations. A goal is to create a Green Building retrofit ordinance dealing with existing buildings. This report outlines details including:
- Costs—How much the implementation of a new ordinance would cost
- Staffing—How many staff members would be required to audit and implement
- ROI—Financial return on investment
- Timing—Implementation timeframe and expectations
Energy Cuts
As part of the city’s effort to reign in electricity costs, a number of efforts began in 2005, helping to cut use by 12 percent. Improvements planned through 2020 are expected to cut consumption by 50 percent. Details of these improvements can be found in the actual report.
Other Cities Adopting Strategies
Hermosa Beach isn’t the only city aiming toward carbon neutrality. Seattle, WA, established carbon neutrality as one of its sixteen priorities back in 2010, and Maryland established a “carbon-neutral corridor” with a 2035 target date.
Gov1 recently wrote about Chattanooga, TN, and its efforts to cut usage by 25 percent by 2020. This guest column from Richmond, VA’s sustainability manager, provides a roadmap and lessons on the path to a sustainability plan. Wilmington, DE, is using a biosolids-to-energy waste treatment technology to cut waste by 100 tons per day while reducing energy costs.
Research
The National Resources Defense Council issued a study on how a smart roofing plan can address both energy costs and water resources. Gov1 covered this story in July.