Photo Credit: www.ovcr.ucla.edu
Energy
In 2007, former mayor of Los Angeles, Mayor Villaraigosa, pledged to seek improvement in five major areas of environmental concern to transform Los Angeles into “the greenest big city in America.” At the time, only 6% of the power utilized by the city of Los Angeles was renewable, and a goal of that percentage reaching 20% by 2010 seemed almost impossible. [1] With the research and implementation of new technologies, however, in three short years, the percentage of green energy used in the city of Los Angeles jumped 14%.
Several innovative means of creating renewable energy allowed for this dramatic increase in the use of sustainable energy in the city of Los Angeles. Because new technologies are making solar energy more affordable and less space-intensive, Southern California Edison built a massive solar farm in the Mojave Desert to generate an alternative source of renewable energy. [2] Furthermore, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power continues to research geothermal projects in the Salton Sea area in the effort to harvest the tremendous potential for renewable energy through geothermal energy, or the thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. [3] Finally, a pilot project initiated through the city of Los Angeles investigates the utilization of biosolids from local sewage treatment plants to generate clean energy. As the solid waste disposed in abandoned oil wells decomposes, methane, which can be utilized to power a fuel cell, is produced and collected. [4] This is especially exciting because fuel cells are becoming an increasingly prevalent means of producing green energy and are widely embraced as perhaps a key innovation in completely diminishing the necessity for fossil fuels in the future. Our waste byproducts, then, can be the fuel that electrifies our future.
Perhaps one of the most intuitive means of reducing our energy usage with both an immediate impact in the present and into the future is the production of green buildings and sustainable development. It has then been mandated by the city of Los Angeles that all new public buildings must meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards as according to the standards provided by the US Green Building Council to ensure a decreased demand for energy. [5] Five newly built libraries in the city of Los Angeles are LEED certified, and provide the opportunity for the community to utilize these great resources while understanding and developing an appreciation for the benefits of sustainable development. In addition to public buildings, two new hotels, the Shore Hotel and The Hotel Wilshire, are both LEED certified. [6] [7] Currently, the city has an additional 59 LEED-Registered projects, placing it fifth in the United States for the highest number of registered projects, and seven LEED certified projects have already been built for public usage. Los Angeles is also further collaborating with private developers by providing resources and incentives to build green in the area. [8]
In 2007, former mayor of Los Angeles, Mayor Villaraigosa, pledged to seek improvement in five major areas of environmental concern to transform Los Angeles into “the greenest big city in America.” At the time, only 6% of the power utilized by the city of Los Angeles was renewable, and a goal of that percentage reaching 20% by 2010 seemed almost impossible. [1] With the research and implementation of new technologies, however, in three short years, the percentage of green energy used in the city of Los Angeles jumped 14%.
Several innovative means of creating renewable energy allowed for this dramatic increase in the use of sustainable energy in the city of Los Angeles. Because new technologies are making solar energy more affordable and less space-intensive, Southern California Edison built a massive solar farm in the Mojave Desert to generate an alternative source of renewable energy. [2] Furthermore, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power continues to research geothermal projects in the Salton Sea area in the effort to harvest the tremendous potential for renewable energy through geothermal energy, or the thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. [3] Finally, a pilot project initiated through the city of Los Angeles investigates the utilization of biosolids from local sewage treatment plants to generate clean energy. As the solid waste disposed in abandoned oil wells decomposes, methane, which can be utilized to power a fuel cell, is produced and collected. [4] This is especially exciting because fuel cells are becoming an increasingly prevalent means of producing green energy and are widely embraced as perhaps a key innovation in completely diminishing the necessity for fossil fuels in the future. Our waste byproducts, then, can be the fuel that electrifies our future.
Perhaps one of the most intuitive means of reducing our energy usage with both an immediate impact in the present and into the future is the production of green buildings and sustainable development. It has then been mandated by the city of Los Angeles that all new public buildings must meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards as according to the standards provided by the US Green Building Council to ensure a decreased demand for energy. [5] Five newly built libraries in the city of Los Angeles are LEED certified, and provide the opportunity for the community to utilize these great resources while understanding and developing an appreciation for the benefits of sustainable development. In addition to public buildings, two new hotels, the Shore Hotel and The Hotel Wilshire, are both LEED certified. [6] [7] Currently, the city has an additional 59 LEED-Registered projects, placing it fifth in the United States for the highest number of registered projects, and seven LEED certified projects have already been built for public usage. Los Angeles is also further collaborating with private developers by providing resources and incentives to build green in the area. [8]
References
1. "Los Angeles meets 20 percent renewable energy goal." Bloomberg January 2011. Retrieved 2013-07-15. <http://web.archive.org/web/20110429101449/http://www.bloombe rg.com/news/2011-01-14/los-angeles-meets-20-percent-renewable-energy-goal.html>. 2. Krimmel, Micki (February 7, 2012). "Transforming Los Angeles into a Sustainable City." World Changing: Change Your Thinking. Retrieved 2013-07-15. <http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/006049.html>. 3. Ju, Siel. "Campaign to get L.A. beyond coal heats up." Southern California Public Radio blog. Retrieved 2013-07-15. <http://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2011/02/11/campaign-get-l-beyond-coal-heats/>. 4. Moghaddam, H.R. and Bruno, Mike. "Terminal Island Renewable Energy - TIRE L.A. Biosolids Slurry & Brine Injection Project." Los Angeles City Sanitation. Retrieved 2013-07-15. <http://www.lacitysan.org/biosolidsems/downloads/TIRE/TIRE_pres entation_July_2011.pdf>. |
5. "Sustainable Building Initiative: An Action Plan for Advancing Sustainable Design Practices." City of Los Angeles. Retrieved 2013-07-15. <http://eng.lacity.org/projects/sdip/docs/SustainableBuildingInitiativ eActionPlanFinal043003.pdf>. 6. "2 New LEED Certified Hotels Open Their Doors in Los Angeles." CBS Los Angeles: Latest Best of LA. Retrieved 2013-07-18. <http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/guide/two-new-leed-certified-hotels-open-their-doors-in-los-angeles/>. 7. "Sustainability & the Library." County of Los Angeles Public Library. Retrieved 2013-07-18. <http://www.colapublib.org/sustain/>. 8. "Los Angeles County LEED Certified Projects." United States Green Building Council Los Angeles Chapter. Retrieved 2013-07-18. <http://www.usgbc-la.org/resources/leed-projects>. |