HomeMy WebLinkAboutEnvironmental Sustainability Plan (2/11/10) �
PALIvI DESERT
The City of Palm Desert
Environmental Sustainability Plan
Prepared by EcoMotion
February 11 , 2010
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City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan � � Page 1
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 2
Outline
Executive Summary
Regulation: AB 32 and SB 375
Environmental Sustainability
Greenhouse Gas Compliance
Taking Action
1. Introduction
Defining Sustainability
A History with Sustainability
Palm Desert's Chronology of Sustainability Initiatives
2. Sustainability Resource Areas
The Built Environment
Energy Management
Materials Management
Regional Air Quality
Transportation Resources
Water Management
3. Greenhouse Gas Compliance
Background
Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Emissions Reduction Plan
4. The Action Plan
Organizational Design
Managing Costs
Three-Phase Implementation
Seizing the Opportunity to Lead
Appendices
• The Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Planning Process
• Lists of Sustainability Plan Resource Team members
• Background papers for Resource Team meetings
• Background power point presentations for each Resource Team
• Lists of Resource Team recommendations
• Council Resolution on Sustainability: Resolution 07-78
• Primer on Greenhouse Gases
• Greenhouse Gas Baseline Data and Inventory
• Database of Recommended Actions
• Five-Point Ranking Values
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan �T Page 3
Executive Summary
Palm Desert is a leading sustainable city. This Sustainability Plan shows that Palm
Desert has already demonstrated high levels of civic leadership on many issues related
to environmental sustainability, from energy and water management, to storm-water
diversion, water reclamation, altemative transportation and fuels, and desert
landscaping. The bus system, civic center solar arrays, new LEED certified buildings,
and the City's bricks and mortar commitment to higher education speak to the City's
forward-thinking nature.
The Set to Save energy partnership program and the Energy Independence Program
are statewide models, being emulated by cities and counties throughout California.
Palm Desert is recognized for its pioneering work with Assembly Bill 811 that enables
property assessments for energy efficient fixtures and renewable energy systems. By
October 2009, there was legislation in fourteen states including Texas and New York for
this new and appealing local government financing. Through these kinds of initiatives
and the ones presented in this Plan, Palm Desert will maintain its preeminence in
sustainability, addressing climate change and land use planning mandates with clarity
and conviction.
Regulation
This Plan presents an action plan. It is being driven by impending regulations and finro
laws, specifically California Assembly Bill 32 — the Global Warming Solutions Act of
2006 —and the more recent Califomia Senate Bill 375, known as the "anti-sprawl bill."
Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32)
The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 established a first-in-the-world
comprehensive program of regulatory and market mechanisms to achieve real,
quantifiable, cost-effective reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. The law
proposes to reduce carbon emissions in Califomia to 1990 levels by 2020.
The law will result in a 25% reduction of CO2 emissions by 2020. AB 32 requires
the Califomia Air Resource Board to develop regulations and market
mechanisms to achieve the goals. Mandatory caps for key industries will begin in
2012 and will ratchet down.
Senate Bill 375 (SB 375)
SB 375, passed in 2008, is the nation's first law to control greenhouse gas
emissions by controlling sprawl and fully utilizing transportation demand models.
It mandates that the State's 18 Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs)
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 4
include sustainable community strategies in regional transportation plans for the
purpose of reducing greenhouse gases.
The Governor's Office believes that SB 375 will be as transformative in shaping
our communities as railroads were years ago, making them more walk-able with
increased transportation options, and increased quality of life.
SB 375 requires the California Air Resources Board to develop regional
greenhouse gas emission reduction targets to be achieved from the automobile
and light truck sectors for 2020 and 2035. The 18 MPOs in California will prepare
a "sustainable communities strategy" to reduce the amount of vehicle miles
traveled in their respective regions and demonstrate the ability for the region to
attain ARB's targets.
These bills and others are forcing cities throughout California to re-think the way we live.
They are driving a transformation and Palm Desert is preparing for these changes. This
Environmental Sustainability Plan integrates local visions with State regulations. It is a
roadmap for action that begins with pragmatic, low-cost measures that have significant
effect.
This Plan presents a planning tool for Palm Desert to maintain a proactive position,
finding win-win solutions that are good for the environment and for business. The Plan's
actions will create jobs. Through a deliberate, phased-in approach, Palm Desert will
take strategic steps toward sustainability while maintaining the high quality of life
residents enjoy.
This Plan present three phases of planned activity in six resource areas, beginning with
low and no-cost measures to the City that deliver the greatest energy, consumer, and
carbon savings.
Environmental Sustainability
The Environmental Sustainability Plan addresses six resource areas. Resource Teams
of local stakeholders and staff were formed to examine each area during the planning
process. Each team meeting was marked by opinioned discussions of goals and
recommended policies and programs. These have been debated and prioritized, guided
by the Core Sustainability Team and Council. The six resource areas are as follows:
a. The "Built Environment" is also the man-made environment -- buildings, parking
structures, golf courses, rights of way, etc. Super-efficient building standards
suitable for desert conditions are proposed for immediate adoption. The Plan
identifies policies that comply with portions of SB 375, testing new forms of
development shaped by Palm Desert's style that has eamed broad community
support.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 5
b. The Plan addresses "Energy Management" aggressively given its measures'
potential to cut use and avoid emissions. It calls for a major commitment to
achieve the 30:30 goals, reducing tens of thousands of inetric tons of CO2
emissions annually. The 30:30 goals were developed as a program to achieve
30% reductions city-wide in electricity and gas consumption along with a .30%
reduction in peak electricity demand in five years. In the short term, the Plan calls
for securing ample financing for Energy Independence Program loans. The long-
term vision is to exceed the goals by fully developing renewable power
generation.
c. "Materials Management" — from cradle to cradle — is another area of City
excellence. Pilot programs have tested positive and can be expanded. The Plan
details upstream procurement policies and downstream management. It calls for
increasing the City's overall diversion rate from the current level of 72% to 75%.
d. "Regional Air Quality" is essential to Palm Desert. While largely out of direct local
control, the City's ultimate goal is to work with regional partners to clear the air of
visible particulates, notably PM 10. Other goals are more local; reducing airborne
particulates during the annual reseeding process for golf courses and lawns.
Reducing automotive vehicle miles travelled and tightening buildings will also
result in better air quality.
e. "Transportation" is framed in terms of increasing mobility. This is being done in
Palm Desert in more "alternative" means — walking, golf carts, biking, buses —
decreasing vehicle miles travelled (VMT) and thus gasoline consumption. The
Plan calls for reducing municipal gasoline use by 5% in two years, and
throughout the community in five years, by promoting personal and community-
benefitting aitematives.
f. "Water Management" is a critical challenge, largely out of sight but not out of
mind at the City. Declining aquifer levels and increasing amounts of embedded
energy in water provide direction to leveraging efficient water use to "generate"
savings. The Plan for the first time sets specific savings goals, calling for a 30%
reduction in water use in 5 years.
Greenhouse Gas Compliance
Many experts believe that the threat of climate change is the most important
sustainability challenge of the century. Regulations — AB 32 in particular — are forcing
local govemments to take action. This Plan is linked with the City's �rst Greenhouse
Gas Inventory and includes a sequenced approach to emissions reductions.
In 1990 the City's ecological footprint was 406,607 metric tons of CO2. By 2008, the
baseline year, this impact had increased to 620,914 metric tons. Through the Plan's
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 6
action steps, this trend will be reversed. Details of the inventory are presented in a
separate document with data and methodology briefs.
Taking Action
Each of the six resource areas presented is critical for environmental sustainability.
They are presented in a narrative form in the Plan with discussions of visions,
principles, goals, policies, and programs. Many leading cities' programs were evaluated.
Over three hundred recommended actions were cvnsidered in the planning process.
The Plan presents 149 recommended actions to achieve the City's sustainability goals.
The actions are also presented in tabular form, an Excel spreadsheet decision-making
tool. It ranks measures with relative numeric values for five key variables according to a
five-point rating system. The highest ranked recommendations are most feasible, lowest
cost to the City, most cost-effective, embraced by the community, and cut significant
levels of CO2. Five-year costs to the City are estimated; notes present assumptions.
The Plan concludes with a pragmatic, three-phase approach over a ten-year period.
Phase I activities are low and no-cost measures that are feasible given the current
economic situation and can be carried out in the next finro calendar years. Financing and
ordinances will drive efficiency; collaborations will be strengthened.
Phase II activities will subsequently be defined for the 2012 — 2014 timeframe and will
build on Phase I initiatives. Policy initiatives will continue. Sustainability investments will
be required to leverage greater levels of efficiency. A portfolio approach will blend cost-
effective and non-cost effective measures for community benefit. Phase III is slated for
2015—2020.
Palm Desert will achieve its environmental and growth management goals, while
fostering local economic development and a positive economic and social impact. The
City will maintain its high quality of life while meeting the challenges of the times.
1 . Introduction
The City of Palm Desert is unique in many ways, a desert community with many
resorts and an affluent population. It is marked by the distinction of having the
most golf courses per capita of any city, worldwide. Palm Desert is an idyllic
place to live and retire, with dry, warm winters. Visitors come for winter; many
residents leave town to escape the high heat of the summer.
Palm Desert is an unquestioned leader in the Coachella Valley in many ways.
Palm Desert's citizens are proud of their City; its businesses are pleased to be in
the City; and its institutions — from Desert Willow Golf Resort, to University of
Califomia Riverside at Palm Desert, and College of the Desert — are strong,
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 7
thanks to strong relationships with the City. The City has certainly been a leader
in sustainability as this Plan shows.
Defining Sustainability
The United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development defines
sustainability in the following way: "Sustainability meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Clearly it is an
all-encompassing exercise.
• Sustainability is the ultimate environmental pursuit.
• Sustainability integrates all environmental and social and even economic issues.
While the definition of "sustainable" varies, one way to define it is to consider it as the
aggregate of people living day by day, on par, in ways that are workable, manageable;
in ways that maintain, support, conserve, restore, replenish, safeguard, perpetuate; in
ways that allow us to continue living versus grinding to a halt; in ways that do not
deplete, use up, or empty; in ways that have a net zero impact.
To some, sustainability goes beyond environmentalism. Whereas environmental
sustainability is a condition during which we make sure not to deplete finite natural
resources, social sustainability encompasses adequate access to health care and job
and educational opportunities. In a socially sustainable community, "all people have a
sense of well-being and purchasing power." Financial sustainability is living within our
means, our ability to pay.
In the broadest context, the "universe of sustainability" includes social, health, and
economic facets of the community. To be fully sustainable involves these three Es of
economy, environment, and equity in an ongoing balance. Cities, counties, and other
jurisdictions slice sustainability in many ways; defining sustainability draws on many of
the elements from public health to human dignity, economic development, food
production, and civic participation. While cognizant of the broader universe of
sustainability, this first Plan focuses on environmental sustainability and six resource
areas.
A History with Sustainability
Palm Desert has engaged in a mosaic of "green" policies and programs for over 25
years, starting before the City was incorporated. Its award-winning works have included
storm water management, waste stream diversion and recycling, drought-tolerant
landscaping, clean and efficient transportation, and most recently unparalleled work with
energy management and the financing of energy efficiency and renewable energy
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 8
installations. The recommended actions presented in the Plan build on this record of
many years of progress and success.
Palm Desert's Chronology of Sustainability Initiatives
1970
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert is established
The zoo and botanical garden is based entirely on the ecosystem of the desert. It
currently occupies about 1,200 acres of land, is a pioneer in environmental education, a
native wildlife rehabilitation preserve, is active in captive breeding and plant propagation
programs, and sustains itself through active membership and volunteers. �
1973
The City of Palm Desert is Incorporated
1983
Drought-Tolerant Landscaping Introduced
Palm Desert embraces water-wise desert and semi-arid plants to create vibrant arrays
in medians, parks, parkways, and open spaces around public facilities. Policy initiated
to remove turF from street medians and install water-wise desert landscaping
1989
Palm Desert complies with AB 939: Integrated Waste Management Act
To comply with Act, Palm Desert had to recycle 50% of its waste. Today, Palm Desert
is diverting 72% and rising.
1990
State Implementation Plan for PM10 in the Coachella Valley
The State Implementation Plan (SIP) for Particulate Matter 10 (PM10) was jointly
developed by South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), Coachella
Valley Association of Govemments (CVAG), and member cities, approved by the US
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) as a mechanism for reducing suspended
particulates, especially fugitive dust emissions in the Coachella Valley.
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Implemented
The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) implements the federal
Clean Water Act and mandates that plans and programs for storm water management
be developed, adopted, and implemented to assure that municipalities effectively
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 9
prohibit non-storm water discharge into storm drains. Palm Desert is a co-permittee
and Public Works manages the NPDES program.
Curbside Recycling Program Implemented
The Curbside recycling program was started in partnership with Waste Management of
the Desert, now replaced by Burrtec Waste and Recycling Services. This was the first
curbside program in Riverside County.
Water-Efficient Landscape Ordinance Passes
As required by California Water Conservation in Landscaping Act of 1990, the Water-
Efficient Landscape Ordinance passed by the Palm Desert City Council, establishes
minimum water-efficient landscape requirements for some new and rehabilitated public
and private landscape projects, including tract homes.
1993
Palm Desert's Golf Cart Transportation Program Begins
Authorized by Assembly Bill 1229, the program allows golf carts for travel to schools,
parks, businesses, shopping centers, and government offices.
1994
Natural Gas Buses Join Fleet
Palm Desert worked with SunLine to convert their buses to natural gas over a period of
finro years. Today, SunLine's natural gas buses serve the entire Coachella Valley.
Concurrently, SunLine engaged in a fuel cell demonstration project with Humboldt State
University.
Arbor Day Program Begins with Tree Planting Demonstration
A tree planting demonstration program for schools, the Arbor Day Program was created
to involve schoolchildren in the process and appreciation of planting trees.
1998
Light Emitting Diode Lights are Installed in Traffic Signals
Palm Desert was the first city in Coachella Valley to implement LED signals lights.
Palm Desert Air Resources Board Air Quality Forum is Held
Air Resources Board (ARB) seeks public participation in Palm Desert by setting a public
forum, one of the ten that ARB scheduled around the state to study new federal
standards, existing programs, local conditions, and planned future activities to reduce
PM 10 and 2.5.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 10
1999
Landscape Services Division of Public Works is Established
Palm Desert established the Landscape Services Department Program to maintain City
properties and to conduct plan reviews. Its work is based on the Tree Maintenance
Ordinance, the Parking Lot Shade Tree Ordinance; and the Water Efficient Landscape
Ordinance.
Fugitive Dust/ PM 10 Control Ordinance is Passed
The ordinance established minimum dust control requirements for construction and
demolition activities and other specified land uses.
Bus Shelter Improvement Program Launched
In 1999, City Council approved the Bus Shelter Improvement Program to advocate
more contemporary, self-sufficient, and durable bus shelters with features such as solar
powered security lighting and advertisement elimination on all the new shelters.
Parking Lot Tree Resolution Passes to Cut Water Use and Increase Shade
This resolution identifies specific landscaping requirements for parking lots that will also
be responsive to water conservation goals. Shade must cover 50% of pavement.
2001
Local Particulate Matter 10 Air Quality Inspector Program Commences
Coachella Valley Association of Govemments (CVAG), South Coast Air Quality
Management District (SCAQMD), and Building Industries Association (BIA) approved
the hiring of a PM10 Air Quality Inspector to monitor and identify development activities
that are not meeting emission standards, and to work to educate developers and cities
on meeting PM10 standards.
Employee Commute Program Takes Shape
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) developed and
implemented Rule 2202 designed to reduce vehicular emissions associated with
employee commutes at major employers by providing various emission-reducing
altematives.
Six Cities Energy Project Puts Palm Desert among Leading Cities in Energy
Innovation
City joins Irvine, Santa Monica, Brea, Hermosa Beach, and West Hollywood in the Six
Cities Energy Project managed by The Energy Coalition on behalf of Southern
Califomia Edison. The creative approach included the PEAK Student Energy Actions
Program.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 11
Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance
Palm Desert's water efficiency ordinance becomes the most conserving in the State of
California.
2004
Palm Desert's Comprehensive General Plan is Adopted
Palm Desert's General Plan states the visions and goals of Palm Desert in community
development, environmental resources, environmental hazards, as well as public
services and facilities.
Community Energy Partnership Expands Six City Partnership to Ten Highly
Diverse Member Cities
In 2004, the City of Palm Desert joined the Community Energy Partnership (CEP), an
ongoing multidimensional collaboration that delivered programs educating communities
about sustainable energy efficiency in Southern California.
2005
City Publishes First Desert Flora Pallette and Maintenance Manuals
These manuals highlight desert plant material and maintenance guidelines for
successful desert planting.
Weather-Based Irrigation / "Smart" Controller Program Begins
A program with the Coachella Valley Water District that uses weather-based irrigation
clocks that automatically adjust irrigation systems' run time based on historic weather
data, reducing the amount of water in cooler months and increasing the amount in the
summer.
UCR Palm Desert Graduate Center Establishes Sustainable Native Garden
Two-year, $4.5 million demonstration project is a joint effort between four universities
which will use exclusive native plants to the desert and create a demonstration zone
that shows how desert plants can be used to create a suburban landscape with "curb
appeal."
Energy Independence Program Enabled by Pioneering Work with Assembly Bill
811
Palm Desert spearheaded effort to craft and get Assembly Bill 811 passed. Bill allows
cities and counties to provide preferential loans to property owners making energy
improvements through liens on their properties and assessments on their property
taxes.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 12
2006
Palm Desert Establishes the Office of Energy Management
The OEM was designed to work with Palm Desert residents, Southern Califomia Edison
staff, and The Energy Coalition to raise awareness in the community.
Curbside Landscape Retro-Fit Pilot Project
A $75,000 program ($20,000 allotted to Palm Desert) partnered befinreen Palm Desert,
Coachella Valley Water District, and the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control
District designed to focus initially on parkway areas near country clubs and hotels.
Palm Desert Features U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Certification Program
The City used the LEED certification for the Palm Desert Visitor Center (LEED Silver
Certification) and Henderson Community Building (LEED Silver Certification). The
Visitor Center opened as the first LEED-certified building in the Coachella Valley.
Estonia Protocol Signed / 30:30 Program Established
A stretch goal followed by a detailed analysis of how to achieve a 30% reduction in city-
wide electricity and gas consumption and 30% reduction in peak electricity demand in
five years.
2007
Resolution 07-78 Passes and Serves as the City's First Step in Greenhouse Gas
Reduction
Council adopted a resolution pledging to enact policies and programs to reduce harmful
global emissions.
Palm Desert Building Ordinance is Adopted by City Council
City Council passed Ordinance No. 1124 adopting local energy efficiency standards for
buildings covered by the 2005 Califomia Building Energy Efficiency Standards, setting
forth minimum energy efficiency standards within the City for all new construction,
including remodels, additions, alterations, condominium conversions and tenant
improvements. The new standards require energy efficiency up to 15% above the state
standards.
Set to Save Program Launched
The 30:30 program was renamed for consumer marketing. This implementation
partnership with Southern California Edison and Southern California Gas provided
services to local businesses and homeowners to help decrease energy use with free
on-site energy surveys, on-line tips, and discount programs.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 13
2010
Iniatiation of Cooperative Landscape Water Conservation Program
A program established along with CVWD to remove landscape turf and retro-fit
landscapes with desert plant material for homeowners and homeowners associations.
Desert Flora Design Manual Published
City publishes its Desert Flora Design Manual and makes all three Desert Flora
publications available on-line.
Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance Approved
City approves updated Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance which meets State AB
1881 requirements and continues to maintain its' leadership in landscape water
conservation.
Greenhouse Gas Connection
Of the common elements of sustainable planning, the greenhouse gas (GHG)
connection is most challenging. Most experts agree that sustainability and sustainable
development require stemming and decreasing greenhouse gases in major proportions.
The magnitude of required, transformative changes that may be on the horizon is
impressive, as are the opportunities for job creation, professional workforce
development, and exported know-how. This Plan guides Palm Desert towards spurring
new businesses that benefit from this transformation. Palm Desert can work with the
business community to develop new products and services for a sustainable world. By
getting ahead of the curve, Palm Desert can prosper and profit, increasing the quality of
life and community through strategic investments.
Califomia Assembly Bill 32 —the Global Warming Solutions Act—was passed in 2006. It
is the nation's most far-reaching GHG rule. It presents sweeping mandates for GHG
reductions with little direction on a) how local govemments will be required to fulfill these
reductions, and b) when and how these will be measured. In 2007, Palm Desert passed
Resolution 07-78 that called for reducing CO2 emissions by 7% below the City's 1990
baseline. The City's first greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory was completed in 2009. After
careful consideration of Resolution 07-78 along with the mandates and measures
necessary to realistically achieve this goal, Palm Desert re-established the City's
baseline year to 2008, rather than 1990. Detailed data collected to complete the GHG
inventory was primarily obtained from 2008; logically, Palm Desert needs to establish
measures and reduction goals based on the current levels of GHG present in the
atmosphere today.
Palm Desert is preparing for GHG mandates and the climate protection requirements
that will be specified by the Califomia Air Resources Board. Local govemments will be
required to address those issues within their control, such as building standards, land-
use, and local mass transit. Palm Desert has joined the Intemational Council for Local
- --— - - --- -- - --
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 14
Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) Cities for Climate Protection and has used the Clean
Air and Climate Protection (CACP) software to develop a baseline of GHG emissions.
2. Sustainability Resource Areas
The Built Environment
The Built Environment refers to all man-made structures, from buildings, to roads and
resorts. It is the collective "impression" that mankind makes upon the Earth, often best
seen from an aerial perspective. It's how communities are built within a particular
geography for mobility, residential, educational, recreational, and business activity.
Palm Desert has been very conscientious about maintaining continuity in design of its
built environment. As one travels through the City, the different neighborhoods transition
seamlessly into each other. Older neighborhoods lie next to newer ones. Country club
communities mix with time-shares; a half dozen mobile home parks provide affordable
desert living. The variety of housing products is desirable to the community.
A thousand low and moderate income housing units are located within the City. Over
the past few years, neighborhood malls/shopping centers in the "Palm Desert style"
have been developed along the perimeter of town to provide neighborhood shopping,
while "big box" and large commercial buildings have emerged in the area along the
Interstate 10 corridor. Development has been tasteful and cohesive.
Buildings and the built environment are resource intensive. They are responsible for
nearly 40% of greenhouse gases, even more than transportation. In Palm Desert, the
built environment is dramatically shaped by golf courses and resorts. Much of Palm
Desert was built during an era of cheap and plentiful energy. Many homes lack
insulation and advanced window glazings. Thus the City's greatest savings will come
from retrofitting this aging and energy-inefficient housing stock.
Principle
Retrofitting the existing building stock for sustainability is the City's Built Environment priority.
Building efficiency standards continue to ratchet up; "greene�" designs are resulting in
more efficient and comfortable spaces. Green building ordinances — like Palm Desert's
—are exemplary in maintaining a focus on green building in new construction.
Principle
The City will maintain a concurrent focus on green building in new construction.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 15
Addressing the Heat
Palm Desert faces a very significant built-environment challenge: Climate. Palm Desert
homes use an average of 50% more energy than similar homes elsewhere. This places
a tremendous burden on the utility, especially during peak periods, and a tremendous
cost on consumers.
Palm Desert addressed this head on by implementing building efficiency standards that
are more stringent than the State's Title 24. In 2007, and after a detailed technical
appeal to the California Energy Commission, Palm Desert instituted the Green Building
Ordinance that addresses energy usage in all new buildings, retrofits, condominium
conversions and tenant improvements. It required new structures to be 5% - 15% more
efficient than Title 24.
The Palm Desert ordinance "sunseY' when new Title 24 requirements were formally
adopted on January 1, 2010. The new Title 24 requirements are approximately 15%
more stringent, obviating the Palm Desert ordinance.
Taking a Green Building Leadership Position
There is an opportunity for Palm Desert to lead, specifically by taking early action on the
new California Green Building Code. It is an addition to Title 24 building code. The
California Green Building Code will be optional initially and then phased into law.
Palm Desert, with the support of the Building Industry Association and others, will take
early action, updating the current Green Building Ordinance to make all new
construction in the City adhere to both the new Califomia Title 24 and its Green Building
Code. This harmonizes the green building industry in the State, and provides for the
energy and environmental benefits that Palm Desert continues to desire.
Goal
Be early adopters of the Ca#ifornia Green Building Code, an addition to Title 24.
Two other goals for the built environment reflect the City's commitment to high
perFormance, sustainable design for the desert environment. The new community ce�ter
reflects this goal. Parking lots are tremendous heat sinks, thus greater shading will
reduce the urban heat island effect, and keep cars cooler that in tum reduces air
conditioning requirements.
Goal
Promote measurable, high perFormance, sustainable design throughout the city.
The Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency plans to lead by example on this goal with the
design and construction of Carlos Ortega Villas. Carlos Ortega Villas is a 72- unit senior
rental housing project. Specifications require that the project achieve a minimum of
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 16
LEED Silver Certification, and ultimately design and build a net zero energy project. Net
zero energy use is the ability to produce an amount of renewable energy on-site equal
to the amount of energy required to sustain the energy used by the project. Through
projects such as Carlos Ortega Villas, the City is not only able to lead by example, but
to provide detailed information, based on experience, to individuals interested in
sustainable design.
Goal
Increase parking lot shading to minimize the heat island effect.
The premise of this goal would require a complete review and analysis of the
effectiveness of the City's current ordinances requiring parking lot shading. Current
ordinances, including the Parking Lot Shade Tree Ordinance, will be revisited and
revised to increase shading design and minimize the heat island effect. The final
outcome may require shade trees, carports, light colored pavers, or some combination
of these.
Recommended Actions
New Construction
Recommended Action BE 1 T
Pass Green Building Ordinance to adopt the California Green Building Code, Title 24 addition.
Solar Readiness
The City will also retain select features from the 2007 ordinance. Specifically, the new
ordinance will maintain the requirement that developers of production homes sell "solar
ready" homes — with conduits and junction boxes in place for future solar installations.
Developers must also offer at least one sample home with solar in place; all homes for
sale must have a solar option.
Recommended Action BE 2
Maintain 2007 ordinance feature: Developers must sell "salar read�' homes (conduits,junction
boxes, etc.).
Recommended Action BE 3
Maintain 2007 ordinance feature: Developers must offer one sample home with solar; all with
solar option.
In addition, solar readiness will be further defined through building design to
accommodate panels on south-facing roofs, avoid penetrations and obstructions, while
providing sufficient structural engineering to allow for additional weight on the roof,
known as "dead load."
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 17
Net Zero Buildings
In 2004, Palm Desert built the first LEED certified building in the Coachella Valley, and
now it has eleven that qualify or are in process. Now the City will support the State's
move toward net zero energy building (NZE).
Recommended Action BE 4
Develop, define, and promote a net zero energy building approach and timeline.
Recommended Action BE 5 - - � Y ��
Provide incentives, plan, and coordinate demonstration project(s). __ �
Existing Buildings
The Green Building Ordinances and the California Building Code focus on new
construction, important for making sure that all new buildings are highly efficient, but
� Palm Desert is largely "built out." This means that to reap large energy savings benefits,
the focus has to be on existing buildings. They can be surveyed for their efficiency and
solar potentials, the City can assist the property owners in many ways, and the City can
launch energy savings campaigns for specific, hard-to-reach demographics.
Recommended Action BE 6
Survey existing buildings' efficiency, sustainability, and solar potential.
Recommended Action BE 7
Identify the benefit to property owners offered by local, State and Federal tax inaentives and
rebates for retrofits.
Recommended Action BE 8
Design targeted homeowner energy education programs for specific demographic audiences.
Municipal Buildings
The City will continue to lead by making sure that its buildings are efficient. Upgrades
could include waterless urinals, modern climate controls and occupancy sensors,
efficient lighting, etc. As funding becomes available, the City will invest in additional,
cost-effective solar systems.
Recommended Action BE 9
Continue to retrofit/renovate Civic Center and other City buildings with advanced energy/water
efficiency measures.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 18
Recommended Action BE 10
Add capacity to the solar systems at Civic Center; move/incorporate car-ports that are
currently shaded.
Hotels and Resorts
The Set to Save program has initiated a peer-to-peer hotel and resort energy
management program. The City supports this effort and participates in it. The City can
also design a program for small hotels that will identify energy and dollar-saving
opportunities, such as existing utility and state incentives and potentially EIP
assessments.
Technical services can steer hoteliers toward specific measures to assist a hotel in
improving its bottom line, the comfort of its guests, and its contribution to sustainability.
Other program highlights being discussed are "mentoring" by the larger hotel chains,
hotel sustainability audits, technical support, and guest information services.
Recommended Action BE 11
Support Set to Save partners in developing a hotel mentoring, peer-to-peer efficiency
initiative.
A number of greening opportunities involve positioning Palm Desert as an eco-tourism
destination. Imagine visitors coming to Palm Desert to relax, but also to learn about
solar power, wind turbines, and geothermal energy. Conferences might be situated in
Palm Desert to demonstrate the principles in reality, and throughout the community.
There are a number of action plans to build this reputation, making it part of the visitor
experience. Eco-tours can be promoted. Locally, interested citizens can form to discuss
what the green country club of the future might look like.
Recommended Action BE 12
Work with Chamber et al to promote sustainability as part of the "visitor experience."
Recommended Action BE 13
Develop a task force to position Palm Desert as an "Eco-Tourism"destination.
Recommended Action BE 14
Co-promote "Eco-Tours" of wind turbines, solar systems, desert ecosystems, wildlife, and the
Salton Sea.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 19
Parking Lots
Parking lots offer potential for a number of sustainability upgrades. The City has a
parking lot ordinance seeking to provide shade on 50% of its parking stalls. Additional
recommendations for a study of this sector:
• Identify potential for solar-covered shaded spaces.
• Identify where upgrades to the surFace of the lot could be improved, for
permeability and/or to offset heat island effect.
• Provide preferred parking to encourage alternate energy and fueled
vehicles, hybrids, car share and carpool vehicles.
• Provide incentives to retrofit parking lot lighting with LED or other high-
efficiency lights.
Recommended Action BE 15
Assess potential for light-colored surFaces and shading to reduce urban heat island effect.
Recommended Action BE 16
Provide incentives and/or demonstrations for light-colored parking lot surfaces.
Recommended Action BE 17
Assess potential for semi-permeable paving systems.
Recommended Action BE 18
Provide incentives and/or demonstrations for semi-permeable paving systems.
Recommended Action BE 19
Provide preferential parking for alternate vehicles, hybrids, car share, carpool vehicles.
Recommended Action BE 20
Provide incentives to retrofit parking lot lighting with LED or other high-efficiency lights.
Urban Forestry
Trees in any community provide profound benefits, from shading to ambiance and
sense of permanence. The City of Palm Desert has been deliberate in growing its urban
forest, and in maintaining it. Recently the City completed an inventory of trees on public
land. These trees each sequester about 28 pounds of CO2 per year.
The City can now extend its inventory of trees to the private sector, assessing the
number of trees, their types and location. The City can support certain varieties, taking
care not to shade potential solar rooftops.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 20
Recommended Action BE 21
Continue urban forestry initiatives on City land to minimize urban heat island and maximize
sequestration.
Recommended Action BE 22
Complement the recent City inventory with an inventory of privately-owned and maintained
trees.
Energy Management
Palm Desert has been a leader with energy management in the Coachella Valley for at
least a decade. Council, senior management and staff have masterfully guided Palm
Desert to be an energy inspiration for all of California. Its building standards eclipse Title
24; its Civic Center showcases solar power. In the past two years, Palm Desert has
joined the ranks of Berkeley and San Francisco as the "sustainable energy pioneers" in
California.
Principle
Continue to exhibit leadership by demonstrating energy efficiency and use of solar power.
Principle
Continue to exhibit leadership by financing property owners' efficiency upgrades and solar
installations.
Palm Desert's quest for energy independence — local responsibility in partnership with
utilities -- has not gone without mention. In the past three years, this preeminence has
expanded statewide, and even nationally.
Community Energy Partnership
In 2002 the City of Palm Desert joined the Six Cities Energy Partnership ("the
Partnership"), an innovative utility-sponsored program managed by The Energy
Coalition, a non-profit organization based in Orange County.
With enthusiastic City leadership, and with the financial support of the Partnership
(funded by California ratepayers under the auspices of the Califomia Public Utilities
Commission), the City took on a number of activities for the first time. Within finro years
Palm Desert's accomplishments included:
• Drafting the City's first comprehensive Energy Plan
• Establishing the position of Director, Office of Energy Management for the City
_ _ -- --
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 21
• Planning for the Visitors Center building which received the first LEED rating
certification in the Coachella Valley, ultimately achieving the certification level of
LEED Silver
• Hosting the 2003 Aspen Accord of senior utility, city government, and California
Public Utilities Commission regulators
• Completing "efficiency tune-ups" that reached over 600 homes and 300
businesses
• Incorporating the Peak Student Energy Actions program in all elementary
schools
Over the next three years, the Community Energy Partnership continued and expanded
these energy efficiency efforts, bringing energy awareness and new efficiencies to
hundreds more families and businesses. Through door-to-door outreach activities,
community events, demonstration projects and recognition at City Hall, Palm Desert
made clear its commitment to saving energy for the benefit of its citizens and of the
State.
Set to Save
In 2005, the City of Palm Desert's leaders and members of the Aspen Accord signed
the "Estonia Protocol" drafted by City of Palm Desert Council members. Its objectives
led to the development of "The Palm Desert 30:30 Strategic Plan" in 2006. The bold
goals set forth by this document — to save 30% in electricity and natural gas
consumption in five years across the entire City, have driven significant energy actions
in the City since then.
The Energy Partnership befinreen Palm Desert, Southem Califomia Edison, The Gas
Company, and The Energy Coalition was first funded with $14,000,000 to implement the
"Set to Save" program. These funds — matched with City funds for local marketing and
outreach -- have been used in a number of ways:
• Establishing the Office of Energy Management and storefront
• Marketing "Set to Save,"the partnership name for the 30:30 program
• Offering special incentives for early HVAC replacement and pool pump upgrades
• Offering free in-home and in-business energy audits
So far, the City is about 40% of the way to achieving the 30:30 goals. The work
continues at the time of this writing. The City of Palm Desert intends to continue this
_ .—. - - - -- --
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 22
partnership into the next utility funding cycle with its utility partners, both Southem
Califomia Edison and Southern California Gas.
Goal
Successfully complete the 30:30 program.
Energy Independence Program
In 2008, the City's now well-known AB 811 legislation became law, proving that a small
city can leverage huge opportunities for all cities and counties in California. It amended
the California Streets and Highways Code and enabled municipal assessment districts
to include efficiency and renewable system upgrades.
Palm Desert immediately launched the Energy Independence Program with a broad
vision of securing the energy future. The first in California, the Energy Independence
Program has provided loans for hundreds of homeowners and provided financing for
over $7.5 million in energy projects that will result in over $40 million in savings in time.
The success of these initiatives is significant. This Plan builds on dramatic successes,
setting the bar that much higher.
The City also sets net zero building energy goals to support State initiatives, and to
support the local economy. While considered far-fetched a few years ago, the net zero
building movement provides architects and builders with new specialties and
opportunities for income generation.
Goal
Encourage net zero energy buildings to achieve 10% penetration of new construction starts in
five years.
The City has also taken on legislative efforts regarding utility regulations and solar
tariffs. Working with Assembly member Brian Nestande, the City pursued a form of
feed-in tariff to compensate property owners for extra power they may produce when
they are out of town. This work continues. Palm Desert recognizes that local actions
must in many cases be enabled by changes at the State and federal level.
Recommended Actions
Set to Save
Recommended Action EM 1
Monitor Set to Save, report results and variances to City Manager and City Council quarterly
to gauge and support its five-year goals.
Objectively review savings reports and program status. Provide this information to the
partner utilities and the CPUC to build a case for completing the pilot program.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 23
In September of 2009, the City was notified that funding for the next phase of the Set to
Save program was in jeopardy. While SCE and SCG had applied for a combined $18
million for the coming two years, the CPUC only authorized one-sixth of the funding.
The Commission was neither convinced that the pilot is particularly unique, nor that its
savings are bona fide. It may or may not provide additional funds after an evaluation is
complete.
The City will work with Southem Califomia Edison and The Gas Company to secure
ongoing program funding and support. The City will also work to generate added
support from government, foundations, non-profits, manufacturers, and others.
Recommended Action EM 2 � �
Submit re-application to provide support and resource funding to continue the Set to Save
program� __ - - ------ - — ___ _ _ .
Examine with partners the use and potential for an infusion of resources to augment
programs. This might include additional tune-ups, additional incentives for efficiency
technologies, and special solar incentives.
Recommended Action EM 3
Explore and apply for alternative funding for Set to Save from utilities, CEC, DOE, and other
sources.
Recommended Action EM 4
Expand Set to Save to include water efficiency and air quality measures into site visits.
In addition to providing referrals to home improvement contractors, Palm Desert's Office
of Energy Management could work with contractors and suppliers to provide special
services for property owners, to accelerate improvements to buildings. "Special deals"
might be designed for:
• Home efficiency audits
• Home weatherization services
• Lighting retrofits
• Home weatherization products
• Plumbing services
• Solar installations
• Water-efficient landscaping services
• Indoor air testing services
Recommended Action EM 5
Work with local contractors to develop innovative programs for Set to Save participants such
as the special "one stop shop" pool pump pricing.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 24
Energy Independence Program Loans
In 2008, the Energy Independence Program (EIP) was formed and added another key
tool for the City to meet its 30:30 goals. EIP allows residents to borrow for permanent
energy upgrades — both for energy efficiency measures and renewable energy
generation— using the assessment district mechanism.
As a result of AB 811, Palm Desert is known as an energy leader not only in the
Coachella Valley, but throughout California. Its mayor, City Council and staff are
regularly quoted and their input is solicited on new legislation and the design of new
programs.
�-- - __ - - -- -- -
Recommended Action EM 6
Assure that the Energy Independence Program has ample funding at reasonable interest
rates.
A top priority of the City Council, in regard to energy management, is making sure that
the City has ample funds to lend EIP participants. Thus far, the program has been
marked by starts and stops, disrupting momentum and falling short of program
potentials. Sorting this out, and assuring continued funding, is a top priority for Palm
Desert to achieve energy savings and climate protection results.
Bridge financing, or interim financing, is key. Until the bond market is familiar with these
portfolios of assessments, Palm Desert will have to determine where to get the funds,
potentially from the general fund, RDA monies, foundations, and private
benefactors/investors. The current bond validation procedure is an important step in
securing funds at reasonable interest rates.
Recommended Action EM 7
As funding becomes available, un-cap loan sizes.
Once funds are secured to provide bridge and long-term financing for the Energy
Independence Program, and the real estate market rebounds to some extent, the City
can consider"un-capping" loan sizes to allow for larger efficiency and renewable energy
investments.
While striving to maintain a balance between caution and action, Palm Desert may find
a win-win solution in providing for larger loans that will realize bigger savings — energy
and avoided CO2 — while the higher volumes of aggregated loans will help to drive
down bond interest rates.
Recommended Action EM 8 TT_T
Expand list of eligible technologies to include water efficiency and other sustainable
measures.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 25
The Energy Independence Program currently funds energy upgrades — higher-efficiency
air conditioners and pumps; rooftop solar systems. While staying within the definition of
"permanent improvements," the City will explore offering loans for property owners to
replace toilets, and to install waterless urinals, drip irrigation systems, desert
landscaping, etc.
Federal Stimulus
Immediate actions can be taken that are no cost. Others — such as administering the
Energy Independence Program -- are low cost relative to their benefits and need to be
carefully evaluated. The City seeks to leverage program opportunities, minimizing risk
and maximizing citizen, business, and municipal benefit.
Recommended Action EM 9
Continue to track stimulus grant opportunities. _ _ __
Program announcements are being made on numerous stimulus funding opportunities
that the City is tracking. Some funding opportunities require innovative partnerships and
arrangements that may require special attention.
Recommended Action EM 10
Develop partnerships and prepare grant applications for innovative projects.
There is a need to continue to foster a climate of suggestion and innovation within City,
to continue to develop innovative partnerships, preparing grant applications, and
contract partnerships, focusing on and preparing for"the green moment."
Student Actions
The City recognizes the profound impact of students on our future. Thus, it will continue
to develop and deliver school programs such as PEAK. This can foster new lesson
plans, specials, field trips, etc. that excite kids and stimulate action. The City can
provide support projects to start "energy clubs" in local middle and high schools.
Similarly, the City can collaborate with COD to develop/enhance its "Energy
Management" course.
Recommended Action EM 11
Expand delivery of school energy efficiency programs to educate young families and leverage
lasting change.
Recommended Action EM 12
Support schoal programs with field trips, special speakers, "energy clubs" in middle and high
schools, etc.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 26
Office of Energy Management
There are many roles for the existing Office of Energy Management. Given the
dominance of energy management in the realm of cost effective measures for
sustainability, it is of great importance and will necessarily be of growing importance.
The roles provide a variety of customer services:
• Technical services such as advising and facilitating complete demonstration
home retrofits.
• Basic customer support helping citizens take advantage of Set to Save
discounts, Energy Independence Program financing.
• Providing a "storefront" to showcase demonstration items, with counter space
and meeting spaces for customers, periodic workshops.
• Proposal and grant writing: Proposals to be a smart meter demonstration city,
or micro-grid pilot.
• Maintain campaigns and program visibility, with technology give-aways, and
perhaps an electronics educational program for business.
Recommended Action EM 13
Help citizens with Set to Save discounts, EIP financing, solar incentives, contractor referrals,
technical assistance.
Working with the Fuel Cell Consortium, College of the Desert and/or other
educational/research organizations, and outside funding resources, Palm Desert will
explore installing a fuel cell power generation plant within one of its buildings. Fuel cells
convert natural gas at high efficiencies, potentially a major opportunity for meeting 30:30
program goals while demonstrating the City's thirst for first-hand experience with new
and promising technologies.
Recommended Action EM 14
Provide "storefronY' with demo items, counter space, meeting area; periodic 101 workshops
on efficiency and solar.
• Advertising campaigns (Web site, BrightSide, Desert Sun, etc.).
• Partner with manufacturers, installers to get group purchase discounts.
• Develop and deliver special "senior savings" campaign.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 27
Recommended Action EM 15
Propose to be a smart meter demonstration city to encourage and track community and
individual meter usage and savings.
Recommended Action EM 16
Maintain campaigns and program visibility; use contests and technology give-aways, e.g.,
smart power strips, etc.
Recommended Action EM 17
Develop "plug-load" electronics education and action program for businesses and institutions.
Recommended Action EM 18 `
Develop proposal for homeowners association demonstration micro-grid to demonstrate net
zero concept.
Recommended Action EM 19
Plan demonstration project to showcase fuel cell technology in large hotel or institution.
Messaging
Several actions relate to messaging, and keeping the word fresh and current in the
community about sustainability, and in this case energy management.
Recommended Action EM 20
lvlaintain the message of "save energy, money, and the environmenY' through on-going
advertising, BrightSide, etc.
Recommended Action EM 21
Partner with manufacturers and installers to get and promote group purchase discounts.
Recommended Action EM 22
Develop and deliver special "senior savings" campaign.
Program Design
While IID serves a small fraction of the City of Palm Desert, residents within these
pockets do not currently have access to programs funded by Edison. This complicates
marketing Set to Save, as well as Energy independence Program assessments and
California Solar Initiative rebates. The City can work with IID to develop comparable
programs and services.
Recommended Action EM 23
Encourage IID to offer additional energy-saving programs with task force participation and
specific recommendations.
�.�.,,,..,..
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan � Page 28
Policy Initiatives
AB 811 Financing Provisions: At the Federal level, Palm Desert continues to be active
in promoting tax-exempt financing for AB 811 loans. This would lower interest rates,
making the program more attractive to participants, and increasing energy savings and
thus climate protection values. A new opportunity involves bonds backed with federal
guarantees.
Recommended Action EM 24
Continue to promote tax-exempt financing and government backed bonds for EIP loans�
Feed-In Tariffs: The City of Palm Desert continues to promote effective feed-in tariffs in
the California legislature to provide a complementary incentive structure for solar
developments — particularly related to multi-metered commercial and residential
properties -- so that cost-effective solar production can be maximized and excess power
generation from a solar system can be fairly compensated.
Recommended Action EM 25
Continue to promote feed-in tariff legislation for owners to maximize rooftops through solar
power development and to help the City achieve its CO2 reduction goals.
Utilitv Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) advocacv: One of the most profound
aspects of Palm Desert's carbon footprint is electricity, and its relative carbon content.
As the utilities achieve their RPS goals, their emissions are lessened. In turn, Palm
Desert's footprint is lessened.
For this reason, Palm Desert is interested, and may elect to lobby for, goals being met
despite the challenges. The City can also track regulatory matters at the CPUC and
CEC, preparing testimony and testifying as warranted on utility regulations from RPS to
efficiency portfolios.
Recommended Action EM 26
Continue to advocate that utilities achieve renewable portFolio standards.
Recommended Action EM 27
Track, comment, influence CPUC hearings/CEC meetings on efficiency/distributed generation.
One proven means of developing regulatory and legislative interest is by forming a
Leadership Palm Desert program of young and upcoming professionals in the
community. This form of workforce has been used to tackle issues of importance in
other cities; these young professionals may well be eager for policy engagement.
Recommended Action EM 28
Form a Citizens Sustainability Committee to advise City and promote '"Leadership Palm
Desert"for young professionals.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 29
Renewable Energy
The City realizes that to reach its 30:30 goals it will have to promote solar power in a
significant way. Current incentives may be insufficient. Thus the City may provide
additional incentives, or piggy-back incentives, if need be. This need will be tracked;
potentially limited offers can be explored to spur local investments and thus economic
activity and jobs.
� Recommended Action EM 29
Explore the need/opportunity for additional incentives for renewable energy installations.
�ecommended Action EM 30
Provide additional incentives to help reach City goals.
Green Jobs
Jobs have been mentioned throughout the Plan. Strategically shifting to environmental
sustainability will open up many avenues for green jobs, from low-level manual labor, to
highly trained engineering and other technical services. The City can proactively work
with its institutions of higher learning — College of the Desert, Cal State San Bemardino,
and University of California at Riverside — to promote green curricula and training
programs.
Recommended Action EM 31
Working with College of the Desert, add technical training in the areas of energy efficiency
and renewables.
Recommended Action EM 32
Support Cal State in expanding research capabilities into alternative fuels, transportation,
energy, water.
Recommended Action EM 33
Promote a new course in environmental studies/sustainability at business school at University
of California at Riverside.
Recommended Action EM 34
Identify and promote meaningful jobs in the economy that are attractive for younger
generations.
Local Level
Energy, naturally, is a critical resource. Electricity, the most refined energy product, is
responsible for nearly 40% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Palm Desert is
directed to focus on electricity use and how to reduce its use while maintaining services.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 30
Energy management at the local level is done through ordinances such as the "solar
ready" ordinance in the Built Environment section.
Long Term
Long-term energy visions for Palm Desert range considerably. Many Resource Team
members believe that the City can go far beyond simply reducing energy use in the
future. With a strong trio of wind, sunshine, and geothermal energy, the Coachella
Valley is rich in renewable energy.
This Plan suggests that these explorations be considered by a proposed Sustainability
Committee, recognizing that there is merit in exploring possibilities and finding
potentially unique opportunities. This can take the form of incentives per kW of capacity
(to complement the CSI incentives), expedited permitting, negotiable variances (height,
architectural review), and City-sponsored recognition.
Materials Management
Palm Desert takes great pride, and deserves recognition, for its comprehensive efforts
with materials management. When California passed AB 939, the Integrated Waste
Management Act of 1989, Californians were throwing away 90% of their waste.
Diverting half of this from landfills by the year 2000 seemed impossible.
Within a single year, Palm Desert instituted its first curbside recycling program. By the
year 2000, Palm Desert reached and surpassed the 50% diversion goal. The diversion
rate is now at 72% and growing.
This success was certainly not without effort. The City and its staff took action
promoting recycling at fairs, schools, and community events, launching and maintaining
the "Recycle Binny" advertisements, instituting commercial recycling programs,
managing commercial solid waste disposal, supporting green waste and biomass fuel
programs, developing demonstration food waste programs, and helping to develop local
markets for recycled materials.
When one thinks of materials management and progressive waste management,
recycling immediately comes to mind. But recycling is only one element of waste
management. Waste management involves landfills, composting facilities, incinerators,
etc. Recycling is third priority of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and "Recover."
Principle
The City embraces a "cradle-to-cradle" approach to materials management, from its
manufacturing to disposal and reuse.
Waste management is an element of the larger field called "materials management." It
consists of management of the entire "life cycle" of materials — the make-up and origin
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 31
of original components or products, how they are managed during their useful life, and
how they are dealt with at the end of their lives. This is known as a "cradle to grave"
perspective. This is refined with a "cradle-to-cradle" approach in which there is no
disposal, only re-use and "net zero."
Goal
Increase overall City landfill diversion rate from 72% to 75% in five years.
Goal
Implement a construction debris ordinance for private projects by 2010, complemented by
contractor education.
Goal
Pioneer innovative recycling approaches with commercial segments such as restaurants and
hotels.
Recommended Actions
Raising Awareness
Without question, achieving a 75% diversion rate will involve continued marketing and
outreach, raising awareness to boost participation levels. This can be done in a variety
of ways, none particularly compelling, but essential in aggregate. The notion of
developing and marketing a "green supplier of the month" speaks to the times.
Recommended Action MM 1
Continue recycling and re-use awareness �hrough initiatives with schools, civic groups,
volunteers, etc.
Recommended Action MM 2
Develop targeted educational materials for young students, seniors, businesses, etc.
Recommended Action MM 3
Join forces with labeling program(s)for upstream packaging initiatives.
Recommended Action MM 4 �
Develop a "Palm Desert Green Supplier of the Month" promotion.
City Leadership
The City of Palm Desert has led in materials management, and will continue to do so
through purchasing policies, waste stream audits, and action plans.
Recommended Action MM 5
Enhance municipal purchasing policy to recognize sustainable materials management.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 32
Recommended Action MM 6
Audit waste streams of government buildings to ascertain baseline usage. Begin with Civic
Center.
Recommended Action MM 7
Set goals, policies, and procedures based on waste stream audit. Re-evaluate every two
years.
- -- -__._- --- ----- - _ _ _
Recommended Action MM 8
Implement program to reach municipal diversion goal including investments in bins, signage,
etc.
Deeper Education
Part of an effective campaign is capturing interest. What's interesting about recycling?
The "Dirty Dozen" program is an ongoing means of shedding light on particularly difficult
materials to recycle. It is aimed to marshal community involvement and change
behavior.
For example, the "Dirty Dozen" might include Styrofoam food service containers, or
plastic bags, or Styrofoam packaging peanuts. Engage residents by developing a
contest based on getting residents to send in their list of offenders.
Recommended Action MM 9
Create an "Annual Dirty Dozen" initiative to focus community efforts on the least recyclable
materials.
Recommended Action MM 10
Develop and present home composting information.
Food Waste
Managing food waste is more challenging than managing green landscaping or wood
waste, yet is vital if Palm Desert is to reach sustainability goals. Palm Desert has
encouraged food waste management in the past; a reinvigorated effort is
recommended. A food waste demonstration project starts with education about ordering
and preparing food to avoid waste in the first place, then moves to distribution of excess
food, and finally to dealing with food waste. This can be developed in conjunction with
neighboring cities.
Recommended Action MM 11 - �
Introduce the pilot food waste program to markets, hotels, and more restaurants.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 33
Composting at home — or in HOAs, businesses, schools or other facilities — is relatively
easy, healthful and very effective at reducing amounts of green and some organic
waste. Composting can also be combined with community gardens. A composting
workshop helps participants understand what can and can't be composted, which bins
or containers are available or appropriate, and how to keep the compost pile "healthy
and active."
Recommended Action MM 12
Work with Burrtec to create a food waste demonstration project for homes and businesses. _ _
Construction Materials
Re-use of construction materials will help in many ways, eliminating waste and
providing high quality materials. A creative idea is to open a center and to build a City-
sponsored database that lists inventory at the facility. Then contractors (and
homeowners) can buy, sell, and swap. The City might also sponsor lectures or training
sessions on salvaging recycled building materials.
Recommended Action MM 13
Identify and arrange for storage area/facility for reusable construction building materials.
Recommended Action MM 14
Build and update City-sponsored database that lists inventory at the re-usable construction
material facility.
Recommended Action MM 15
Support training for architects and green builders on fhe use of salvaged recycled building
materials.
Recycling Incentives
The City has and will remain open to all sorts of creative means of giving incentives and
recognition. It will consider adopting or designing a recycling "rewards" program that
identifies the amount of waste generated by a particular family or business and gives
points for rewards. Schools, apartment complexes, and business parks can compete for
prizes based on recycling.
Recommended Action MM 16
Explore need/cost for additional incentives for recycling and materials management.
Recommended Action MM 17
Promote a "Recycling Rewards" system to identify waste champions diverting the highest
percent waste.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 34
Recommended Action MM 18
Establish waste reduction competitions with prizes for schools, apartment complexes, and
business parks.
Mandatory Recycling
Recommended Action MM 19
Draft and pass ordinances for mandatory residential and commercial recycling by 2012.
The City of Palm Desert will continue to lead the way with an immediate government
projects requirement for mandatory diversion of 100% inert and 75% of other
construction debris, and by 2012 for the rest of the community.
Key to mandatory recycling is the means for all to participate. The City will work with its
vendor, Burrtec, to make bins available to all residents and businesses. It will then begin
to draft ordinance for mandatory use to be required by 2012 for all residential and
commercial customers.
Recommended Action MM 20
Immediate City projects recycling requirements: 100% inert, 75% other construction material.
Recommended Action MM 21
Enact by 2011 an ordinance for residential, commercial, and construction debris, that requires
mandatory diversion of 100% inert, 75% other debris by 2012
Recommended Action MM 22
Make bins available to all residents, businesses, and construction sites; provide periodic bin
inspections.
Enforcement will require both penalties and incentives. Penalties will come in the form
of "red tagging" a construction or renovation project until recycling requirements are
met.
Regional Air Quality
Coming from the Los Angeles Basin into the Coachella Valley, one is struck by the
difference in air quality. In the desert, it seems as though mountains are clearer and
closer; colors are at the same time brighter and more nuanced. Take a deep breath, no
smell of diesel. At night, stars are clearly visible. This is the desert that attracts people
from all over the country and visitors from all over the world.
But long-time residents have more to say about air quality: "On a bad day, you can
watch the smog blowing down the valley from Los Angeles." "High winds and blowing
sand that caused problems for motorists in the Coachella Valley on Tuesday are
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 35
expected through Wednesday afternoon. In Palm Springs, police shut down Gene Autry
Trail at the wash about 2:30 p.m. due to "zero visibility." (weather report) Clearly, air
quality is an issue for Palm Desert — and an issue that will require not only local efforts
but regional cooperation to address.
Principle
Palm Desert is committed to regional collaboratives to combat negative regional air quality.
Palm Desert lies within the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD), the
local agency responsible for implementing and enforcing emissions primarily from
stationary sources of air pollution. Emission standards for mobile sources within the
region are set by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency(EPA).
In addition to these agencies, the Coachella Valley Association of Governments
(CVAG), of which Palm Desert is a member, plays a significant role in addressing local
air quality issues. Palm Desert has been and will continue to be committed to working
with each of these to alleviate air quality concerns.
Air quality in Palm Desert is impacted by growth and activity in the Los Angeles Basin.
With prevailing winds traveling from the west, every day the Coachella Valley "imports"
smog and dust. Coastal cities have improved their air quality, but steady increases in
population and attendant development — particularly in Riverside County — have
resulted in little reprieve.
Principle
The City will actively address local air quality issues.
During the development process, there is a potential to negatively impact air quality if
soil stabilization techniques are not implemented. When construction occurs over the
delicate cover of the desert floor, the natural groundcover is disturbed and sand
becomes airbome. Over the past 20 years, Palm Desert has addressed these man-
made Particulate Matter — 10 (PM-10) issues; the region is verging on achieving
attainment status now.
Goals and Visions
The most basic vision is just and far-reaching: The goal for air quality in Palm Desert is
for there to be no visible smog or particles in the air. A second goal is to help the
Coachella Valley meet State and Federal air quality standards, for the health and safety
of all Valley residents.
Goal
Reduce airborne particulates during annual over-seeding process.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 36
Goal �
Work in regional collaboration to remove PM 10 from the air.
Goal
Continue participation with South Coast Air Quality Management District to support PM 2.5
removal.
The recommended action steps presented in this section fall into two primary
categories: outdoor and indoor air quality. Other sections of this Plan also support the
City's goals for air quality, for instance encouraging less driving.
Regional and State Policies
Working with CVAG includes helping to select projects to be funded by "non-attainment"
fees. The City can support CVAG with written and oral testimony as needed in hearings
and committee meetings.
Recommended Action RAQ 1
Continue to work with and support CVAG in developing regional solutions to air quality issues.
Recommended Action RAQ 2
Track and support as warranted, regional, state, national, and international policies to clean
the air.
Landscaping
One of the major pollutants of outdoor air comes from seasonal "scalping" of turF, both
residential and on golf courses.
In 2008 CVAG created a model ordinance for member jurisdictions and developed a
landscaping certification program for landscaping companies, with the recommendation
that enforcement take place in the business license process.
Recommended Action RAQ 3
Develop a sustainable landscape education prograrri for current and prospective home
owners and home owners associations.
Visitor Information
Visitors to Palm Desert have long expressed their desire to have it "lush." They like
green vegetation and rushing waters. This speaks to the need to begin a gradual
process of education on the beauty of natural desert landscaping.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 37
Recommended Action RAQ 4
Develop additional community and visitor information to highlight the benefits of desert
landscaping.
Potential Landscaping Incentives
There are a number of ineans of providing incentives for water efficient landscaping: For
instance, the City will partner with CVWD to offer incentives for replacing turF with native
low water-use plants, trees and ground cover. The City can partner with AQMD to hold
periodic "lawn-mower trade-ins" to replace gasoline-powered lawn mowers with
electrical models. And it can promote the services of "solar landscaping services" (that
use on-site solar power to recharge their equipment) and other landscapers who use
green practices in their professions.
Recommended Action RAQ 5
Explore additional incentives to encourage residents to change their landscaping practices.
Recommended Action RAQ 6
Implement incentives for replacing turf with native low water-use plants, trees, ground cover
and "hard-scapes."
Recommended Action RAQ 7 T _ _ _____ � _�_
Cooperate with SCAQMD to hold "lawn-mower trade-ins", to replace gasoline-powered lawn
mowers with electric models or push mowers.
Indoor Air Quality
People spend as much as 90% of their time indoors. The health of our homes and work
places, therefore, is profound. Studies have shown that the levels of pollutants inside
buildings can be as much as 2 - 5 times higher than outdoor levels.
Indoor air quality is negatively affected by a number of factors:
• Building materials release gases into the space.
• Indoor air quality suffers from a lack of ventilation, high temperatures and
humidity.
Fortunately, healthier building materials are rapidly becoming more available at
competitive prices and many lessons are being leamed about making healthier living
and work environments.
The Green Building Standards Code coming into effect at year end 2009 contains
requirements for ventilation (during construction) and a 14-day flush-out process before
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 38
a building is inhabited. These new construction standards also list volatile organic
compound limits for paints and coatings, carpets, flooring, and insulation.
Since Palm Desert is mostly built out, the focus on cleaning the air needs to be on
existing buildings and to intervene during remodeling. Most homes and businesses are
continually refreshing or re-decorating interior spaces -- and they can be encouraged to
use healthier building materials and to install air-to-air heat exchangers in extreme
situations.
Raising IAQ Awareness
There are many ways to raise awareness about indoor air quality. A basic means is to
develop and distribute a flyer specifically on indoor air quality for property owners and/or
contractors. Information might be distributed at the permitting desk of the City;
brochures at retail establishments where paints, carpeting, etc. are sold. The City can
prepare and publish alerts in the BrightSide, on the City Website, and potentially outside
advertising resources. The City can also support presentations to home owners
associations and other community groups, service clubs, and church groups.
Recommended Action RAQ 8
Develop a strategy and plan for raising awareness on indoor air quality including brochures for
home owners and contractors.
Recommended Action RAQ 9
Provide community information through the BrightSide, City website, etc.
Cleaning Products
Indoor air quality can also be affected by products that property owners typically use for
cleaning. New "green" products are coming onto the market and Palm Desert will
identify reference materials and links that sell "green" cleaning products and post them
on the City's website for their promotion. The City can partner with manufacturers of
green cleaning products to provide discounts for Palm Desert consumers. This might
include a coupon in the BrightSide.
Recommended Action RAQ 10
Promote healthy and non-polluting consumer cleaning products through web site information
via a link on the City website and through publications in the BrightSide community newsletter.
Recommended Action RAQ 11
Utilize green cleaning products for municipal application where feasible.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 39
Transportation Resources
The City of Palm Desert has been a transportation leader in the Coachella Valley, and
the State and nation. In 1977, Palm Desert helped found the regional SunLine Transit
Agency to develop and run low-emission busses. Its fleet includes the most efficient and
clean buming buses in the world.
In 1993, Palm Desert sponsored Assembly Bill 1229 which allowed residents to use golf
carts for travel to schools, parks, businesses, shopping centers and government offices.
It was the first city in the nation to do so.
In 2001, when the South Coast Air Quality Management District implemented Rule
2202, Palm Desert established an employee commute program to reduce emissions by
providing incentives for altemative means of transportation. The City's Public Works
Department has made it a practice of replacing all gasoline-powered vehicles with
hybrid and alternate-fuel powered cars and trucks. And over 50 miles of committed
bicycle trails have been established, often in conjunction with golf cart lanes/routes. This
represents more bike trails than the rest of valley combined.
This leadership has resulted in a) transportation options, b) greater efficiency, and c)
cleaner air.
Principle
Palm Desert will enhance mobility and quality of life for residents and visitors by offering
transportation options.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency reports that transportation sources
accounted for 28% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2006. Transportation is
also the fastest-growing source of GHGs in the U.S. and is expected to increase
another 48% by 2025. At the local level, this translates into traffic congestion.
For Palm Desert to enhance its transportation and the mobility of its residents, it will
explore means of providing transportation options. It will reinvigorate the SunLine bus
system, continue to promote more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly modes,
and increase vehicle occupancy rates.
SunLine
The crown jewel of Palm Desert's commitment to transportation management is the
SunLine Transit Agency. Palm Desert's partnership with SunLine Transit Agency was
essential to establishing the regional bus line; Palm D+esert's stewardship of the line has
been and continues to be essential to its progressive management.
Thanks to a loan from the City of Palm Desert, SunLine opened for business in 1977
just five years after Palm Desert was founded. It is now the Valley's transportation link
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 40
with a nefinrork of established routes. It has offered a variety of different-sized vehicles
from its first years in business. In conjunction with College of the Desert, SunLine
helped develop the Energy Technology Training Center for mechanics.
In 1994, SunLine converted its fleet to 100% Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). In 2000,
SunLine became a founding partner in the Intemational Fuel Cell Consortium. In 2005,
the first in-service, hydrogen-fueled electric hybrid bus joined the SunLine fleet.
SunLine's successes have been recognized around the world, and Palm Desert
residents have benefitted from the years of low and even no-emission public
transportation.
Goals
The City of Palm Desert has been a leader in transportation, and will continue to be so.
This Plan sets goals for cutting gasoline use —through more efficient vehicles and fewer
vehicle miles travelled — both within the City government itself, and throughout the
community.
Given the enormity of GHGs related to automobile transportation, the City of Palm
Desert has taken and will continue to take a multifaceted, carefully staged approach to
transportation demand management.
Goal
Cut municipal fleet gasoline use by 5% in finro years; 10% in five years.
Goal
Community-wide, reduce gasoline by 5% in five years, 10% in ten years.
Goal
Increase passenger miles in alternative vehicles and transport modes by 10°/a in five years
throughout the City.
This Plan takes into account a number of factors related to mobility in and out of Palm
Desert. Mobility that takes place within the City can involve walking, biking, golf carts,
and buses, not just autos. With its location in the center of the Coachella Valley, Palm
Desert is bound closely to its neighbors and to regional transportation trends and
issues. As a tourist and retail center, Palm Desert serves as a destination, drawing tens
of thousands of visitors from outside the area to its resorts and shopping areas.
The workers and suppliers who support these activities are also pulled in from outside
the City on a daily basis. This dramatic influx constantly challenges the City's traffic
management experts, and is responsible for regular congestion, time delays, and a
decrease in air quality.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 41
Biking
There is nothing more fundamental than offering safe walking and biking opportunities
to Palm Desert residents. Great strides have already been made to accommodate these
forms of transit. Currently the City is seeking a "Bicycle Friendly Community"
designation. By increasing these opportunities, intra-city vehicle miles travelled can be
cut by 5 - 10%.
The City will continue to make sure that pedestrians have ample and safe sidewalks as
well as crosswalks. The City will continue to promote biking through the development of
bike lanes and in some instances bike paths. This Plan calls for increasing the
connectivity of Class 1 and 2 bike lanes and golf cart lanes to provide access
throughout the city.
Recommended Action T 1
Develop plan for increasing the connectivity of Class 1 and 2 bicycle lanes and golf cart lanes.
Recommended Action T 2
Enhance the City's solar bus stop program with free solar bicycle recharging stations.
Recommended Action T 3
Expand the Walk-to-Work and Bike-to-Wark campaigns with the help of bicycling clubs,
educational groups.
Other ways of promoting biking include expanding the City's solar bus stop program
with free solar bicycle recharging stations. The City can also identify existing altemative-
commuter facilities such as bike racks. It can also study the requirement and potential
for additional facilities to promote bike commuting.
Commuter Programs (City)
Altemative commuter incentives will be promoted within the City government and to
other employers. This helps to avoids peak travel time, which in turn increases safety,
and allows for cool early morning biking. The City can promote altemate fuel and/or
hybrid limousines and taxis.
Recommended Action T 4
Explore partnerships to increase "Rideshare Reward" incentives for golf cart, bicycle travel to
work.
Shuttles and Taxis
The City also can explore mass transit options for visitors' and locals' airport
connections, and enhancing and developing resort employee mass transit program.
Other options include incentives — such as bonus and buddy tickets for students,
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 42
tourists, seniors. The City can explore developing recognition program such as "Clean
Air Citizen of the Week." Addressing lessons learned from the failed Shopper Hopper,
intended to move passengers easily from the resorts to EI Paseo, will be instructive. A
key challenge and opportunity is exploring how resorts can lessen reliance on private
automobiles to enhance the visitor experience.
Recommended Action T 5 � ��
Explore options for promoting multi-person vehicles for local transport: shuttles, vans, and
taxis.
Recommended Action T 6
Address lessons learned from the failed Shopper Hopper. �
Recommended Action T 7 � � �
Enhance and develop resort employee mass transit program.
Recommended Action T 8
Develop incentives—such as bonus and buddy tickets --for students, tourists, seniors.
Recommended Action T 9
Immediately promote taxi and limousine services that employ alternative fuels or hybrid
technologies.
Recommended Action T 10 �
Develop City policies re�uiring taxi and limousine services to be clean air vehicles.
Traffic Management
There are a number of options for traffic management, some involving commuters,
others involving truckers. Homeowner associations can establish sites to encourage
ride sharing for work and shopping. A commuter ride-share site already exists. The City
can publish it with community partners.
Recommended Action T 11
Develop and coordinate traffic management with adjacent cities.
Recommended Action T 12
Provide support for homeowner associations' sites for ride sharing for work, shopping.
Recommended Action T 13
Publicize existing commuter ride-share site.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 43
Community Education
There is no question that despite SunLine's great success, it is falling short of its
potentials in terms of popular acceptance and use. People may like to look at the buses,
but most don't ride them. Despite efforts to build ridership, it is generally relegated to
those that can't afford cars.
Mass transit is at the core of sustainability. Its energy intensity— measured in BTU's per
revenue passenger mile — varies wildly from single occupancy vehicles, to buses and
rail systems. This Plan begins a process of developing an outreach strategy to promote
mass transit.
The City can publish information and incentives in the "Brightside" and "Desert Sun,"
develop outreach campaigns for schools and local businesses, and provide full
information on mass transit options at employment centers. The City can also work with
SunLine on new promotions.
Recommended Action T 14
Develop outreach strategy to re-educate the public about transportation options within their
community.
Recommended Action T 15
Publish transportation maps, options and incentives in the "Brightside" and "Desert Sun."
Alternative Fuels
There are a number of ways to promote altemative transportation. These include
financing options as well as govemment mandates, and in this case, leading by
example.
Palm Desert intends to promote alternative fuels in a number of ways, through
upholding City fleet purchasing requirements, encouraging local employers to take
similar actions, continuing to explore new technologies to reduce VMT and emissions,
encouraging suppliers to the City to use altemate-fuel vehicles, partnering with hybrid or
alternate vehicle manufacturers to demonstrate new vehicles, and working with
govemment and non-govemmental organizations to be demonstration site for new fuel
mixes.
Recommended Action T 16
Codify City fleet purchasing requirements for altemative fuels.
Recommended Action T 17 �
Encourage employers in the Ciry to develop policies to promote alternative fuel fleets.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 44
Recommended Action T 18
Incent repetitive vendors to the City to use alternate-fuel vehicles. �
Recommended Action T 19
Partner with alternate vehicle manufacturers, universities, etc. to demonstrate new vehicles
and new fuel mixes.
Recommended Action T 20 � � �
Establish procurement policy for contracted emergency vehicles to the greatest extent
possible.__ —_., . .-.- - --- -- ---
City Fleet
Palm Desert can boast an impressive array of alternatively fueled and propelled
vehicles. The City uses compact hybrids to run errands, and maintains trucks for heavy
earth moving. Public Works has taken several effective steps to be more and more
efficient. All agree, there is more that can be done with the City fleet.
For instance, replace larger trucks with smaller vehicles as appropriate, promote trip
planning (multiple tasks, one trip), and create contests, recognition events for
employees.
Recommended Action T 21
Optimize City fleet usage: Replace larger trucks with smaller vehicles as apprvpriate; promote
trip planning.
Recommended Action T 22
Create contests, recognition events for employees for reduced vehicle miles traveled (VMT).
Visitor Transportation
Visitors come to Palm Desert from around the world to enjoy its weather, golf, country
clubs, and exceptional ambience. The winter desert is wonderFul, especially so to those
escaping the sleet, snow, and deep-freezes of their homes. Visitors come to thaw and
relax. Many look forward to NO driving!
For many visitors to Palm Desert, the experience begins at the Palm Springs airport.
There, visitors must typically rent cars, or take expensive taxis to their destinations. This
Plan promotes a convenient and relatively inexpensive altemative for airport
connections for both visitor experience and sustainability.
Recommended Action T 23
Work in collaboration with resort community to develop convenient, efficient airport-resort
shuttles.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 45
Once at their destinations, visitors who elect not to rent cars still have transportation
needs. To fulfill the auto-free vacation requirements, City will explore providing
additional bus stops, shuttle links, additional frequencies, downtown and conference
connections, etc.
Recommended Action T 24
Assure that hotel guests have ample transportation options and connections throughout their
visits.
Regional Transportation
Recent statistics show that there are nearly finrice as many jobs in Palm Desert as there
are living units. Workers come to Palm Desert from outside on a daily basis, and then
travel through it to return home at the end of their workday. Nearly all of them use
personal automobiles for transportation.
The situation, from an energy, air quality, and congestion standpoint, is untenable and
inherently unsustainable. As such, the City of Palm Desert takes a long-term view to
effective transportation management. Palm Desert plans to continue to support the bus
system and help expand its effectiveness, support increased ridership through new
marketing and outreach and incentives, continue to support regional initiatives.
Recommended Action T 25
Continue to support the bus system and help expand its effectiveness.
Recommended Action T 26
Support increased ridership through new marketing and ou�reach and incentives by working in
collaboration with SunLine and others.
Recommended Action T 27
Continue to support regional initiatives, such as getting older cars off the road, smog checks,
etc.
Long-Term Transportation
In the long term, Palm Desert will broaden its award-winning transportation system by
offering altematives for its residents, commuters, and visitors. These altematives — in all
forms from additional bike lanes to shuttles and perhaps ultimately fixed guideways —
will enhance the quality of life in the desert. Concurrently, the City and region will be
attaining energy and environmental protection goals.
The most dramatic enhancement that Palm Desert can make to the sustainability of its
transportation system involves creating a regional transportation link using a "backbone"
in the Valley. For years, altemative transportation advocates have called for using the
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 46
Whitewater Channel as a regional transportation backbone. It could also link to high
speed rail to Los Angeles.
Developing a transportation backbone that uses a fixed or dedicated guide-way system
may take 10 - 20 years to complete. Steady leadership — and Valley-wide cooperation --
will be required to succeed in finding an agreeable alignment and building a system.
This Plan calls for ongoing investigation and discussions to advance the concept.
Recommended Action T 28
Continue to explore regional transportation strategies with one or more transportation
corridors.
School Siting
Recommended Action T 29 � �
Develop task force to work with relevant school district to make sure that new school
construction brings schools back to communities to enable walking to school.
Water Management
Palm Desert has been a Coachella Valley and Southern Califomia leader in water
management. The City's focus on water conservation began in earnest in 1980. A fact-
finding trip to Arizona created the inspiration for Palm Desert's desert/drought tolerant
landscaping focus... what is known as "desert landscaping." This led to the City's first
desert landscaped median in 1984 along Fred Waring Drive 25 years ago.
Principle
Water conservation begins with reducing water waste.
Since then, the City has consistently managed its properties using the desert
landscaping model. In both policy and practice, Palm Desert has made a priority of
desert landscaping and "urban forestry" with clear results:
• The Visitors Center and the Henderson Community Center, LEED icons of Palm
Desert's sustainability initiatives, showcase desert landscaping and its beauty.
• The Water-Efficient Landscape Ordinance sets minimum water-efficient
landscape requirements for newly installed and renovated landscapes.
• The Weather-Based Irrigation Controller Program, in partnership with Coachella
Valley Water District, offers "smart" irrigation systems at a discount.
• The Nuisance Water Program focuses on eliminating wasteful and destructive
standing water or running water in gutters and street crossings, mostly from
overwatering.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 47
• Working with CVWD, Palm Desert has a world-class water reclamation system
for golf courses.
Water-Wise in the Desert
Palm Desert sits atop a huge aquifer that is more than 135 square miles in size. But its
levels have been steadily dropping since the early 1990s, causing Valley water
agencies, farmers, and other property owners to dig deeper and pump harder. Despite a
series of replenishment and recharge programs, water levels continue to decline.
Principle
Palm Desert will encourage and educate others on the value and appropriateness of desert
style landscaping.
Palm Desert thrives as a beautiful resort and retirement community. Surveys show that
lush is desirable. The City, therefore, seeks to balance responsible use and
visitor/resident amenities.
In addition to declining aquifer levels, the water situation is exacerbated by the fact that
external water supplies are tight. Colorado River water supplies are limited. Since 2006,
California has suffered from drought with snowpack, precipitation, and reservoir storage
well below average. Some say that the current situation in the Coachella Valley is the
"worst dry spell in 80 years."
Principle
Palm Desert aspires to a sustainable state in which water use equals reliable supply.
Palm Desert is focused, with its partner agencies, on both water supply and demand. In
terms of demand, the City is focused on both interior and exterior water use.
Goals
Palm Desert has three key goals for managing its water use: First, a new educational
campaign is presented to break complacency and to spur action. Second, the City will
match the electricity and natural gas 30:30 goal; cutting water use City-wide by 30% in
five years.
Goal
Re-educate residents and businesses in Palm Desert about the current water situation and
the need to conserve.
Goal
Reduce water use City-wide by 30% over the next five years through aggressive water
management and reclamation.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 48
The challenge — as with electricity and gas — is to achieve these deep cuts without loss
of vacation and resort amenity, without reducing landscapes' aesthetic quality.
Goal
To the greatest extent possible, eliminate "nuisance water" in five years.
Third, the City will to the greatest extent possible eliminate nuisance water that results
from over-spray and malfunctioning irrigation systems, etc. Nothing is more troubling
than a precious resource heading down the drain.
Community Awareness
The City of Palm Desert has educated its residents on a number of resource issues,
from storm water management to recycling. Once again, residents and visitors to Palm
Desert need to be reminded and informed of the current water situation. This Plan calls
for a renewed awareness campaign about the Valley's water status. It will require
multiple messages featuring the benefits of treating water as a precious commodity.
The City can work with Coachella Valley Water District on a reinvigorated public media
campaign about the Valley's water status. This can include developing a series of public
service announcements — for TV, radio, and the press — that emphasize reality of the
current situation and thus the importance of water savings.
The City can develop simple printed checklists of water-saving tips, in both English and
Spanish. And it can distribute these tips widely at fairs, homeowner association
meetings, the Visitors' Center, tourist bureaus, restaurants, hotel lobbies, the Bright
Side, and on the website.
The City can develop educational materials to distribute through other channels
including the Chamber of Commerce, the Visitors and Convention Bureau, and real
estate developers. The City will consider expanding the public art program to include
desert landscaping.
Another option is to work directly with CVWD to explain the new tiered rates, promote
existing incentive programs for different categories of water customers and to develop
more urgent messaging. Deliver these messages via water bill inserts, local TV, etc.
Special messaging may be required for home owners associations.
The City of Palm Desert understands that its maximum leverage comes from educating
the next generation. Young students will pioneer highly efficient water use and — like
recycling -- it will become their norm.
Califomia teaching standards require education about water at all elementary levels.
The City will find and/or develop supplemental teaching materials that emphasize
conservation in the desert environment. These materials will be augmented through
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 49
student field trips to local water-management sites such as CVWD's "The Dam Tour,"
Water Reclamation Plant #10, and "net zero" homes as they are developed to
demonstrate comprehensive efficiency and gray water use.
Concurrent to launching a new campaign for judicious water use, the City of Palm
Desert will continue to support pricing — as with energy — that reflects its actual costs.
The tiered rates being introduced by CVWD are the first significant step toward this
recommendation and will likely have a significant and measurable conservation effect.
Helping to make consumers aware of this and other pricing changes will smooth the
transition to cost-based pricing.
Recommended Action WM 1 � �
Educate citizens of the current status of water supplies through a refreshed and reinvigorated
public media campaign. _ _ �
Recommended Action WM 2 T
Encourage or require time-of-use irrigating -- notably pre-dawn watering -- to minimize
evaporation.
Recommended Action WM 3
Create a community task force to work with CVWD to coordinate educational campaigns
including school focus.
Recommended Action WM 4
Support pricing and water-saving programs with Coachella Valley Water District so the City
achieves its goals.
Recomm�nded Action WM 5
Develop, plan, and potentially pilot educational program on gray-water irrigation.
Exterior Water Use
Palm Desert and CVWD have made notable progress in reducing water usage by golf
courses and in new residential and commercial developments. The majority of water
usage, however, takes place in existing homes and buildings supporting traditional
landscaping like turf and flower gardens. In Palm Desert, 70% of residential water use is
for outdoor consumption.
There are many ways to raise awareness and to effect change regarding exterior water
use. These include drafting and distributing descriptions and photos of appropriate
desert landscaping, contrasting traditional landscaping. This might be particularly
effective in older neighborhoods.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 50
Recommended Action WM 6
Draft and distribute descriptions and photos of appropriate desert landscaping, and
testimonials contrasting traditional, lush greenscapes with low water use landscapes with very
pleasing and sustainable plant materials.
The City can partner with others on tours of demonstration gardens and low-water
usage homes, and interview and write up the stories of people who have changed their
landscaping to be responsive to the regional water situation, and who have found
means of making drought-tolerant planting very aesthetically pleasing.
Recommended Action WM 7
Set up tours of demonstration gardens and low-water usage homes. __
Creative means of getting action and transforming the look and feel include arranging
with local nurseries and co-promote special offers of water-efficient plants. These can
be supported by "reinvigorated" offers for drip irrigation and smart controller systems
through CVWD. Other options include promoting gray-water irrigation systems through
pilot programs and analysis.
Recommended Action WM 8
Partner with local nurseries and co-promote special offers of water-efficient plants.
Recommended Action WM 9
Continue supporting the offers for drip irrigation and smart controller systems through CVWD.
The City can help raise awareness about evaporation and its direct and societal costs.
The City can consider incentives to promote swimming pool covers and potentially
surfactants to reduce evaporation.
Recommended Action WM 10
Explore education and incentives to limit swimming pool evaporation.
Interior Use
Interior water use has less potential for savings than exterior initiatives, but an effective
plan for water conservation includes all sectors and sources.
The existing Set to Save program for electricity and gas, or its successor program, can
be expanded to include water and to "tap" significant synergies, for instance including a
water efficiency element to the current 5,000 homes per year audits. The program can
provide additional incentives for toilet replacement, and/or provide follow-up
professional plumbing at a discounted group rate to fix home leaks. Another option for
residential water audits is to encourage and partner with CVWD to expand existing
audits (for golf courses and HOAs) to include residential properties. Commercial sector
programs can be customized, designed to address specific sectors of the economy.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 51
Palm Desert will explore the opportunity to develop a campaign to permeate the
community and various sectors. In the restaurant sector, conservation efforts might
have a goal of reaching 20% of all restaurants each year. Elements of the program
include recognition "window sticker" and table announcement cards describing the
program, drinking water on request only, in the restrooms, retrofit for on-demand water
heaters, instant-on faucets with automatic shut-offs, and low-flow toilets. In the kitchens,
there are opportunities for water-efficient dishwashers and efficient ice machines
Another City function is to coordinate with utility and Federal programs and rebates to
retrofit water-using appliances and to introduce or strengthen behavioral/awareness
programs at small hotels that lack the resources to do so on their own. Property owners
can retrofit laundry facilities to include high-efficiency washers for water and electricity
savings and dryers for gas and electricity savings. There are a number of ineans of
beating the water-saving drum such as announcing programs in lobbies, rooms, and on
websites.
Recommended Action WM 11
Analyze option of expanding CVWD's water ordinance 1302.1 to also include residential
properties with landscapes less than 5,000 square feet.
Recommended Action WM 12
Expand Set to Save to include water efficiency measures.
Recommended Action WM 13 �
Develop and target new water efficiency campaign for restaurant sector.
Recommended Action WM 14
Develop and target water efficiency campaign for sma11 hotels.
Golf Courses
More than a dozen golf courses in CVWD territory use recycled water for at least part of
their irrigation. Reportedly, they'll take as much of this less-expensive water as they can
get. This water commodity is in great demand, and dovetails nicely with sustainability.
Much more water is needed to reach the goal of 100% of City golf courses to be
irrigated with recycled water.
Palm Desert can help existing golf courses by encouraging redesign of courses to
reduce the amount of land that requires irrigation, providing incentives for replacing
traditional grass with drought-tolerant species, providing incentives for installing
moisture-sensor, controlled irrigation systems.
Recommended Action WM 15
Support special water conservation training for golf course managers and golfers.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 52
Recommended Action WM 16 �
Promote golf course design and re-design that reduces the amount of land that requires
irrigation.
Recommended Action WM 17 - —
Continue to support replacing "traditional" grass with more drought-tolerant species.
Recommended Action WM 18
Provide incentives for installing or upgrading existing computerized moisture-sensor,
controlled irrigation systems.
Recommended Action WM 19
Educate homeowners about the merits of not over-seeding.
Policies
This Plan takes a major step in developing a local policy of reducing water use
throughout the City by 30% in five years. This commitment is based on a belief that the
situation is dire, and will get worse with no action. This Plan presents a broad menu of
conservation and efficiency steps, there are also system considerations. The City
supports the CVWD efforts to expand its treatment plant to reclaim additional water for
landscaping and golf courses.
Recommended Action WM 20
Support CVWD efforts to expand water treatment plants.
There is also an interesting opportunity for the City to link water and energy resources,
by helping to arrange solar systems at pumping stations. These may be eligible for net
energy metering, or feed-in tariffs, and they might best be privately owned to take tax
benefits. This Plan calls for an exploration that begins by identifying the pumping
locations, and studying the feasibility of solar on top of back-feed ponds to generate
electricity and reduce evaporation.
Recommended Action WM 21
Analyze economics and benefits of a solar-powered water pump partnership with Coachella
Valley Vr/ater District.
3. Greenhouse Gas Compliance
This section of the Plan covers greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and how Palm Desert
will reduce its "carbon footprinY' to comply with state, national and intemational
mandates and agreements.
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Background
In 2007, the Palm Desert City Council adopted Resolution 07-78. It was a major step in
the City's systematic approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Resolution
was passed without in-depth analysis, and targets cutting greenhouse gas emissions in
Palm Desert to a level 7% below 1990 levels. With increased awareness of current
emissions levels, brought about by completion of the city's greenhouse gas inventory,
the City is electing to establish 2008 as the baseline year from which reduction will be
measured.
The findings of Palm Desert's first Greenhouse Gas Inventory — completed in parallel
with this Environmental Sustainability Plan — provide key insights. In particular, Palm
Desert's population has doubled since 1990. Despite a decoupling of population and
GHG growth, the City has experienced a major rise in emissions as presented in the
inventory.
This Plan, therefore, presents a framework for taking pragmatic action, beginning with
the first of three phases over a ten-year period.
Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Six primary greenhouse gases trap the Sun's heat within the Earth's atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide is the predominant greenhouse gas. The five others are methane,
nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride. Carbon
dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2o) are relevant to Palm Desert.
For measurement purposes, where GHGs occur in a local jurisdiction they are
converted to "CO2 equivalents."
Developing an inventory involves assembling data and analysis of the major sources of
emissions: electricity, natural gas, transportation, and solid waste. Imagine putting a
bubble over the City limits. All emissions such as car and truck exhaust stay within the
bubble. The process then accounts for the "embedded carbon" of key materials coming
into the bubble, such as electricity and water for the City. Wastes pass from the bubble
to a regional landfill. These flows are tracked and calculated to establish an emissions
baseline year.
Since 1990, the population within the bubble has doubled. With an increased
population, there's much more CO2 in the bubble than before, while the City strives for
an absolute 7% reduction. Since 1990, per capita energy and thus carbon intensity has
fallen considerably throughout California. In 1990, the average per capita GHG
emissions of a Palm Desert resident was 17.7 metric tons (a measurement of mass
equal to 2,204.6 Ib or 1,000 kg). By 2008, this average intensity dropped to 13 metric
tons, well below the 1990 value.
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In 1990, the population was 23,252. By 2008, the population had swelled to 50,907.
Thus despite a drop in intensity, annual CO2 emissions have risen from 406,607 metric
tons in 1990 to 626,628 metric tons in 2008, a 53% increase.
Emissions Reduction Plan
This Plan calls for a ten year, three-phase period to address emissions reductions
goals. Adhering to the 11 principles presented, and taking action on the 17 goals in this
Plan will be a major boost to realizing emissions reductions. Implementing the 20
actions outlined for Phase I will be significant, providing an estimated 37,538 metric tons
of annual reductions.
After one year, the City of Palm Desert, and its Core Sustainability Team in particular,
will evaluate Phase I progress in achieving emissions reductions. The CST will also
begin to frame the costs and benefits of Phase II and Phase III emissions reductions
plans.
The Top 20 Phase I Actions
The Top 20 recommended actions presented below scored the highest in the five-
variable prioritization process. These measures are 1) feasibility, 2) low cost to the City,
3) efficiency of leveraging energy, dollar, and carbon savings, 4) level of community
support, and 5) ability to offset significant amounts of carbon. These actions are
presented in the accompanying decision-making matrix.
Top 20 Actions and Annual Carbon Offsets(Annual Metric Tons CO2e)
Resource Area Cate o Action Score Offset Carbon
EM-7 EIP Loans Un-cap loan sizes 25 683
EM-6 EIP Loans Assure ample EIP funding 24 2,061
EM-12 Office of Energy Consumer and technical assistance 23. 2,883
EM-26 Policy Advocate for utilities'renewable portfolios 23 3,651
MM-19 Policies Draft ordinances for mandatory recycling 23 11,181
EM-3 Set to Save Explore altemative funding 22 3,604
EM-24 Policy Promote tax-exempt/gov.backed bonds 20 687
EM-28 Policy Form leadership group 22 3,494
MM-7 City leadership Waste stream audits and policy 22 224
WM-12 Interior Use Expand EIP to include water 22 155
EM-2 Set to Save Submit re-application 21 —
EM-8 Federal stimulus Track stimulus opportunities 21 —
EM-9 Federal stimulus Partner and prepare grants 21 4,579
MM-20 Policies City recycling, 100%inert,75% other 21 195
MM-21 Policies Enact mandatory recycle ord.by 2011 21 974
T-14 Shuttles/taxis Promote clean air vehicles 22 158
T-22 Altemative fuels Codify City fleet procurement 21 18
EM-25 Policy Initiatives Con6nue to promote feed-in tariff 20 1,275
MM-5 City Leadership Sustainable purchasing policy 20 —
RAQ-8 Landscaping Lawn mower trade-in 20 7
Total +/-35,822
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The scoring for the Top 20 in total score reflects the current economy: Equally weighted
in the scoring is a "Low CosY' parameter. This refers to low cost to the City.
Implementing these measures will cost the City $27,500 — $742,500 depending on the
ability to use City staff time to carry out the action steps.
Meanwhile, the benefit is significant as the City reverses two decades of carbon growth.
Estimates suggest that Phase I savings will be 37,538 metric tons, a reduction of 6%
from the 2008 baseline and 15% of the total emissions reduction requirement to reach
the City goal of 378,145 metric tons of annual emissions.
Most importantly, these action steps begin a systematic and deliberate, strategic
process of shifting to carbon sustainability. Carrying out this Plan reverses the current
growth in GHG emissions, beginning the absolute downward trend essential to hit
targets.
4. The Action Plan
There are a number of common principles of sustainable development in Palm Desert.
For instance, all agree that Palm Desert:
a. Is a great place to live that needs to be nurtured
b. Continues to stay ahead and shape national, State, and regional mandates
c. Provides high levels of sustainability services for its residents and businesses
d. Plan strategically and cost effectively through timed roll-outs, partnerships,
bundling, and leveraging savings
To be effectively implemented, Palm Desert will a) integrate efforts intemally, and b)
reach out to the community... building support for the long and tough marathon.
Organizational Design
Sustainability is ripe with challenge and potentially huge costs. Its benefits are
undeniable; the threat of un-sustainability is absolute. How to get there with the least
fiscal impact and greatest economic development benefit is the challenge for Palm
Desert and its residents.
To coordinate the City's effort and to maintain the focus on sustainability within Palm
Desert's government and through-out the community, Palm Desert will:
a. Assign a Sustainability Coordinator
b. Formalize the Core Sustainability Team
c. Prepare and Present a Periodic Sustainability Report
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Sustainability Coordinator: Most cities and corporations have established Sustainability
Coordinators. This individual is responsible for a number of tasks, foremost among them
integrating initiatives being carried out by various departments, linking disparate efforts
into a community-wide emphasis, and keeping sustainability and the City's progress
front and center. Palm Desert will accomplish this by reassignment of existing staff
through the completion work in Phase I of the Sustainability Plan.
Core Sustainabilitv Team: The Core Sustainability Team has been essential to the
development of the City's Sustainability Plan. The City will formally establish the CST to
guide the Office of Sustainable Development and the Sustainability Coordinator.
Managing Costs
Palm Desert will climb the steps to sustainability. The process begins with no and low-
cost actions that the City can take that will lead to significant resource benefits. For
example, green building codes, expedited permitting, special treatment for super
efficient, green and LEED-certified buildings cost the City very little and result in major
benefits for the City and owner/developers over time.
The City will take care to document savings, in some cases creating savings accounts
that will later seed revolving loans to enable further investments of longer payback
measures. Going forward, City programs will be measured not just for their costs, and
cost-effectiveness, but by how much carbon dioxide they avoid. An important screening
tool will be developed to help guide the City in fulfilling future climate protection goals.
Three-Phase Implementation
This Plan presents a three-step, multi-year implementation schedule and work plan.
While the three phases need not necessarily be sequential, they represent steps to
greater and greater complexity and program commitment.
Phase I: Low-Cost, No-Cost First Steps
Phase I focuses on actions that can be addressed immediately. These are low-cost, no-
cost measures that include maintaining existing programs and initiatives such as the
Energy Independence Program.
The first phase also includes steps in the critical path to sustainability... for instance
maximizing the City's own efficiency, and in tum, reducing its footprint. This report
identifies logical Phase I programs. After one year of implementation, the City will re-
evaluate its progress and make adjustments as necessary.
City of Palm Desert Environmental Sustainability Plan Page 57
Phase II: Leveraging Opportunities
The second phase will necessarily cost more, and will involve innovative financing and
community partners. These policies and programs and activities will be detailed in the
framing process. How can the costs of sustainability be shared? What government and
foundation resources are available? How can Palm Desert position itself for extemal
funding? How much internal funding will be required? Are there means of co-marketing
to link private sector funding with public support? Are there ways for consumers to bear
the costs, while reaping multiple benefits? Issues like feed-in tariffs with effective prices
— that could open up great levels of participation in distributed solar generation — will
continue to be promoted given their potential leverage.
Phase 111: Scaling up to Sustainability
Phase III is all about scaling up to sustainability, based on the success of initial phases.
This involves major steps that involve significantly increasing renewable energy
production and mandating net zero developments and remodels. New technologies and
ingenuity will help Palm Desert and other cities attain these seemingly impossible goals.
Phase III involves a longer-term view, and thus engages a variety of concepts, which
could include items such as distributed generation, carbon markets, and potentially
even reforms in land-use planning. In order to attain goals for resource efficiency, and to
fulfill global warming commitments, Palm Desert will continually explore different ways
of doing business and the ways in which we live and use the resources available in our
community.
Seizing the Opportunity to Lead
Can Palm Desert tum State mandates into opportunity?
Given the Coachella Valley's abundance of wind, sun, and geothermal energy, Palm
Desert can first improve its own energy-use profile, then support development of
regional energy resources, potentially providing excess generation to neighboring
communities and the regional power grids. With proper legislation, and appropriate
prices, this can be done for long-term profit and sustainable development.
Sustainability can drive local economic development in Palm Desert: Youth can be
trained for green collar jobs; the community can be retrofitted to care for the Earth,
water systems, energy generation, and materials. In collaboration with academic
institutions, the City can train energy specialists. The City intends to lure white and blue
collar industries to Palm Desert to "ride the wave" of sustainability.
This kind of strategic planning is at the core of Palm Desert's vision for the community.
Finding ways to profit, to transform threat into opportunity, is a key to gamering
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community support. Palm Desert will continue its leadership pace in the Coachella
Valley and throughout California in responsible sustainability. Sustainability will become
part of the City of Palm Desert's community fabric.
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