Sdrsp Newsletter 2nd Qtr 2008

S e cond Quarter 2 0 0 8

“Advancing a Sustainable Future in the San Diego Region”

Sustainability Tips From SDG&E is a proud sponsor of SDRSP

Upcoming Events Sustain San Diego Free Compost Event

Sunday, August 3rd 9 am – 1 pm San Diego Residents will be able to pick up free waterconserving compost for their gardens, compliments of the City of San Diego. For more information visit 10News.com and click on Sustain San Diego.

Sustain San Diego E-waste Event

What are the best and quickest ways for a business to save energy? Taking a few proactive steps to reduce energy usage can conserve natural resources, lower energy costs and save money: The following information is courtesy of SDG&E’s website: http://www.sdge.com/esc/estlarge10tips.shtml & Logo 1. Reduce lighting where possible and take advantage of natural daylight. Turning lights off or dimming them during the day allows for lower energy costs and a more comfortable environment. Also, remove excess lighting, and turn off signage and other lights not necessary for security and safety. 2. Install occupancy sensors. These inexpensive devices can reduce lighting costs by up to 40 percent by turning off lights in unoccupied areas. 3. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), which can last up to ten times longer. CFLs provide the same amount of (light) lumens as standard incandescent bulbs, but use up to 75 percent less energy.

Saturday, September 6 9 am – 1 pm Residents will be able to drop off their e-waste to be recycled free of charge. Accepted items include personal computers, copiers, telephones, DVD/CD players, pagers, radios, microwaves, cell phones, monitors, batteries and televisions. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to I Love a Clean San Diego. For more information and a list of accepted items visit 10News.com and click on Sustain San Diego.

4. Replace incandescent lights in exit signs with LED fixtures, which can reduce costs of these signs by up to 95 percent.

24th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day

9. Invest in energy-efficient equipment. When upgrading or adding new equipment, look for the ENERGY STAR® symbol, which indicates the equipment meets federal standards for energy efficiency.

Saturday, September 20 9 am – 12 pm Over 6,000 volunteers will work at more than 60 sites county-wide to pick up debris and be part of the solution to marine pollution. In partnership with I Love a Clean San Diego. For more information on locations and how to register visit 10News.com and click on Sustain San Diego.

5. Adjust the thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer and shut off when not in use. Even a few degrees can significantly reduce heating and air conditioning costs. 6. Install programmable thermostats or time clocks to automatically control temperature settings on heating and air conditioning equipment. 7. Turn off or set office equipment to power down when not in use. Turning off one computer and monitor nightly and on weekends can save up to $80 a year. And setting PCs, monitors and copiers to use sleep mode when not in use can help cut energy costs by up to 50 percent. 8. Lower the thermostat on your water heater. 120° F is sufficient for many common uses. A 10° F reduction can save up to 5 percent on water heating costs.

10. Call SDG&E about our energy efficiency services and rebates at (800) 644-6133.

When Will It Stop? Fuel prices are continuing to rise and people are looking for a way out. The California Air Resources Board has a web site that can help consumers and fleets alike choose the most fuel efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles. If you are considering a new car, visit www.DRIVECLEAN.CA.GOV to see what your options are today.

While I was ironing a shirt for work today, it occurred to me that I was having fun doing it. The wrinkles, a hot iron, a blast of steam and the cloth slowly responding, and smoothing just as I have paid to have it done for many years. But lately I’ve been learning to do it myself, and I’m getting pretty good at it. Zen Buddhists would call what I’m feeling, jiyu (freedom) the act of literally relying on ones self. It may sound silly but I’ve been doing a lot more of that lately. As prices for everything we use in our family have risen, I’ve been trying to find as many ways as possible to live more simply and hopefully cheaply. A book called Earth: the Sequel: The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming, by Fred Krupp and Miriam Horn tells us there are remarkable advances being made right this second, which will ultimately lead to new, clean technologies that allow us to reduce our use of fossil fuels. Why now? In the past when oil prices rose and people invested in alternative technologies, they lost money…big money! The problem was that the price of oil has historically been so volatile that after the investments in alternative energy were made, the price of oil would plummet and interest in the alternatives shriveled and died. Bye, bye investment. Climate change alters the equation. Reducing greenhouses gasses is not just a trend. It IS the future, and there are remarkable rewards for the innovators who conquer the clean energy mystery. There will be new green jobs. There will be better ways of powering our lives, and there will eventually be a gentler society, living within our and the planet’s means. The cost of doing otherwise will make ironing my own shirt seems like a very minor act indeed.

Help Grow The Sustainable Message! Are you passionate about sustainability? Do you already talk about sustainability every chance you get to anyone who will listen? Would you love to help plan sustainability events, write articles and gather information that will build our shared community? Now is the time. Join the members of the SDRSP Communications Team and connect with individuals and organizations in our region that can contribute to a sustainable future. We’re looking for immediate support in three areas to make a difference in the second half of 2008: • Ceremonies, Awards, and Events - Coordinate all aspects of planning, and conducting partnership events. Coordinating outreach opportunities with the public and partnership representatives that promote the SDRSP, and sustainability. • Digital Media – Assists with design and content management for Public web site, Membership discussion board, database of case studies, etc. • Fundraising – Help the SDRSP Board of Directors develop effective fundraising strategies that support sustainability goals. Don’t wait! Over the coming year we’ll produce multi-media marketing materials, develop signature fundraising events, grow our web interactivity, increase our visibility in all media and create experiences that move people to think, feel and do more to support sustainability. Contact Don Wells at [email protected].

A Sustainable Future One of the most important challenges we face in building a sustainable future is developing a stronger sense of community. The SDRSP is aiming to remedy that by reaching out to partnership members. This newsletter is a prime example of the effort. If every reader would share just one great idea per quarter just imagine the potential for positive change. Submit your ideas to [email protected].

Navy Solar Carports - Not Just a Cool Place to Park Sunshine is not uncommon to those of us who in live in Southern California. What is rare however is finding a shaded place to park as summer temperatures inside a car can reach up to 110 degrees! The Navy Region Southwest has provided a few shaded carports to keep the vehicles of its Sailors, Marines, and Civilians cool during the dog days of summer. This is certainly a quality of life issue if you’ve ever worn a pair of shorts and plopped down on a blistering vinyl seat! The real story is that the carports are covered with energy collecting photovoltaic panels. These panels gather the sun’s energy and convert it to a renewable source of electricity. This helps the Navy Region satisfy a requirement under the Federal Energy Policy Act to use 7.5% renewable power by 2013, and Executive Order 13423 to reduce energy consumption 3% annually through 2015. The electricity generated is used to offset what is required from the grid to reduce demand during peak usage hours. Off grid generation is very important during extremely hot days when energy hungry air conditioners can potentially result in a black-out condition. The most recent carport was installed at Naval Base San Diego and accommodates 42 cars. The system is estimated to generate 219 KWH per day, which is enough clean renewable energy to power 14 homes annually. The Navy Region has added five new solar carports to its inventory in the San Diego Metro area bringing its total solar carport power production capacity to over one megawatt. The Navy Region has a total of approximately 2 megawatts of solar capacity in place at other installations including in El Centro, China Lake and Ventura County.

U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Diego Under a 9-site, West Coast Super ESPC Contract with a major ESCO (Energy Services Company), the United States Coast Guard added Energy Efficiency to it’s portfolio of Mission-Based Initiatives. The process was long and arduous, beginning with preliminary audits and pre-scope work as far back as early 2004. But the contract was signed, sealed and delivered in November of 2006, with implementation beginning in March of 2007. Coast Guard Sector San Diego is one of seven mainland sites included in the project, which is valued at over $11M, with an estimated simple payback of less than 10 years. With measures including lighting, water conservation, mechanical systems and controls, the Coast Guard is using the Super ESPC IDIQ contract to meet the unfunded mandates of EPAct05 and subsequent Executive Orders on Energy Efficiency. The hallmark of the San Diego project was the conversion of the lighting systems in both Aviation hangars from Metal Halide (HID) to high-efficiency, high-bay T8-Fluorescent lights. In addition, given the exceptional amount of daylight available from the Hangars’ clerestory windows, the redesign included the simple, yet thorough use of daylight sensors to manage and control lighting levels and the burn-time hours of the new lighting system. Sector San Diego has a total of 14 buildings, which span just over 142,000 square feet of occupied space. The previous utility budget (including electricity, natural gas and water) was over $258,000 per year. The ESPC scope of work is designed to reduce environmental impact, increase comfort, and improve building function, all while saving an estimated $85k per year, or 33% of the Sector’s annual utility budget. The very positive results and “Customer” satisfaction of this project are a testament to the wonderful improvements that can be achieved through the use of Energy Efficiency projects and the advances made in the “Green” industry.

Tag! You’re It! “Planning Our Future: Tag! You’re It!” was the title of the 8th annual San Diego Green Schools Youth Forum. Fifty students from high schools throughout San Diego County attended the event held on Saturday, April 19, in the Environmental Services Department’s Ridgehaven Green Building Auditorium. The purpose of this year’s forum was to highlight the academic and career opportunities in the environmental field for students as they begin to think about life after high school. Introducing the forum and speakers were Al Hurt, Vice President, Western Region Operations, Engineering & Environment, Inc. and Linda Giannelli Pratt, Chief Program Manager, City of San Diego Environmental Services Department. Speakers included Councilmember Scott Peters, Matt Rahn, Director of Research and Education, College of Sciences, SDSU, Jane Teranes, Associate Director, Environmental Systems Program, UCSD, Kamala Kuresman, Business Development Manager, Nolte Associates, Inc.; Julie Byford, Environmental Coordinator, SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund Ambassador, Sea World; and Christina Schaefer, Director of Biological Resources, Technology Associates International Corporation and Paul Manasjan, San Diego Airport Authority. All of the speakers spoke about the students discovering what they are most interested in, and then follow that where it leads. Environmental studies can be woven into almost all academic programs, and environmental protection and sustainability can and should be a component of every career. Forum attendees took an “Ecological Footprint Quiz” to help them realize how much of the earth’s natural resources they use and waste. This took into account the energy and water consumed, fuel that is used, and waste created from their current lifestyle, and then related that to the impact if everyone in the world did the same. The outcome was defining how many planets it would require to sustain that lifestyle. At the end of the forum, students were given a Youth Forum tote bag and a pair of shoe laces, both items made from recycled soda bottles, and two energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs. The 8th Annual San Diego Green Schools Youth Forum was funded through a Partnership of the City of San Diego and Sempra Utilities. Youth Forums are held every spring at the Environmental Services Department’s Green Building.

Join the Green Champions Initiative! San Diego Regional Sustainability Partnership is working with 10News to honor environmental leaders in San Diego through the “Green Champions” initiative set to launch in July. Every month a new Green Champion is highlighted on-air and on 10news.com for their work sustaining San Diego through environmental innovation and green intelligence. Viewers are able to log on and find out what San Diego’s Green Champions are doing in a variety of environmental areas. In addition, they can discuss with others what they are doing to conserve energy, natural resources including an interactive tool that allows anyone to share success stories about how we can all improve the quality of life for San Diegans now and in the future. To view the San Diego Green Champions page, visit 10news. com and click on Sustain San Diego.

Join the 20 Gallon Challenge Governor Schwarzenegger recently declared California is in a drought and has asked everyone to do their part. So what can you do? Visit this website for some great ideas: www.20gallonchallenge.com

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