Berkeley Climate Action Plan Progress 2011 Update · Berkeley Climate Action Plan Metrics 2011...

Berkeley Cl imate Act ion Plan Progress 2011 Update

For further information, contact: Timothy Burroughs City of Berkeley, Office of Energy & Sustainable Development [email protected] www.cityofberkeley.info/climateprogress

Table of Contents

Berkeley Climate Action Plan: How Are We Doing?............................................................... 4

Building Energy Use…………………………………………………………………………………... 5

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trend…………………………………………………….. 6

Residential Energy Use…………………………………………………………………... 9

Commercial Energy Use………………………………………………………………... 12

Municipal Energy Use…………………………………………………………………… 14

Solar Photo-Voltaic (PV).…………….……………………………………………….… 16

Solar Thermal…………………………………………………………………………….. 17

Smart Solar……………………………………………………………………………….. 18

Smart Lights………………………………………………………………………………. 19

Money for Energy Efficiency (ME2)………………..…………………………………. 21

California Youth Energy Services (CYES)…………………………………………... 24

Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance (RECO)…………………………….. 26

Green Building Consultations…….…………………………………………………... 27

Green Building Certifications……….……………………………………………….... 28

Green Building Case Study – 1………………………………………………………... 31

Green Building Case Study – 2……………………………………………………...… 32

Green Building Case Study – 3……………………………………………………...… 33

Sustainable Transportation & Land Use……………………………………………………….… 34

Bicycle Parking……………………………………………………............................… 35

Bicycle Plan – Bicycle Network……………………………………………..……...… 36

Bicycle Plan – Education……………………………………………………..……...… 38

Pedestrian Plan………………………………………………………………………...… 39

Car Share………………………………………………...……………………………...… 40

Farmers Market Attendance…………………….…………………………………...… 41

Table of Contents…

Waste Reduction & Recycling….……………….………….…………………….……………...… 42

Total Solid Waste Landfilled…………………...…………………….……………...… 43

Residential Waste………………………….…….…………………….……………...… 44

Commercial Waste…………………….……………………………….……………...… 46

Construction & Demolition (C&D) Waste & Salvage Diversion……………….… 48

Source Reduction…..……………….………………………………………………...… 50

Adapting to a Changing Climate…………………….…………………………………...……...… 51

Water Recycling & Graywater……..…………….…………………………..……...… 52

Tree Gain…………………….………………………………………………………….… 53

Outreach & Empowerment…………………….…………………………………......................… 54

Certified Green Businesses…………………….…………………………………...… 55

Climate Action Groups………………….….………………………………………...… 56

Eco-House Events……………………..……………………………………………...… 57

Berkeley Climate Action Plan Metrics 2011 Progress Update

Berkeley Climate Action Plan: How are we doing?

In June 2009, the Berkeley City Council continued its legacy of sustainability leadership by adopting an ambitious

Climate Action Plan. The Berkeley Climate Action Plan was developed with input from an extensive and diverse

group of community members. It is designed to guide community-wide efforts to reduce greenhouse gas

emissions 33 percent below 2000 levels by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. It is also designed to achieve other

important co-benefits, including improved public health due to less local air pollution and more active

transportation modes, improved access to green jobs due to increased demand for solar and other energy

upgrades, and cost savings for residents, businesses, and the City government due to reduced energy use.

The main purpose of this report is to demonstrate the status of progress toward the Climate Action Plan goals.

Doing so helps to keep the community informed of efforts underway to implement the plan and enables

improved, informed management of climate action projects and programs. This report is also designed to provide

resources to help local residents and businesses take action.

The report contains a compilation of over 25 progress metrics. It also includes a handful of short case studies

designed to highlight existing innovative green building practices within the community. The metrics are

organized by the five main elements of the Climate Action Plan:

Building Energy Use

Transportation & Land Use

Waste Reduction & Recycling

Community Outreach & Empowerment

Adapting to a Changing Climate

The chart shown here is a high-level snapshot of our community’s progress toward the Climate Action Plan goals

for the year 2020.

Per the chart, as of 2010, the community achieved nearly 50 percent of its year 2020 target for diverting waste

from the landfill, over 20 percent of its electricity reduction target, and approximately six percent of its natural

gas reduction target. Updated transportation data are not yet available. For more detailed information and links

to resources for taking action, please read further.

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Building Energy Use

5

City of Berkeley, Office of Energy & Sustainable Development www.cityofberkeley.info/sustainable Nov-11

Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Building Energy Use – Community-wide GHG Trend

Goal: Reduce conventional energy use and the associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Berkeley homes, businesses and institutions through high-quality energy efficiency upgrades and increased reliance on renewable energy sources such as solar.

Performance metric: Annual GHG emissions associated with energy use in buildings, excluding energy consumed in buildings on the campuses of UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Target: Achieve a 33% (2% per year) reduction below 2000 levels by 2020 in the community-wide GHG emissions associated with energy use in buildings.

Status: The GHG emissions resulting from energy consumption in Berkeley’s homes, businesses and institutions have not decreased significantly, and show less than a 1% reduction between the 2000 baseline and 2010. Although the community achieved significant reductions in consumption of residential electricity, residential natural gas, and commercial electricity, these decreases were offset by significant increases in commercial natural gas consumption and the rate of emissions per unit of electricity produced.

The largest source of building energy use-related GHG emissions is natural gas consumption. It accounts for nearly 60% of total building energy use-related GHG emissions. Seventy percent of residential emissions and half of commercial emissions are from natural gas use. The main sources of natural gas consumption are space and water heating. Electricity consumption accounts for 40% of total building energy use-related GHG emissions.

The building energy use-related GHG emissions trend is affected not only by how much energy is consumed, but also by the mix of energy sources used to produce electricity. In 2010, approximately 16% of PG&E’s electrical generation came from eligible renewable energy sources (e.g., wind, geothermal, biomass).

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Under California law (Renewable Portfolio Standard), all electricity retailers are required to increase procurement of eligible renewable energy resources to 20% of total procurement by 2013, 25% by 2016, and 33% by 2020.

PG&E’s electricity mix of 16% from eligible renewable sources in 2010 is a significant increase over the 14% in 2009 and 9% in 2003. This shift is reflected in the chart below.

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However, the trend toward more renewable energy sources has been more than offset by less generation from large hydropower plants. Large hydro plants are not defined as “eligible renewable sources,” but the power they generate consists of significantly less GHG emissions than fossil fuel sources of energy. In drought years less electricity is produced from hydroelectric sources and more is produced from natural gas, a fossil fuel-based source of energy.

Why is this metric important? GHG emissions resulting from energy consumption in Berkeley are a significant source of Berkeley’s carbon footprint. Actions to reduce energy consumption not only reduce emissions, but also have the potential to save businesses, residents, and government money, improve building comfort, and put local energy service providers to work.

Resources and assistance for community members: Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance: Adopted by the City of Berkeley in 1987, RECO requires that every home or apartment building sold or transferred in Berkeley or undergoing renovations valued at $50,000 or more must meet a basic set of energy and water efficiency requirements.

Commercial Energy Conservation Ordinance: Adopted by the City of Berkeley in 1994, CECO requires commercial property owners to complete certain energy conservation measures in their buildings upon transfer of property ownership or when additions or renovations are made.

Bay Area Green Business Program: Businesses receive advice, recognition and technical assistance at no cost from Green Business Program coordinators and their public agency/utility partners.

SmartLights: SmartLights offers businesses free, independent, start-to-finish technical assistance and instant rebates to help defray the cost of upgrading and/or repairing existing equipment.

SmartSolar: Smart Solar is a free, independent service for East Bay residents and businesses offering energy education and site-specific project advice to help advance uptake of solar installations.

Berkeley Solar Map: The Berkeley Solar Map is an interactive tool for viewing the locations of existing solar installations in Berkeley. In addition, it allows users to calculate the benefits of going solar by determining the potential size and cost for solar electric and hot water systems on any rooftop within the City of Berkeley.

Income-qualified programs: The City and its partners offer a range of services that provide free or low-cost energy-saving measures designed to improve home comfort and lower utility bills.

California Youth Energy Services: A summer program staffed by local youth, CYES provides free energy and water efficiency services to the community.

Climate Change Action Groups: Participate in a Climate Change Action Group to create a measurable personal action plan for reducing your carbon footprint. Groups are facilitated by the Ecology Center.

Energy Upgrade California: Energy Upgrade California is a statewide one-stop-shop for home improvement projects that lower your energy use, conserve water and natural resources, and make your home healthier and more comfortable.

Data sources and technical notes: Energy consumption data and sources of electricity generation data are provided by PG&E, with the exception of the electricity emission factors for years 2000-2002 which were provided by ICLEI. Year 2010 power mix data (sources of electricity generation) is preliminary and may be amended by PG&E. Building energy use data do not include energy consumed in buildings on the campuses of UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Tracking our progress: Review Climate Action Plan performance metrics at www.cityofberkeley.info/climate.

8

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=16030


http://www.greenbiz.ca.gov/greenbiz.html

http://www.ebenergy.org/smart-lights/

http://www.ebenergy.org/smartsolar

http://www.cityofberkeley.info/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=21228

http://www.risingsunenergy.org/content/greencall.html

http://www.ecologycenter.org/climatechange/

https://energyupgradeca.org/overview

http://www.cityofberkeley.info/climate

City of Berkeley, Office of Energy & Sustainable Development www.cityofberkeley.info/sustainable Jun-11

Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Building Energy Use – Residential

Goal: Enhance energy services & standards and encourage energy upgrades for existing residential properties

Performance metrics: Annual residential electricity and natural gas consumption and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

Target: Achieve a 33% (2% per year) reduction below 2000 levels in residential energy use and associated GHG emissions by 2020.

Status: While the number of households in Berkeley increased 2% (1,074 households) between 2000 and 2010, total residential sector energy consumption (electricity and natural gas combined) decreased 10% in that same time period - a reduction of approximately 89,285 MWh. As of 2010, the community is at approximately 23% of its 2020 target for reducing residential energy consumption.

Average energy consumption per household in 2010 was approximately 17,000 KWh (electricity and natural gas combined), which represents a 12% decrease from average household consumption in 2000.

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Natural gas accounts for nearly 80% of total residential energy consumption. The main sources of residential natural gas consumption are water heating and space heating. Residential natural gas consumption decreased 11% between 2000 and 2010. Residential electricity consumption decreased 7% in that same time period.

GHG emissions resulting from residential energy consumption decreased 8% between 2000 and 2010. A reduction of over 200,000 MWh (electricity and natural gas) is required to achieve the community’s 2020 target for residential GHG emissions.

The GHG emissions trend is affected not only by how much energy is consumed, but also by the mix of energy sources used to produce electricity. In 2010, approximately 16% of PG&E’s electrical generation came from eligible renewable energy sources (e.g., wind, geothermal, biomass). Under California law (Renewable Portfolio Standard), all electricity retailers are required to increase procurement from eligible renewable energy resources to 20% of total procurement by 2013, 25% by 2016, and 33% by 2020.

Residential energy consumption accounts for approximately 45% of the GHG emissions associated with energy consumption in buildings in Berkeley. Why is this metric important? According to the City of Berkeley’s 2005 inventory of community-wide GHG emissions, residential energy consumption accounts for about a quarter of community-wide emissions. It is a significant source of Berkeley’s carbon footprint. Actions to reduce residential energy consumption not only reduce emissions, but also have the potential to save residents money, improve home comfort, and put local energy service providers to work.

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Resources and assistance for community members: Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance: Adopted by the City of Berkeley in 1987, RECO requires that every home or apartment building sold or transferred in Berkeley or undergoing renovations valued at $50,000 or more must meet a basic set of energy and water efficiency requirements.

Income-qualified programs: The City and its partners offer a range of services that provide free or low-cost energy-saving measures designed to improve home comfort and lower utility bills.



California Youth Energy Services: A summer program staffed by local youth, CYES provides free energy and water efficiency services to the community.

Climate Change Action Groups: Participate in a Climate Change Action Group to create a measurable personal action plan for reducing your carbon footprint. Groups are facilitated by the Ecology Center.

Energy Upgrade California: Energy Upgrade California is a statewide one-stop-shop for home improvement projects that lower your energy use, conserve water and natural resources, and make your home healthier and more comfortable.

Data sources and technical notes: Electricity and natural gas data and coefficients for converting energy consumption into GHG emissions are provided by PG&E. Household estimates are provided by the U.S. Census Bureau for the years 2000 and 2010. Household estimates for 2001-2009 are a straight-line estimate based on 2000 and 2010 Census numbers. Annual energy consumption per household is computed as the ratio of total annual energy consumption to the number of Berkeley households.


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www.CityofBerkeley.info/solarmap

http://www.risingsunenergy.org/content/greencall.html

http://www.ecologycenter.org/climatechange/




Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Building Energy Use – Commercial

Goal: Enhance energy services & standards and encourage energy upgrades for existing commercial properties

Performance metrics: Annual commercial electricity and natural gas consumption and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

Target: Achieve a 33% (2% per year) reduction below 2000 levels in commercial energy use and associated GHG emissions by 2020. Consistent with Berkeley’s Climate Action Plan, this target must be achieved through efficiencies and renewable energy sources that contribute to the health and vitality of the local business community.

Status: Commercial energy consumption (electricity and natural gas combined) increased 2% between 2000 and 2010.

Natural gas accounts for 58% of total commercial energy consumption. The main sources of commercial natural gas consumption are water heating and space heating. Commercial natural gas consumption increased 10% between 2000 and 2010. Commercial electricity consumption decreased 7% in that same time period.

The GHG emissions resulting from commercial energy consumption increased 5% between 2000 and 2010. A reduction of 306,164 MWh (electricity and natural gas) is required to achieve the community’s 2020 target for commercial GHG emissions.

The GHG emissions trend is affected not only by how much energy is consumed, but also by the mix of energy sources used to produce electricity. In 2010 approximately 16% of PG&E’s electrical generation came from eligible renewable energy sources (e.g., wind, geothermal, biomass). Under California law (Renewable Portfolio Standard), all electricity retailers are required to increase procurement from eligible renewable energy resources to 20% of total procurement by 2013, 25% by 2016, and 33% by 2020.

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Commercial energy consumption accounts for approximately 53% of the GHG emissions associated with energy consumption in buildings in Berkeley.

Why is this metric important? GHG emissions resulting from energy consumption in Berkeley’s commercial sector are a significant source of Berkeley’s carbon footprint. Actions to reduce commercial energy consumption not only reduce emissions, but also have the potential to save businesses money, improve building comfort, and put local energy service providers to work.

Resources and assistance for businesses: Commercial Energy Conservation Ordinance: Adopted by the City of Berkeley in 1994, CECO requires commercial property owners to complete certain energy conservation measures in their buildings upon transfer of property ownership or when additions or renovations are made.

SmartLights: SmartLights offers businesses free, independent, start-to-finish technical assistance and instant rebates to help defray the cost of upgrading and/or repairing existing equipment.

Bay Area Green Business Program: Businesses receive advice, recognition and technical assistance at no cost from Green Business Program coordinators and their public agency/utility partners.



Data sources and technical notes: Electricity and natural gas data and coefficients for converting energy consumption into GHG emissions are provided by PG&E. Building energy use data do not include energy consumed in buildings on the campuses of UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.


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13


http://www.ebenergy.org/smart-lights/




City of Berkeley, Office of Energy & Sustainable Development www.cityofberkeley.info/sustainable Sep-11

Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Building Energy Use - Municipal

Goal: Increase energy efficiency and renewable energy use in public buildings Performance metrics: Annual municipal energy (electricity and natural gas) consumption

Target: Achieve a 33% (2% per year) reduction below 2000 levels in municipal energy use and associated GHG emissions by 2020.

Status: As a result of ongoing energy upgrades to municipal facilities, existing City government facilities have become more efficient since 2000 -- energy consumption (electricity and natural gas) decreased from 22 KWh per square foot in 2000 to 19 KWh per square foot in 2009, representing an 18% decrease in consumption per square foot.i

However, total energy consumption in municipal buildings increased 5% between

2000 and 2009 due to a 23% net increase in square footage. As a result, current total municipal building energy consumption levels are not in line with targeted reductions.

A 36% reduction from current annual energy consumption levels is required over the next decade in order to achieve the 2020 target of 14,555 MWh.

Energy consumption in municipal buildings, streetlights and other facilities resulted in approximately 5,193 metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG)

emissions in 2010. As is illustrated in the graph below (next page), due to an increase in overall municipal energy consumption and an increase in the carbon intensity of electrical energy, the associated GHG emissions are not in line with targeted reductions. Annual GHG emissions associated with municipal energy consumption exceed the 2000 baseline by approximately 9% and exceed 2010 target levels by approximately 30%.

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The City has several efforts underway to achieve deep and sustained reductions in municipal energy use. For example, all red and green traffic signals and orange pedestrian signal lights function with energy efficient LED (light-emitting diode) lighting. LED street signal lighting saves the City over $200,000 per year on its utility bills. The City is also conducting ongoing energy upgrades to municipally-owned buildings, including lighting upgrades and improvements to heating, ventilation, and cooling systems. These upgrades result in annual utility bill savings of approximately $370,000. As well as increasing energy efficiency, the City uses solar installations to offset energy consumption, including solar photovoltaic systems at the City’s Corporation Yard on Allston St. and on the Shorebird Park Nature Center at the marina. The City also installed a solar hot water system to offset natural gas consumption at the West Campus Swimming Pool for the showers, and the Shorebird Park Nature Center, where it provides space heating as well as hot water.

Why is this metric important? This indicator illustrates the annual trend of electricity and natural gas consumption in City government buildings. This trend is particularly important to track because the City is committed to playing a leadership role in the effort to achieve Berkeley’s GHG reduction targets. Current trends indicate that more aggressive energy upgrades will be required in order for the City to meet its commitment to reduce overall energy consumption in municipal building by 33% below 2000 levels by 2020.

Resources and assistance for community members: Visit the Office of Energy & Sustainable Development website to learn more about City government efforts to reduce the GHG emissions that result from energy use in City-owned buildings.

Data sources and technical notes: Annual energy use data and emissions factors to translate energy consumed to GHGs are provided by PG&E. Square footage information is obtained from City records. The baseline (year 2000) for the data for this indicator is an average 1998 – 2001 consumption levels. Facilities include streetlights, traffic signals, buildings, pools, etc. Facilities no longer operated by the City have been removed from the baseline.


i Energy use from irrigation pumps, marina lighting, streetlights and traffic signals is included but there is no square footage associated with these major uses.

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Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Building Energy Use – Solar PV

Goal: Increase residential and commercial renewable energy use

Performance metric: Annual solar photovoltaic (PV) installations

Target: Achieve a cumulative total of 3,200 solar PV systems installed between 2000 and 2020 at an average system size of 3.75 kW.

This target translates to an estimated 19 Gigawatt Hours (GWh) of clean solar electricity produced in Berkeley annually by 2020. The cumulative annual energy bill savings would be an estimated $2.5 million (at current electricity prices) by 2020. Annual greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions due to solar PV would be an estimated 9,700 tons.

Status: The number of solar PV installations increased from two known installations in 2000 to over 790 as of June 2011. The City is currently at 25% of its 2020 target of 3,200 installations.

Annual utility bill savings from PV installations to date is $662,532. These installations have a cumulative capacity of 3,100 kW and produce 5.1 million kWh electricity per year, offsetting over 2,548 metric tons of GHG emissions annually.

On a per capita basis, Berkeley has the highest number of solar PV installations of any large city in northern California.

Why is this metric important? Because increased renewable energy use is an important component of achieving our climate action goals, it is important to monitor solar PV installations over time. Monitoring and reporting on this metric helps the community to gauge the efficacy of services designed to increase solar PV uptake. The City also tracks metrics such as cumulative GHG reductions from solar PV, cumulative utility bill savings from solar PV and annual kW of solar PV installed.

Resources and assistance for community members SmartSolar (www.ebenergy.org/smartsolar) Provides free, independent energy education and site-specific project advice to help Berkeley residents and businesses go solar.

Berkeley Solar Map (www.CityofBerkeley.info/solarmap) An interactive tool for viewing locations of existing solar installations in Berkeley. It also allows one to calculate the benefits of going solar by determining the potential size and cost for solar PV or solar thermal on any rooftop within the City of Berkeley.

Data sources and technical notes Solar installation data is provided by PG&E.

Tracking our progress: Review Climate Action Plan performance metrics at www.cityofberkeley.info/climate

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http://www.cityofberkeley.info/solarmap



Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Building Energy Use – Solar Thermal

Goal: Increase residential and commercial renewable energy use

Performance metric: Annual solar thermal installations

Target: Achieve a cumulative total of 2,210 solar thermal systems installed between 2000 and 2020.

This translates to an estimated annual reduction of 367,000 therms, annual energy bill savings of $376,000 and estimated annual GHG reductions of 1,440 metric tons.

Status: The number of solar thermal installations increased from zero known installations in 2000 to 78 in 2010. This is below the desired 2010 target of 111 installations. The City is currently at 3.5% of its 2020 target of 2,210 installations.

Why is this metric important? Tracking solar thermal installation trends illustrates the annual amount of energy saved (therms) due to total units installed in Berkeley. It is an important metric because natural gas is a fossil fuel that emits greenhouse gases when burned. Solar thermal installations offset natural gas consumption in homes and businesses. Emissions that result from natural gas consumption in Berkeley buildings are more than double the emissions that result from electricity consumption. A solar thermal installation can eliminate or greatly reduce the natural gas consumed to heat water and building space.

Resources and assistance for community members SmartSolar (www.ebenergy.org/smartsolar) Provides free, independent energy education and site-specific project advice to help Berkeley residents and businesses go solar.

Berkeley Solar Map (www.CityofBerkeley.info/solarmap) An interactive tool for viewing locations of existing solar installations in Berkeley. It also allows one to calculate the benefits of going solar by determining the potential size and cost for solar PV or solar thermal on any rooftop within the City of Berkeley.

Data sources and technical notes Solar thermal data is based on number of permits issued for solar thermal installations in the City of Berkeley.

Tracking our progress: Review other Climate Action Plan performance metrics at www.cityofberkeley.info/climate

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Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Building Energy Use – SmartSolar Program

Goal: Enhance energy services & standards and encourage energy upgrades for existing residential and commercial properties

Performance metric: Annual number of East Bay and Berkeley clients served by the SmartSolar program

Target: The SmartSolar program’s target is to conduct consultations for East Bay residential and commercial properties that result in installation of 19 residential and 9 commercial solar projects (either solar PV or solar thermal), displacing a total of 337,725 KWh by December 2012.

Status: As of fall 2011 (half-way through its 2010-2012 program cycle), Smart Solar has achieved 35% of its KWh displacement target. SmartSolar consultations have also resulted in 17 (of the targeted 19) residential solar installations. Program consultations have not yet resulted in commercial solar installations during this program cycle.

A SmartSolar consultation provides analysis of a given building’s energy efficiency and solar potential as well as independent advice on how to take action. To date, these consultations have resulted in 17 solar PV systems and 2 solar thermal system installations in residences in the East Bay with a total capacity of 108,450 KWh & 333 therms respectively. Of these installations, 12 solar PV systems and 2 solar thermal systems were installed in the City of Berkeley with a total capacity of 75,525 KWh & 333 therms respectively.

Number of SmartSolar Customer Consultations between April 2009 and June 2011

East Bay City of Berkeley

Residential Commercial Residential Commercial

136 Solar PV 43 Solar PV 107 Solar PV 28 Solar PV

130 Solar Thermal 34 Solar Thermal 105 Solar Thermal 20 Solar Thermal

Why is this metric important? The SmartSolar program is a critical component of Berkeley’s efforts to engage businesses and residents in increasing energy efficiency and installing solar. Launched in 2009, the purpose of the program is to make it as easy and inexpensive as possible to increase energy efficiency and utilize solar PV and/or solar thermal. Through the program, the Community Energy Services Corporation (CESC) offers free, personalized consultations to Berkeley businesses and residents. The consultations provide guidance and resources to help clients navigate the multitude of technology and incentive options available.

Resources and assistance for community members SmartSolar (www.ebenergy.org/smartsolar/) provides free, independent energy education and site-specific project advice to help Berkeley residents and businesses go solar.

SmartLights (www.ebenergy.org/smart-lights) offers businesses free, independent, start-to-finish technical assistance and instant rebates to help defray the cost of upgrading and/or repairing existing equipment.

Berkeley Solar Map (www.CityofBerkeley.info/solarmap) is an interactive tool for viewing locations of existing solar installations in Berkeley. It also allows one to calculate the benefits of going solar by determining the potential size and cost for solar PV or solar thermal on any rooftop within the City of Berkeley.

Data sources and technical notes: Data provided by Community Energy Services Corporation.


18

http://www.ebenergy.org/smartsolar/

http://www.ebenergy.org/smart-lights



City of Berkeley, Office of Energy & Sustainable Development www.cityofberkeley.info/sustainable Aug-11

Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Building Energy Use – Smart Lights Program

Goal: Enhance energy services & standards and encourage energy upgrades for existing commercial properties

Performance metric: Annual KWh saved across all Smart Lights Program projects

Target: The Smart Lights program, offered by Community Energy Services Corporation, aims to help businesses save 30,000,000 KWh in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties during 2010-2012. Smart Lights outcomes contribute to efforts to achieve Berkeley’s target of reducing community-wide building energy use-related greenhouse gas emissions 33% (2% per year) below 2000 levels by 2020.

Status: As of summer 2011, Smart Lights is significantly ahead of schedule for the 2010-2012 program cycle. The program has achieved 72% of its 3-year electricity use reduction target for Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.

In Berkeley alone, Smart Lights provided high quality energy-efficient lighting and refrigeration improvements to 25% of the approximately 3,500 Berkeley businesses between 2002 and summer 2011. As of August 2011, annual savings on energy bills across all Berkeley businesses served by Smart Lights exceeds $1 million. The corresponding energy saved annually across all Berkeley projects is 6.4 million KWh.

This translates to an annual reduction of approximately 1,850 metric tons of GHG emissions, the equivalent of taking 329 passenger vehicles off the road. In 2010, Smart Lights served 85 Berkeley businesses, resulting in 884,280 KWh of energy saved.

The average utility bill savings per business served by Smart Lights nearly doubled from approximately $900 in 2002 to $1,800 in 2011.

0

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Smart Lights - Annual Energy Savings Across Berkeley Projects

19


Why is this metric important? The Smart Lights program is a critical component of Berkeley’s efforts to help small businesses save energy. Smart Lights targets businesses that use less than 100 KW. Administered by the Community Energy Services Corporation, Smart Lights offers free start-to-finish technical assistance and instant rebates to reduce the cost of upgrades such as comprehensive lighting retrofits; refrigeration tune-ups, controls, and seals replacement; and referrals to appropriate HVAC programs. Since lighting typically constitutes 40% to 80% of small business’ energy bills, efficient lighting is a reliable way save energy while reducing costs.

Resources and assistance for community members Smart Lights (www.ebenergy.org/smart-lights) offers businesses free, independent, start-to-finish technical assistance and instant rebates to help defray the cost of upgrading and/or repairing existing equipment. SmartSolar (www.ebenergy.org/smartsolar/) provides free, independent energy education and site-specific project advice to help Berkeley residents and businesses go solar.

Berkeley Solar Map (www.CityofBerkeley.info/solarmap) is an interactive tool for viewing locations of existing solar installations in Berkeley. It also allows one to calculate the benefits of going solar by determining the potential size and cost for solar PV or solar thermal on any rooftop within the City of Berkeley.

Data sources and technical notes: Data provided by Community Energy Services Corporation. *2011 figures are as of August 2011.


-

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Smart Lights - Annual Utility Bill Savings & Businesses Served Across Berkeley Projects

Annual Bill Savings

Number of Businesses Served

20

http://www.ebenergy.org/smart-lights

http://www.ebenergy.org/smartsolar/



City of Berkeley, Office of Energy & Sustainable Development www.cityofberkeley.info/sustainable Dec-11

Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Building Energy Use – Money for Energy Efficiency (ME2) Program

Goal: Enhance energy services & standards and reduce costs of energy upgrades for existing residential and commercial properties

Performance metric: Jobs created and energy and cost savings achieved by the Berkeley Money for Energy Efficiency (ME2) Program

Target: ME2 is a limited-time-only program that provides cash incentives for energy efficiency upgrades in Berkeley homes and businesses. The program targets are to provide rebates for performance-based energy efficiency upgrades in 120 single-family homes, 270 multifamily units, and 180,000 square feet of non-residential/mixed use buildings by September 2012. In addition, the program targets include providing subsidized energy upgrades to 90 single-family and duplex homes through the Green Energy Training Services (GETS) workforce development program.

A “performance-based energy efficiency upgrade” is an energy efficiency improvement or combination of improvements that is identified through an assessment, or energy audit, of a building. The energy assessment identifies opportunities for increased energy efficiency and the energy-saving potential of the identified opportunities, such as draft sealing; attic insulation; duct sealing; lighting upgrades; replacement of furnaces, water heaters, windows; and more.

These energy upgrades create jobs for energy service providers, keep dollars in the local economy, improve indoor air quality and building occupant comfort, and reduce energy bills. The ME2 program is expected to result in estimated annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions of over 650 metric tons. ME2 outcomes contribute to efforts to achieve Berkeley’s target of reducing community-wide GHG emissions 33% (2% per year) below 2000 levels by 2020.

Background: Starting in July 2010, ME2 began offering cash incentives to individuals in Berkeley interested in increasing the comfort, air quality, and energy efficiency of their home or business. The ME2 program is funded by $1,013,500 in federal stimulus money awarded to Berkeley from the U.S. Department of Energy. It is a limited-time program that concludes in September 2012. As of January 2012, there are still funds available through the GETS program.

ME2 incentives can be used for comprehensive energy assessments and the resulting upgrades. It was developed as a pilot program to bring the latest in building science research to policy design and implementation. It is based on a whole building approach that utilizes a comprehensive energy assessment to identify and prioritize opportunities for energy savings.

Status: ME2 program rebate amounts for energy assessments are $200 for single-family homes and up to $2,500 per building for multifamily or non-residential buildings. To date, the ME2 program awarded rebates for 102 single family/duplex and 18 multifamily/non-residential building energy assessments.

Energy upgrades identified by the energy assessments must meet minimum requirements to qualify for rebates from the ME2 program. For example, single-family homes must demonstrate a minimum of 15% modeled energy improvement in order to qualify for a rebate. ME2 rebate amounts for energy upgrades increase with greater modeled energy savings, up to a maximum of $5,000 for single family homes and $30,000 for

$441,211

$175,983

$709,012

ME2 Program Leveraged for Energy Improvements

ME2 Program

Energy Upgrade California

Client spending

21

http://www.cityofberkeley.info/me2/

http://www.risingsunenergy.org/content/getsenergyservices.html




multifamily and non-residential buildings.

In addition to ME2 funds, other incentives for home energy efficiency upgrades are available through a state-level program called Energy Upgrade California. Per the chart above, Berkeley residents are leveraging both ME2 and Energy Upgrade California funds to help lower the cost of energy upgrades by nearly half.

Per the table below, to date ME2 provided incentives for a total of 64 completed energy efficiency upgrade projects. This represents approximately one-third of the program’s goal to be achieved by September 2012.

Incentive Program Total

Applicants

Projects Completed

to Date (homes)

Goal (homes)

Incentives to Date

Total Value of Projects

to Date

Average Net Homeowner

Cost

Single Family Rebate 509 37 120 $230,413 $474,839 $6,606

Subsidized Upgrades through GETS 64 27 90 $106,996 $151,359 $1,643 In addition, ME2 funds are reserved for energy upgrades in 96 apartments and 140,271 square feet of non-residential building space.

Incentive Program Total

Applicants

Committed/ Completed

Projects to Date Project Impact

to Date Goal Incentives to

Date

Total Value of Projects

to Date

Multifamily Rebate 60 7 96 units 270 units $158,593 $316,519

Non-Residential/ Mixed Use Rebate 28 5 140,271 sq ft 180,000 sq ft $121,192 $383,489 On average, the single-family and duplex homes that have completed energy upgrades through the ME2 program are modeled to achieve over a one-third reduction in energy use per home. To date, total modeled energy savings for the 64 participating homes is over 36,000 KWh of electricity and over 21,000 therms of natural gas annually. On-going and completed energy upgrades conducted through the ME2 Multifamily and Non-Residential/Mixed Use program are modeled to add nearly an additional 114,000 KWh in electricity savings and almost 37,400 therms in natural gas savings. The City of Berkeley is conducting an evaluation of the ME2 program to compare modeled predicted energy savings against actual energy savings to determine the accuracy of the energy models.

Combined, the modeled energy savings from ME2 projects completed or committed reduce GHG emissions by 350 metric tons annually, the equivalent of taking 68 passenger cars off the road. As of September 2011, the ME2 and GETS Single Family programs created almost 9,400 hours of work for local energy service providers.

Incentive Program

Average modeled

energy savings per home

Modeled electricity

savings (kWh/year)

Modeled natural gas

savings (therms/year))

Modeled utility bill

savings

Modeled GHG

reductions (metric tons

CO2e)

Actual energy savings

Single Family Rebate 34% 22,527 13,747 $18,463 78.67 TBD

Subsidized Upgrades through GETS 37% 13,775 7,608 $10,388 43.87 TBD

Multifamily Rebate

3,218 11,644 $13,576 62.62 TBD

Non-Residential/ Mixed Use Rebate

110,709 25,714 $43,449 164.55 TBD

22



Why is this metric important? According to the City of Berkeley’s 2005 inventory of community-wide GHG emissions, electricity and natural gas consumption in our homes, businesses, and institutions results in over half of community-wide emissions. At approximately 310,000 metric tons of GHG emissions per year, it is a significant source of Berkeley’s carbon footprint. Actions to reduce residential and commercial energy consumption not only reduce emissions, but also have the potential to save residents and owners money, improve building comfort and air quality, and put local energy service providers to work.

Resources and assistance for community members Energy Upgrade California (www.energyupgradeca.org) is a one-stop-shop for California residents looking to make home improvement projects that lower energy use and conserve water. Current rebate and incentive program information is tailored by county.

Rising Sun Energy Center (www.risingsunenergy.org) offers a variety of green training programs for youth and adults, including administering GETS Energy Services.

Data sources and technical notes: Data compiled by the City of Berkeley based on audit and building information provided by ME2 participants and their contractors.


23

http://www.energyupgradeca.org/

http://www.risingsunenergy.org/


City of Berkeley, Office of Energy & Sustainable Development www.cityofberkeley.info/sustainable Jan-12

Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Building Energy Use – California Youth Energy Services

Goal: Enhance energy services & standards and reduce costs of energy upgrades for existing residential properties

Performance metric: Annual energy saved by the California Youth Energy Services program

Target: The California Youth Energy Services (CYES) program, offered by the Berkeley non-profit Rising Sun Energy Center, works to build green jobs for youth and promote energy efficiency in the residential sector. CYES outcomes contribute to efforts to achieve Berkeley’s target of reducing community-wide building energy use-related greenhouse gas emissions 33% (2% per year) below 2000 levels by 2020.

Status: CYES hires and trains youth (ages 15 to 22) to provide free energy and water efficiency services to households across the Bay Area. The youth conduct “green house calls” at which they do a basic energy and water efficiency assessment; install free energy and water-saving devices such as CFLs, clotheslines, and faucet aerators; and provide personalized recommendations for deeper energy and water savings.

In Berkeley alone, CYES trained 214 youth who conducted 3,777 green house calls between 2000 and 2011. The estimated annual savings on energy bills across all Berkeley households served by CYES exceeded $170,000. The corresponding annual energy savings by these households is nearly 2.2 million kWh (including electricity and natural gas savings). The impact of these energy savings translates to an annual reduction of approximately 475 metric tons of GHG emissions, the equivalent of taking about 93 passenger vehicles off the road.

CYES trained 29 youth and served 233 Berkeley houses and apartments in 2011, resulting in 92,109 kWh of electricity and 1,957 therms of natural gas saved. CYES typically operates as a summer program, but in the fall of 2011 Rising Sun Energy Center also ran an East Bay Green Job Corp Program for transitional age youth (ages 18 to 24), which helped increase the total number of green house calls in Berkeley that year.

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CYES - Annual Energy Savings from Berkeley Projects to Date




Why is this metric important? CYES provides free energy and water efficiency services to the community, with a focus on hard-to-reach households. It can be utilized by renters (without need for landlord notification) and owners. The program, paid for by a surcharge on utility bills with additional funding from the local water district (EBMUD) and city governments, provides education and technical assistance to residents that may ultimately result in further and more long-term energy savings than just the free equipment installed during the green house calls. Rising Sun Energy Center also provides green jobs training to youth and adults who face barriers to employment. These training and employment programs prepare participants for careers in the energy efficiency sector.

Resources and assistance for community members Rising Sun Energy Center (www.risingsunenergy.org) offers green training programs for youth and adults, including the California Youth Energy Services program that provides green house calls with free energy and water-saving equipment and technical assistance for residents of Alameda, Contra Costa, and Marin Counties.

Energy Upgrade California (www.energyupgradeca.org) is a one-stop-shop for California residents looking to make home improvement projects that lower energy use and conserve water. Rebate and incentive information is tailored by county.

Data sources and technical notes: Raw data on numbers of Berkeley youth served, homes serviced, electricity and natural gas saved, and the estimated utility bill savings due to the CYES program were provided by Rising Sun Energy Center. The utility bill savings assumed an average rate of $0.12 per kWh and $1 per therm. Conversion to a unified energy savings (in kWh) was done by the City of Berkeley, Office of Energy and Sustainable Development. Calculations of GHG emissions reduced were also made by this Office, using electricity and natural gas emissions factors provided by PG&E.


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CYES - Number of Berkeley Households Served and their Estimated Utility Bill Savings by Year

Utility Bill Savings Homes


http://www.energyupgradeca.org/



Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Building Energy Use – RECO Update

The Berkeley Climate Action Plan recommended the following short-term action: Develop a local energy standard for existing residential buildings that is designed to faciliate deep, cost-effective reductions in energy use. Enhancing the City of Berkeley’s existing Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance (RECO) is a component of this effort.

Status: The process to enhance RECO is currently underway.

About: Adopted in 1987 and revised in 1992, Berkeley’s RECO requires installation of a prescriptive set of 10 basic energy and water saving measures at the time of a home’s sale or major renovation. Required measures include attic, pipe and duct insulation; weather stripping; water-efficient shower heads; faucet aerators; and fire place enclosures. RECO applies to all residential buildings, including single and multifamily properties and residential areas of mixed-use buildings.

RECO compliance saves money on energy bills, improves home comfort, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. RECO contributes to Berkeley’s Climate Action Plan goals of reducing community-wide greenhouse gas emissions 33 percent below 2000 levels by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.

The City of Berkeley is currently considering amendments to the existing RECO. Amendments being considered would evolve RECO from its current prescriptive approach to a “performance-based” approach designed to assess energy efficiency, to identify customized, cost-effective improvements for each home. Any RECO amendments will undergo public review.

Results: The average energy savings associated with RECO measures ranges from an estimated 10-20 percent per household. Although energy savings associated with RECO are not currently measured or verified, RECO is an important component of the City’s multi-faceted energy efficiency policy. RECO contributes to significant reductions in residential energy use. Between 2000 and 2010, residential electricity use decreased 7% and residential natural gas use decreased 11%.

Since RECO adoption, an estimated 10,000 residential units have been affected by the ordinance. In 2010 a total of 642 homes installed energy and water savings measures as part of the RECO compliance process. For 400 of these homes, RECO compliance was triggered because of a major renovation. For the remaining properties, RECO compliance was triggered at time of sale.

Resources and assistance for community members Community Energy Services Corporation (CESC) - is a community based non-profit organization that provides RECO audits for City of Berkeley properties at time of sale. Additional information about RECO can be found at the City of Berkeley website.

Data sources and technical notes: Data provided by CESC & City of Berkeley.


A home energy specialist from Rising Sun Energy Center sprays in attic insulation for RECO compliance

26



http://www.ebenergy.org/




Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Building Energy Use – Green Building Consultations

The Berkeley Climate Action Plan recommended the following short-term action: Dedicate a Senior Green Building Inspector to make it easier to use green building technologies under the building code and provide upfront coordination and assistance for builders committed to achieving a high level of green building.

Status: Launched

About: The City of Berkeley offers free green building consultations to help property owners make their buildings healthier, safer, and more comfortable and energy efficient.

Prior to December 2011 every building project in Berkeley that needed a use permit or administrative use permit (AUP) was also required to participate in a green building consultation prior to submitting their permit application. These consultations are now voluntary and remain free of charge for all permit applicants.

Green building consultations take 30 minutes to an hour and include discussions about energy performance, indoor air quality, and other issues. The consultations can also cover any questions related to the Green Building Checklists and Energy Efficiency Analysis required for some (large non-residential and new dwelling unit) projects. In addition, projects may receive on-going, complimentary help to implement green measures.

Results: Berkeley’s Senior Green Building Inspector conducted over 350 green building consultations and completed green building checklists for all large commercial and new dwelling unit projects between 2009 and June 2011. Builders report integrating green measures into Berkeley projects as a result of the consultation, including solar thermal; advanced framing techniques; optimizing thermal barriers with air sealing and properly installed insulation above Code minimums; and improved crawlspaces with vapor barriers and under-floor insulation.

Why is this metric important? Buildings are a significant contributor to our community-wide GHG emissions; according to the City of Berkeley’s 2005 inventory of community-wide GHG emissions, electricity and natural gas consumption in our homes, businesses, and institutions resulted in over half of community-wide emissions. Taking action to lower the energy use and other environmental impacts of buildings lowers GHG emissions. In addition, green buildings conserve resources, save money on energy and water bills, provide a more comfortable and healthy environment for occupants, and add value in the marketplace. Tracking our progress: Review Climate Action Plan performance metrics at www.cityofberkeley.info/climate



http://www.cityofberkeley.info/contentdisplay.aspx?id=820



http://www.builditgreen.org/guidelines--checklists/

http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19

http://www.stopwaste.org/home/index.asp?page=931

http://www.stopwaste.org/home/index.asp?page=931



Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Building Energy Use – Green Building and Energy Performance Certification

Goal: Make green building business as usual in the new construction and remodel market

Performance metric: Increased adoption of green building and energy performance standards, such as ENERGY STAR, GreenPoint Rated, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), and Enterprise Green Communities.

Target: Increase the number of buildings in Berkeley that are built, renovated, or operated to attain national or regional green building or energy performance standards. These voluntary certification programs demonstrate committed action toward building high-quality, durable, resource-efficient, transit-oriented buildings.

Green building certification programs provide a set of principles and criteria designed to guide, promote, and recognize green construction and operation. The principles of green building include community design, energy efficiency, water efficiency, resource conservation, and indoor environmental quality. Specific criteria associated with these principles must be met for a building to be certified as “green.”

Energy performance standards, such as ENERGY STAR Certified Buildings, benchmark actual energy consumption in comparison to other similar buildings and award buildings with strong energy performance.

Status: The City of Berkeley’s Best Builders Program promotes green building practices through voluntary green building consultations as well as green building checklists and energy efficiency analysis for qualifying projects. In order to help remove potential barriers to green building practices, the City has worked to align applicable zoning and permitting requirements and has created a variety of green building permit guides on issues such as rainwater harvesting, solar, and green roofs. The City encourages green building certification and has policy requiring LEED certification, at the Silver level or above, for City-sponsored construction projects of 5,000 square feet or more.

LEED is just one of the green certifications that buildings within Berkeley have been awarded. As of the end of 2011, 14 buildings in Berkeley are LEED certified, 6 are GreenPoint Rated, 2 projects were built as Enterprise Green Communities Developments, and 14 have been recognized as ENERGY STAR Certified. Within the last two years the number of LEED buildings nearly tripled (from 5 buildings in 2009 to 14 in 2011).

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is currently the most widely recognized green building rating and certification system in the United States. In order to achieve LEED certification, buildings must meet prerequisites and optional credits over several environmental categories. LEED offers building certifications at four progressively distinguished levels (Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum) for many types of buildings including commercial, institutional, schools, retail, healthcare, homes, and multi-building neighborhood developments.

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LEED Platinum

LEED Gold

LEED Silver

LEED Certified

28



http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil/2003citycouncil/packet/111803/2003-11-18%20Item%2004.pdf




The 14 LEED certified buildings in Berkeley include 2 buildings that achieved the top-tier LEED Platinum designation (The David Brower Center and the YMCA-PG&E Teen Center). An additional 27 Berkeley buildings are currently registered with LEED to pursue certification.

GreenPoint Rated, administered by the Oakland-based nonprofit Build It Green, is a California green certification system for new and existing housing. GreenPoint Rated homes must achieve points across five environmental catagories (energy efficiency, resource conservation, indoor air quality, water

conservation, and community) during building or remodeling to be awarded the GreenPoint Rated designation.

As of November 2011, three single family homes and three multifamily housing projects in Berkeley earned the GreenPoint Rated label following their new construction. Two existing homes and one new multifamily project are currently in process to become GreenPoint Rated.

Enterprise Community Partners, a national nonprofit dedicated to affordable housing and sustainable communities, has recently developed a green building standard. Enterprise Green Communities Criteria is a framework, aligned with LEED, that offers green certification for affordable single family and low-, mid- and high-rise multifamily housing at the time of new construction, moderate rehab, and substantial/gut rehab. Two multifamily Berkeley projects, Ashby Lofts and Oxford Plaza, received grants from Enterprise to be built as Green Communities Developments (prior to the development of the Enterprise Green Communities Criteria).

Case studies are available for the following green certified buildings in Berkeley: Berkeley City College Oxford Plaza Seventh Haven Homes

In addition to the above green building certification programs, several Berkeley buildings have been recognized as ENERGY STAR Certified buildings. This ENERGY STAR program, primarily for the commercial building sector, allows building owners to track the energy consumption of their buildings through ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager and offers ENERGY STAR certifications (or labels) to buildings that perform in the top 25% as compared to other buildings of the same type (i.e. office space, hotel, etc.) nationwide. Fourteen buildings in Berkeley have met the performance requirements and have taken steps become ENERGY STAR Certified Buildings for at least one year.

Why is this metric important? Buildings are a significant contributor to our community-wide GHG emissions; according to the City of Berkeley’s 2005 inventory of community-wide GHG emissions, electricity and natural gas consumption in our homes, businesses, and institutions resulted in over half of community-wide emissions. Taking action to lower the energy use and other environmental impacts of buildings, such as those required to meet green building and energy performance standards, lower GHG emissions. In addition, green buildings conserve resources, save money on energy and water bills, provide a more comfortable and healthy environment for occupants, and add value in the marketplace.

LEED Certified Buildings Berkeley City College – LEED Silver Berkeley Hills Fire Station – LEED Certified centro1331 – LEED Gold Clark Kerr Campus Renewal, Phase I (UC-Berkeley) – LEED Gold Clark Kerr Campus Renewal, Phase II (UC-Berkeley) – LEED Gold Downtown Berkeley YMCA – LEED Gold Durant Hall (UC-Berkeley) – LEED Silver Haste Street Child Development Center (UC-Berkeley) – LEED Silver LBNL Molecular Foundry – LEED Gold Morgan Hall Lab Renovation (UC-Berkeley) – LEED Gold Naval Architecture Blum Center (UC-Berkeley) – LEED Silver Private single family home – LEED Gold The David Brower Center – LEED Platinum YMCA-PG&E Teen Center – LEED Platinum

GreenPoint Rated Homes 2398 Bancroft Way 700 University Ave New Californian (1950 Martin Luther King Jr. Way) Oxford Plaza Seventh Haven Homes Von Der Hude Residence

ENERGY STAR Certified Buildings (Year of Certification)

Berkeley Arts Magnet at Whittier (2010) Berkeley Central Public Library (2011) Berkeley Mental Health Division (2011) Cragmont Elementary (2010) Emerson Elementary (2010) Jefferson Elementary (2010) LBNL Building 69 (2001) LeConte Elementary (2010) Malcolm X Elementary (2010) Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Building (2011) Oxford Elementary (2010) Rosa Parks Elementary (2009) Washington Elementary (2009) Zaentz Media Center (2011)

29

http://www.builditgreen.org/greenpoint-rated/

http://www.greencommunitiesonline.org/

http://www.greencommunitiesonline.org/

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/uploadedFiles/Planning_and_Development/Level_3_-_Energy_and_Sustainable_Development/City%20College%20See-it.pdf

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/uploadedFiles/Planning_and_Development/Level_3_-_Energy_and_Sustainable_Development/Oxford%20Plaza%20See-it.pdf

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/uploadedFiles/Planning_and_Development/Level_3_-_Energy_and_Sustainable_Development/Seventh%20Haven%20See-it.pdf

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=labeled_buildings.locator

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=labeled_buildings.locator


Resources and assistance for community members U.S. Green Building Council (www.usgbc.org) developed LEED and offers a variety of resources to support green buildings.

Build It Green (www.builditgreen.org) supports the development and promotion of green homes in California including its administration of GreenPoint Rated.

Enterprise Community Partners (www.enterprisecommunity.org) provides expertise for affordable housing and sustainable communities. One of their initiatives is Enterprise Green Communities.

ENERGY STAR (www.energystar.gov), a joint program of the U.S. EPA and the U.S. DOE, promotes energy efficient products and practices by offering a variety of services including ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager and ENERGY STAR Certification of buildings.

Data sources and technical notes: Data provided by the U.S. Green Building Council, Build It Green, Enterprise Community Partners, and ENERGY STAR.


30

http://www.usgbc.org/

http://www.builditgreen.org/

http://www.enterprisecommunity.org/

http://www.energystar.gov/



Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Building Energy Use – Green Building Case Study

Project Name: Oxford Plaza

Location: 2121 Kittredge Street

Building Type: Affordable Housing

Square Feet: 97,000

Year Built: 2009

Green Certification: Certified GreenPoint Rated

Project Team: Resources for Community Development (RCD)

Performance Highlights: Low utility bills due to investments in energy efficiency.

“We made durable design choices because we are in it for the long haul and want our residents to be healthy. If you have asthma this is the building to be in.” Lisa Motayama, Director of Housing Development,Resources for Community Development (RCD)

Oxford Plaza provides 97 units of affordable workforce housing for families and individuals as well as ground-floor retail. Located in Downtown Berkeley and within walking distance of major employers and transit linkages, it is a model of urban infill development that enables residents to live close to their daily needs. Oxford Plaza is also adjacent to the David Brower Center, a LEED Platinum-rated building and environmental center.

In addition to its transit and pedestrian-friendly location, Oxford Plaza makes it easier for residents to go without a car by providing ample bicycle parking and reduced rates on City CarShare membership.

The project also incorporated several green elements into its construction. Building materials such as low-VOC paints, natural linoleum, and recycled carpeting were chosen to maintain healthy indoor air quality. The building is also designed to be energy efficient (constructed to exceed Title 24 by over 15%). Features include Energy Star appliances, highly energy efficient lighting, and a solar hot water system, which offsets some of the building’s natural gas load. Residents maintain a rooftop garden that shares space with the solar hot water panels.


31

http://www.builditgreen.org/greenpoint-rated/NewHome




Project Name: Berkeley City College Location: 2050 Center Street

Building Type: Higher Education

Square Feet: 165,000

Year Built: 2006

Green Credentials: LEED NC Silver

Project Team: Peralta Community College District, Ratcliff Architects

Performance Highlights: Berkeley City College reports a 58% increase in student enrollment in the three years since the building opened.

“This was the first LEED project for Ratcliff Architects. This project positively contributes to Ratcliff’s ability to attain future work.” Mike Matson, Ratcliff Architects

Berkeley City College (BCC) is the first community college in the State of California to earn LEED Silver certification. The 165,000 square foot project contains all campus functions within a single building envelope and is located in Berkeley’s transit-rich Downtown. Its most striking design feature is the central atrium, which brings daylight deep into the building’s six-story core. From the skylight to the basement the atrium’s vertical shaft allows air to circulate freely contributing to the natural ventilation of the building.

The project is designed to exceed the State’s Title 24 energy requirements by 30%. Energy-saving design features include high efficiency lighting systems and intelligent building controls such as a highly efficient mechanical ventilation system that improves indoor air quality by exchanging indoor air for outdoor air. The building also has a white roof that reflects solar radiation rather than absorbing it, which provides greenhouse gas reduction and heat-island mitigation benefits. The project diverted 77% (almost 1,000 tons) of the construction waste from the landfill. In addition, the building materials contain a high percentage of recycled content. BCC also saved resources by not creating any additional parking. Its proximity to public transit and existing parking in the neighborhood made this possible.

The Peralta Community College District was awarded over $190,000 in cash incentives to achieve high levels of energy efficiency and waste diversion through programs administered by PG&E (Savings by Design program) and StopWaste.org.

Additional green features include:

The building houses secure indoor bicycle parking, locker and shower facilities. Low-flow sensor-controlled plumbing fixtures are designed to make BCC 33% more water efficient than

comparable buildings. Digitally-controlled ventilation systems are designed to automatically mitigate heightened carbon

monoxide levels. Lighting fixtures at the exterior, rooftop, and below the atrium skylight are shielded so as to minimize

light pollution to the night sky.


32

http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=222




Project Name: Seventh Haven Homes

Location: 1411 & 1413 Seventh Street, Berkeley, CA

Building Type: Residential single-family

Square Feet: 2000 square feet, plus garage

Year Built: 2009

Green Credentials: Certified GreenPoint Rated, Certified Bay-Friendly Landscape

Project Team: Levitch & Associates

Performance Highlights: Residents report reduced energy bills

“To me, green building is about building community.” Maurice Levitch, Levitch & Associates, Developer

Seventh Haven Homes consists of two detached, single-family condominiums on a single lot in West Berkeley. The 2,000 square foot homes mirror one another and share a South facing courtyard that provides generous natural light to both residences. The project is designed to achieve a high degree of energy (60% better than state’s Title 24 requirements) and resource efficiency, occupant comfort, healthy indoor air quality, and transit accessibility. Specific features of the project include:

Passive solar design including optimal solar access, wall and roof materials composed of structural insulated panels (SIPS) that improve thermal performance, exposed concrete slab flooring for thermal mass and passive heating and cooling.

Solar hot water system to offset natural gas use Bay-Friendly landscaping including permeable pavement and “smart” irrigation controllers Deconstruction of existing structure in order to salvage reusable building products

These and several other green features (see below for full list) contribute to a comfortable living environment for the homeowner. The owner also reports “deliciously” small energy bills.

For Levitch and Associates, the project was an opportunity to gain experience with some innovative green building components (such as SIPs) and to demonstrate the benefits of quality, green construction to neighbors and the community. The project was highlighted in several home tours, including the PCBC (formally known as Pacific Coast Builders Conference) “Green Machine Tour” (awarded “Best in Show”) and the Build It Green, GreenPoint Showcase Tour (awarded “Best Custom Home”). The total cost of the project was $1.6 million (approximately $300/sf). Lessons learned include making sure to research and take advantage of available rebates, tax credits and incentives early on in the project.

Additional green features include:

Dual flush toilets, centrally located water heater and insulated hot water lines. Low volatile organic compound (VOC) paint and formaldehyde-free cabinets for healthy indoor air. High performance windows, high efficiency combined boiler units and radiant heat. Fiber cement siding, composite decking with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) railing and fence

material, stained concrete floors and 30% slag Portland cement replacement.


33


Sustainable Transportation & Land Use

34


Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Sustainable Transportation and Land Use – Bicycle Parking

Goal: Increase cycling and walking

Performance metric: Number of bicycle parking spaces

Status: In collecting information from the community in 1993 on existing bicycling conditions for the Berkeley Bicycle Plan, the City learned that one of the most commonly cited problems was related to bicycle parking. Specifically, the public cited the need for secure bicycle parking and a sufficient supply of parking. In the intervening years, the City has worked to place bike racks in all commercial areas, has responded to a surge of public requests for bike racks, and has dedicated grant funding to significantly increase the supply of sidewalk bike parking locations in Berkeley.

Year New Bike Rack

Installations New Bike Parking

Spaces (estimated) 2004 3 6 2005 3 6 2006 21 42 2007 193 566 2008 19 50 2009 0 0 2010 169 362

By end of 2011 317 694

As shown in the table above, the amount of bike parking spaces added per year varies significantly. In 2007, 2010, and 2011 the City invested heavily in new bike racks and will have provided over 1,600 new bicycle parking spaces in those three years alone. Some of these new rack spaces offer replacement parking for removed parking meters (which provide de facto bicycle parking) and antiquated racks, but the majority represent new bicycle parking opportunities.

The City of Berkeley is also a partner in investing in bicycle parking at BART transit stations. Both the Downtown Berkeley BART and Ashby BART stations now include BART Bike Stations that provide low-cost, secure, weather-protected bicycle parking. The Downtown Berkeley Bike Station opened in July 2010 and offers convenient free valet parking service. It has a capacity of 268 bikes and includes bike rentals, sales, classes, and events. The Ashby Bike Station opened in April 2011 and has secure self-parking for 128 bikes.

Why are these indicators important? Bicycling is a healthy, non-GHG-producing form of transportation and is a fundamental component of achieving the Climate Action Plan goals. Consistent with the City’s Bicycle Plan, the Climate Action Plan outlines several specific strategies aimed at shifting trips from the automobile to the bicycle. These include expanding and improving the City’s bicycle infrastructure, enhancing outreach and education, improving bicycle access on trains and buses and at stations and stops, and continuing to incorporate bicycles into municipal operations.

Resources and assistance for community members: Visit the City’s Transportation Division website to learn more about bicycling facilities and education and safety programs in Berkeley.

Data sources and technical notes: Data on bike racks are provided by the City’s Transportation Division.


Bicycle parked at a parking meter converted into a bike rack

35

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/contentdisplay.aspx?id=6656

http://www.bartbikestation.com/

http://www.berkeleyclimateaction.org/




Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Sustainable Transportation & Land Use – Implementation of Bicycle Plan:

Bicycle Network

Goal: Accelerate implementation of the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Plans

Performance metric: Implementation of the Berkeley Bicycle Plan

Status: Berkeley’s original bikeway system was established in the early 1970s and has been enhanced significantly in the last decade. The Berkeley Bicycle Plan guides ongoing expansion, maintenance, and improvements to Berkeley’s bikeways and bicycle programs. This plan was adopted in 2000 and updated in 2005. It focuses on removing barriers to bicycle riding in Berkeley by creating a safe and enjoyable bikeway network and by educating cyclists on safety and the rules of the road.

A significant finding of the Berkeley Bicycle Plan was that the most common bikeway types as described by Caltrans design guidelines (e.g., bike paths, lanes, and routes) were not sufficient for Berkeley given the high degree of bicycle riding in the city and the City’s desire to provide facilities suitable for all ages and ability levels of cyclists. As a result, the Plan established the framework for Berkeley’s innovative network of Bicycle Boulevards. A Bicycle Boulevard is a street where all types of vehicles are allowed, but the roadway is modified through traffic calming measures, attractive (purple) signage, bicycle crossings at intersections with major roadways, and large pavement legends to emphasize bicycle use and enhance the safety and convenience of these streets as bikeways. As of 2003, Berkeley has seven interconnected Bicycle Boulevards that serve as the backbone of the bikeway network by providing direct, convenient, and enjoyable routes across the city.

Work is ongoing to further enhance the Bicycle Boulevard network. Phase II of the Bicycle Boulevard project includes additional traffic calming. As of mid-2011, the City estimates that Phase II implementation is approximately 65% complete. This figure is only an estimate and may increase or decrease as the next Bicycle Boulevard implementation plan is developed. Implementation of Phase III of the Bicycle Boulevard network calls for improving intersections where Bicycle Boulevards cross major roadways. At this time, only 1 of the 18 intersections identified for improvement has been completed.

The existing Bicycle Boulevard network consists of almost 12 miles of Boulevards. The City is working to complete gaps in the network through projects such as the 9th Street Bicycle Boulevard Extension project, which connects West Berkeley to Emeryville.

In addition to ongoing enhancements to the Bicycle Boulevard network and other Berkeley bikeways, the City completed an ADA-compliant bicycle/pedestrian bridge over I-80 in 2002. This bridge directly connects Berkeley’s bikeway network to the regionally significant Bay Trail. The bicycle/pedestrian pride was identified as a priority in the Berkeley Bicycle Plan.

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/contentdisplay.aspx?id=6656




Implementation of the Berkeley Bicycle Plan helps support the high, and increasing, rate of bike riding within the City of Berkeley. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey, 8.9% of employed Berkeley adults bicycle to work. Only one other American city (Boulder, CO) with a population of over 65,000 has a higher percentage of bicycling commuters, and Berkeley’s percentage represents a significant increase over the 5.6% of Berkeley bike commuters measured in the 2000 U.S. Census.

Berkeley residents also bicycle for pleasure and recreation, shopping and other non-work trips. Annual counts of bicyclists conducted by the City at selected intersections within Berkeley show a strong and consistent increase in the number of observed bicyclists from 2000 through 2010. From the 2000 baseline counts, bicyclists increased by a remarkable 72% by 2010 with the bulk of that increase occurring in the more recent years from 2005-2010. The counts in 2010 found three locations at which more than 300 bicyclists were counted during the two-hour observation period, including two intersections with more than 400 bicyclists. These high volume intersections at Milvia & Channing, Milvia & Hearst, and Bowditch & Channing, are all along Bicycle Boulevards and at gateways to the University of California – Berkeley campus.

Other elements of the Berkeley Bicycle Plan, such as bicycle parking and safety education classes, are discussed in detail in separate Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress documents.

Why is this metric important? Promoting a safe and convenient bicycle infrastructure encourages biking and can help limit the number of private automobile trips. Bicycling is non-polluting, and cost- and energy-efficient; bicycing reduces transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions while also supporting community health.

Resources and assistance for community members: Visit the City’s Transportation Division website to learn more about the Berkeley Bicycle Plan and other cycling resources in Berkeley.

Specific information on the Bicycle Boulevards includes a link to an 8-minute film on Berkeley’s Bicycle Boulevards created by StreetFilms.

Data sources and technical notes: Data on Bicycle Plan implementation and bike count data was provided by the City’s Transportation Division. Data on commuting to work comes from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Table S0801.


http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/SubUnitHome.aspx?id=14498



City of Berkeley, Office of Energy & Sustainable Development www.cityofberkeley.info/sustainable Oct-11

Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Sustainable Transportation & Land Use – Expand Bicycle Education

Goal: Enhance and expand outreach, marketing, and education regarding land use and transportation

Performance metric: Development and implementation of bicycle education and safety programs

Status: The Berkeley Bicycle Plan emphasizes the importance of bicycle education and safety programs directed at child and adult bicyclists, motorists, and law enforcement officials. Consistent with the Bike Plan, since 2003 the City of Berkeley has offered school and community-based safety programs to children in Berkeley to reduce bicycle and pedestrian injuries. This City of Berkeley Injury Prevention Program has distributed free bicycle helmets, offered bike and pedestrian presentations and workshops at elementary and middle schools, provided hands-on “Bike Rodeo” and “Mock City” events where kids borrowed bikes and tested out their new safety knowledge on simulated urban streets, and supported Walk/Bike to School Days.

With funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), the Injury Prevention Program served over 3,600 children in the year 2009 alone by providing 9 Mock City traffic safety events, 15 elementary school workshops, 11 Walk/Bike to School Day events, and distributing over 700 free helmets. However, as of September 30, 2011, the OTS funding for these services expired.

Fortunately, several community-based organizations partner with the City to offer a variety of bicycle promotion, education, and safety programs open to Berkeley residents and employers. For example, the Safe Routes to Schools Alameda County Partnership (SR2S) is a comprehensive school-based program to get kids biking and walking safely to school. Currently all 11 of Berkeley’s public elementary schools and 2 of its 3 public middle schools participate in the SR2S Program. SR2S is led by the non-profit TransForm in partnership with the City of Berkeley, the Alameda County Public Health Department, Cycles of Change, and other local agencies and organizations.

In addition, the non-profit East Bay Bicycle Coalition (EBBC) currently offers Traffic Skills 101 classroom and road class workshops on safe urban bicycling. The EBBC also holds Family Cycling Workshops, Lunchtime Commute Workshops, and Kids Bike Rodeos. In 2010-2011, EBBC conducted 8 of these events in Berkeley. The Downtown Berkeley Bike Station also offers a variety of clinics on safe bike commuting in addition to bike rentals, repairs, and parking adjacent to the Downtown Berkeley BART station.

Finally, EBBC, with sponsorship from the City and others, organizes the annual spring Bike to Work Day to inspire and encourage bicycle commuting. The numbers of cyclists participating in Bike to Work Day continues to increase. Tallied bike participants increased 43% in 2009 over the 2008 levels, with another 10% increase in 2010 (over 2009 levels) and a 14% increase in 2011 (over 2010 levels).

Why is this metric important? Promoting bicycle safety encourages cycling and helps minimize the number of private automobile trips. Bicycling is non-polluting, and cost- and energy-efficient; bicycing reduces transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions while also supporting community health.

Resources and assistance for community members: Visit the City’s Transportation Division website to learn more about cycling resources in Berkeley.

Data sources and technical notes: Data on the City of Berkeley Injury Prevention Program was provided by the Berkeley Public Health Division in September 2011. Data on Bike to Work Day and East Bay Bicycle Coalition bicycle safety classes provided by the East Bay Bicycle Coalition in September 2011.


38

http://www.cityofberkeley.info/uploadedFiles/Planning_and_Development/Level_3_-_Energy_and_Sustainable_Development/Bicycle%20Plan%20CAP%20final.pdf


http://transformca.org/sr2s

http://transformca.org/sr2s

http://www.ebbc.org/safety#Item%201

http://bartbikestation.com/services.php

http://www.ebbc.org/btwd




Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Sustainable Transportation & Land Use – Implementation of Pedestrian Plan

Goal: Accelerate implementation of the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Plans

Performance metric: Implementation of recommendations in the the Berkeley Pedestrian Master Plan

Status: Adopted in June 2010, the Berkeley Pedestrian Master Plan establishes specific goals and recommendations to ensure that walking in Berkeley is safe, attractive, easy, and convenient for people of all ages and abilities. Berkeley has a strong tradition of pedestrian travel; according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey, about 15% of Berkeley adults walk to work on a daily basis as compared to the national, state, and Alameda County averages of approximately 3%. In addition, Berkeley was designated as the “Most Accessible City in the Nation” by a panel of disability advocates and experts in 2007. The Pedestrian Master Plan works to maintain and improve Berkeley’s high level of accessibility and pedestrian safety.

The Pedestrian Master Plan identifies two categories of recommended projects: 1) Citywide infrastructure improvement projects including filling sidewalk gaps, establishing safe routes to schools, and installing speed feedback signs; and 2) projects at specific intersections, such as improved crosswalks.

The Pedestrian Master Plan identified 34 High-Priority Projects involving infrastructure improvements. The Top 100 Intersections in need of infrastructure improvements were identified and prioritized based on safety, usage levels, and access to major destinations.

As of June 2011, a year after its adoption, the City has initiated action on 14 of the 34 High-Priority Projects recommended in the Plan. At this time 1% of the infrastructure improvements included in the High-Priority Projects have been completed. In addition, the City completed improvements at many of the Top 100 Intersections as part of roadway repaving work, through an ongoing, collaborative process led by staff in the Engineering and Transportation Divisions of Public Works.

As well as identifying citywide infrastructure improvement projects and improvements at specific intersections, the Pedestrian Master Plan recommends changes to the City’s zoning and design review in order to enhance the pedestrian environment, provides design standards that integrate innovative best practice for improved pedestrian experience, and calls for public education campaigns and increased law enforcement. Consistent with the plan, over the last year City staff in Public Works, the Health Department, and the Police Department have joined forces, along with Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools, to conduct pedestrian safety education and enforcement activities.

Why is this metric important? Promoting a safe and convenient pedestrian infrastructure encourages walking and can help limit the number of private automobile trips. More active forms of transportation, such as walking, reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions while also supporting community health.

Resources and assistance for community members: Visit the City’s Transportation Division website to learn more about the Berkeley Pedestrian Master Plan and other pedestrian resources in Berkeley.

Data sources and technical notes: Data on Pedestrian Master Plan implementation was provided by the City’s Transportation Division.


39


http://articles.sfgate.com/2007-01-13/bay-area/17228151_1_disabled-people-emergency-attendant-berkeley




Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Sustainable Transportation and Land Use – Expand Car Share and Ridesharing

Goal: Enhance and expand car sharing and ridesharing programs

Performance metrics: Number of car share vehicles and pods (locations)

Target: Increase car share availability throughout Berkeley.

Status: As of September 2011, the community has access to a total of 94 car share vehicles at 48 car share pods (City CarShare and ZipCar locations). The number of available car share vehicles and pods has grown to approximately 10 times the 2002 baseline.

Why are these indicators important? Car share is an important component of reducing transportation-related GHG emissions. It reduces GHG emissions because members of car sharing programs tend to drive less than non-members, and because car share program vehicles tend to be newer and more fuel-efficient than the average vehicle. A 2003 study of the impact of the City CarShare program in San Francisco found that City CarShare members use 76 percent less gasoline than non-members, and nearly 30 percent of City CarShare members sold a vehicle since joining.

Resources and assistance for community members: Visit the City’s Transportation Division website to learn more about car share options in Berkeley.

Data sources and technical notes: Data on number of car share vehicles and pods are provided by the two car share organizations operating in Berkeley: City CarShare and ZipCar.


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Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Sustainable Transportation & Land Use – Farmers’ Market Attendance

Goal: Increase green space, open-space, tree planting and local food

Performance metric: Estimated weekly attendance at Berkeley’s three farmers’ markets

Status: Weekly attendance at Berkeley’s three farmers’ markets has increased approximately 20% since 2001. While the estimated weekly attendance for 2010 is lower than in previous years, these data may be an anomaly. Weekly data are an estimate based on annual counts of farmers’ market attendees during one week during the summer. Results may vary given that surveys are not necessarily conducted during the same week every summer, as well as other factors such as weather. While these data are not representative of every week of the year, they do nonetheless serve as a useful and interesting indicator of attendance trends.

Why is this metric important? Maintaining a positive attendance trend at Berkeley’s farmers’ markets is important for environmental, health and economic reasons. Environmentally, farmers’ markets help to reduce vehicle miles traveled and the associated emissions by providing local food. Farmers markets promote improved public health by providing fresh, organic fruits, vegetables and meats rather than processed items. Economically, farmers’ markets support small-scale farmers who practice sustainable agriculture.

Resources and assistance for community members: The Ecology Center operates Berkeley’s farmers’ markets. Markets occur on Saturday, Tuesday, and Thursday, year-round, rain or shine. Visit the Ecology Center website (www.ecologycenter.org) to learn more about Berkeley’s farmers’ markets.

Data sources and technical notes: Farmers’ market attendance data is provided by the Ecology Center.


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http://www.ecologycenter.org/


Waste Reduction and Recycling

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Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Waste Reduction & Recycling – Total landfilled

Performance metric: Annual waste disposal in Berkeley

Target: Meet Berkeley’s Zero Waste goal by eliminating materials sent to landfills by the year 2020.

Zero Waste means that all discarded material is recycled, composted, or reused. None is sent to the landfill. According the U.S. EPA’s Waste Reduction Model, reducing the amount of solid waste that Berkeley sends to the landfill by 50% (below 2005 levels) would avoid nearly 68,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year by 2020.

Status: Since 2010 the amount of solid waste sent to landfills from the Berkeley community dropped by approximately 45%, from 119,135 tons in 2000 to approximately 65,000 tons in 2010. This translates into a reduction in per capita waste disposal from 6.4 lbs/person/day to 3.7 lbs/person/day between 2000 and 2009. This 2009 per capita waste disposal rate is 57% below the State’s disposal rate goals for Berkeley residents.

The total amount of waste disposed from Berkeley sources represents about 7.7% of the county-wide waste stream. The single largest source of waste originating in Berkeley is food waste, which represents about 14% of Berkeley’s total waste sent to the landfill.

Why is this metric important? Achieving zero waste is an essential component of reducing global warming emissions. Monitoring and reporting this metric helps the community to gauge the efficacy of services designed to reduce waste disposal and to track annual progress toward our Zero Waste goal.

Resources and assistance for community members City of Berkeley’s Solid Waste Management Division (www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=4034): Provides information on the refuse and recycling services offered by the City.

CalRecycle (www.calrecycle.ca.gov) The State’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery provides a variety of data on waste disposal and recycling within California and information on waste reduction.

Data sources and technical notes The total tons of solid waste disposed from Berkeley sources is provided by CalRecycle each August for the prior year. For cities within Alameda County, CalRecycle gets these data from StopWaste.org. StopWaste.org obtains these data through reports from each facility within Alameda County that receives solid waste, including the Berkeley Transfer Station. The solid waste figure of 65,000 tons for 2010 is currently an estimate, pending final State verification. The population data used to calculate per capita waste disposal are provided by the California Department of Finance. Waste disposal per capita per day in Berkeley is calculated by dividing the total tons of solid waste disposed from Berkeley sources per day (including residential, commercial, and industrial waste and commercial & demolition debris) by Berkeley’s total population. Tracking our progress: Review Climate Action Plan performance metrics at www.cityofberkeley.info/climate

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http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/

http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/LGCentral/Tools/MARS/DRMCMain.asp



Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Waste Reduction & Recycling – Residential

Goal: Increase residential recycling, composting, and source reduction

Performance metric: Amount of residential waste landfilled, recycled, and composted

Target: Meet Berkeley’s Zero Waste goal by eliminating all materials sent to landfills by the year 2020.

Eliminating landfill material requires source reduction and waste diversion from all users, residential and commercial. The City supports solid waste diversion from its residents by providing voluntary curbside recycling and compostable material collection. Recent recycling and compost program expansions and education efforts aim to increase participation for both single-family and multifamily residents.

Status: The quantity of waste generated in Berkeley single-family homes and small multifamily buildings (4 units or less) that is sent to landfills has dropped each year between 2007 and 2010, although not at the rate currently targeted to meet the City’s Zero Waste goal. Total Berkeley residential waste sent to landfills in 2007 was 16,910 tons and in 2010 this figure dropped 14% to 14,523 tons.

The reduction in landfilled material can be attributed to reduced consumption, in conjunction with the national recession beginning in fall 2008, and increased reuse and waste diversion into recycling and composting programs.

The residential recycling trends in Berkeley since 2007 show declines in the annual quantity of recyclable materials collected (data includes amount of recyclables collected from buildings with 9 dwelling units or less).

The amount of residential recyclables collected decreased from 11,536 tons in the first quarter of 2007 to 8,898 tons in 2010. These data include recyclables collected through the curbside recycling program, which is administered by the Ecology Center through a contract with the City, and a portion of the recyclables taken by residents to the Community Conservation Center’s buyback and drop-off programs.

The residential curbside recycling program accepts glass, cans, #1 and #2 plastic bottles, newspaper, mixed paper, cardboard, and brown bags. In the fall of 2010, the City and the Ecology Center initiated a new residential recycling cart

program in place of the previous blue bin collection system. Following this change, Berkeley’s residential

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curbside recycling increased by 20% in the 4th quarter of 2010 as compared to the 4th quarter of 2009 and reversed a downward trend that had been in place for over a year (see residential recycling graph above).

According to a 2008 waste characterization study conducted by StopWaste.org, organic material and yard waste is approximately 48% of the single-family residential waste stream in Berkeley. To divert this material from the landfill, the City offers curbside pick-up of compostable materials. In the fall of 2007 the City’s collection of yard waste (plant materials) was expanded to also include all food scraps, food-soiled papers, and compostable plastics. On an annual basis the residential composting program (for buildings of 1-4 units) has increased its collections by nearly 40% between 2007 (8,446 tons) and 2010 (13,642 tons). On a quarterly basis, the expanded service in the 4th quarter of 2007 led to an increased collection of almost 600 tons of compostable material compared to the previous quarter. A

spring 2010 survey by StopWaste.org found that most Berkeley households participate in the curbside composting program and that 47% of participants include food scraps.


Resources and assistance for community members: City of Berkeley’s Solid Waste Management Division (www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=4034) Provides information on the refuse and recycling services offered by the City.

The Ecology Center (www.ecologycenter.org/recycling) Provides detail on the curbside recycling program.


Data sources and technical notes: The amount of residential waste landfilled is calculated by weighing and recording the rear loader City of Berkeley refuse truck loads as they arrive at the Berkeley Transfer Station. These trucks collect refuse from 1-4 unit residential buildings, but may also collect small amounts of commercial waste, depending on the neighborhood and truck route. The residential compostable material is also collected by the City of Berkeley (in separate trucks) and includes material primarily from 1-4 unit residential buildings with some additional material from commercial properties on the same truck routes.

The residential recycling values are estimates based on two factors: the weights of the Ecology Center truck collections from residential buildings of 9 units or less and 50% of the weight of recycling drop-offs at the Community Conservation Center’s buyback and drop-off programs. The 50% of the Community Conservation Center is a proxy for the amount that is likely to be attributable to Berkeley residential sources (including materials that may have been poached from the curbside recycling carts).

All data was tallied and reported by the City’s Solid Waste Management Division.


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http://www.ecologycenter.org/recycling




Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Waste Reduction & Recycling – Commercial

Goal: Increase commercial recycling, composting, and source reduction

Performance metric: Amount of commercial waste landfilled, recycled, and composted


Eliminating landfill material requires source reduction and waste diversion from all users, residential and commercial. The City supports solid waste diversion for commercial businesses by providing recycling and compostable material collection.

Status: The quantity of waste landfilled from Berkeley’s commercial sources decreased each year between 2007 and 2010 and is currently ahead of schedule to reach the Zero Waste target in 2020. In 2007, landfilled waste attributable to Berkeley’s commercial businesses, including multifamily buildings (5 or more dwelling units) and non-profit institutions, totaled 50,543 tons. By 2010, this waste stream dropped by 36% to 32,096 tons.

The reduction in landfilled material can be attributed to reduced consumption and production associated with the national recession beginning in fall 2008, and increased reuse and waste diversion into recycling and composting programs.

The amount of recyclables collected from Berkeley’s commercial sources (including residential buildings of 10 units or more) declined each year between 2007 (7,306 tons) and 2010 (5,523 tons). Berkeley businesses may elect to use the City of Berkeley or other haulers for their recycling services. The City recycling program accepts glass, cans, #1 and #2 plastic bottles, newspaper, mixed paper, cardboard, and brown bags. Commercial recycling figures include both City and franchise collections.

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10,000

20,000

30,000

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14

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aste

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Commercial Waste Landfilled

Actual

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Commercial Recycling

46


Composting among Berkeley’s commercial businesses has gained momentum with increases in compost collection every year between 2007 and 2010. Annual compost collections from Berkeley’s commercial sector totaled 6,534 tons in 2010. The City of Berkeley offers the collection of compostable materials from commercial businesses at a reduced rate. Compostable materials include food scraps, plant debris, paper napkins, cups and wrappings, waxed cardboard, and unpainted wood scraps such as shipping crates. Participating in the compost collection program can help a commercial business become recognized as a Bay Area Green Business.


Resources and assistance for community members City of Berkeley’s Solid Waste Management Division (www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=4034) Provides information on the refuse and recycling services offered by the City.


StopWaste.org (www.stopwaste.org) Working to reduce the waste stream in Alameda County, this organization has services and resources for businesses on recycling and minimizing waste.

Data sources and technical notes The amount of commercial waste landfilled is calculated by weighing and recording the City of Berkeley refuse truck loads that service commercial establishments as they arrive at the Berkeley Transfer Station. In addition, Berkeley businesses that separate dry rubbish may opt to use one of three commercial franchised haulers: Recology East Bay (formerly Norcal Waste Services of Alameda County), Republic Services, and Waste Management. The weight of the refuse collected by these franchised haulers is added to the City’s values to create a total value of the waste landfilled from Berkeley commercial businesses.

The recycling figures also represent a combination of the commercial sector recycling collected by the City of Berkeley, Recology East Bay, Republic Services, and Waste Management. The City of Berkeley offers recycling for Berkeley businesses and residential buildings of 10 units or more. Berkeley recycling services for smaller residential buildings are provided by The Ecology Center.

Data on compostable material are based on the weights of collections by the City of Berkeley from commercial businesses, such as restaurants, and residential buildings with over 5 units that participate in the program.



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Calendar Quarter

Commercial Composting

47




http://www.stopwaste.org/



Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Waste Reduction & Recycling – C&D Waste and Salvage Diversion

Goal: Increase recycling of construction and demolition (C&D) debris

Performance metric: Amount of C&D debris and salvage material diverted at Berkeley Transfer Station


Eliminating landfill material requires source reduction and waste diversion from all sources. Construction and demolition (C&D) debris is a significant portion of the total waste stream, estimated at over 20% of the total in Alameda County.

Status: In July of 2008 the City of Berkeley initiated a construction and demolition (C&D) waste diversion program at the Berkeley Transfer Station. As a result of this initiative, almost 43,000 tons of C&D waste was diverted from landfills between 2008 and March 2011. C&D material, such as wood, drywall, metal, concrete, and cardboard, is now identified and sorted at the Berkeley Transfer Station for recycling. Recycling C&D waste keeps it from ending up in the landfill, and also reduces the upstream energy consumption required to manufacture new construction materials.

Effective March 2011, the City modified its Construction and Demolition Ordinance to maintain consistency with the 2010 California Green Building Standards. As a result, all newly constructed buildings, building renovations valued over $100,000, and demolitions valued over $3,000, must divert 100% of asphalt, concrete, soil, and land clearing debris and 50% of other C&D debris from landfill disposal.

In addition to C&D materials, the City is also working to divert building furnishings and other “salvage” material from landfills. Salvaged materials currently include refrigerators, mattresses, electronics, carpet and padding, concrete, tires, and refuse carts and other miscellaneous rigid plastics. These materials are diverted at the Berkeley Transfer Station for reuse or recycling through distribution to appropriate organizations such as Urban Ore and the Alameda County Computer Resource Center. The diversion of salvage at the Berkeley Transfer Station eliminated the landfilling of approximately 2,000 tons of material

0

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3,000

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C&D Waste Diversion atBerkeley Transfer Station

0100200300400500600700800

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20

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Salvage Material Diversion atBerkeley Transfer Station

48

http://www.urbanore.com/

http://www.accrc.org/

http://www.accrc.org/


every year between 2007 and 2010.


Resources and assistance for community members City of Berkeley’s Solid Waste Management Division (www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=4034) Provides information on the refuse and recycling services offered by the City including information on C&D recycling.

StopWaste.org (www.stopwaste.org) Working to reduce the waste stream in Alameda County, this organization has services and resources on recycling and minimizing waste including C&D debris.

Data sources and technical notes The C&D debris and salvage material data reported here was all weighed and diverted at the Berkeley Transfer Station. As such, it does not include other C&D and salvage material that originated in Berkeley, but was taken to another recycling or recovery operation (potentially for lower fees, a buyback opportunity, or convenience). In addition, some C&D debris and salvage material processed at the Berkeley Transfer Station may have originated from a source outside of Berkeley.



49





Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Waste Reduction & Recycling – Source Reduction

Goal: Expand efforts to eliminate waste at its source


Status: Source reduction, or waste prevention, is the practice of minimizing the amount of waste (such as packaging) that will later need to be thrown in the trash, recycled, or composted. Eliminating waste before it is ever produced is the most effective and efficient means of waste reduction as it not only reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill but also reduces the energy required for upstream production processes and for downstream recycling and composting.

One example of a source reduction strategy recommended in the Berkeley Climate Action Plan is instituting a ban on single-use plastic bags and establishing a fee on paper shopping bags at Berkeley retail locations. This policy is designed to achieve waste reduction by minimizing use of disposable bags and encouraging the use of reusable bags. Of the 19 billion single-use plastic shopping bags that Californians use each year, fewer than 5% are recycled. Bags that are not properly disposed can end up in waterways and threaten wildlife. During the 2009 Coastal Cleanup over 3,500 plastic bags were collected from the Berkeley shoreline, qualifying Berkeley as one of the primary Bay Area “plastic bag hot spots” by the non-profit Save The Bay.

In 2007 Berkeley City Council asked the Zero Waste Commission to create an ordinance addressing the environmental problems associated with single-use plastic checkout bags. Following research and surveys on the issue, the Zero Waste Commission drafted a Bag Reduction Ordinance in 2009 prohibiting the distribution of single-use plastic checkout bags at all retail stores in Berkeley and requiring a fee for paper bag carry-sacks. Approval of the ordinance was put on hold pending completion of an Alameda county-wide Environmental Impact Report (EIR) by StopWaste.Org. The county-wide EIR was completed and certified in December 2011 and on January 25, 2012 the Alameda County Waste Management Authority adopted an ordinance banning single-use bags at check out at retailers selling packaged food countywide. This ordinance will go into effect throughout Alameda County on January 1, 2013.

Meanwhile, Berkeley organizations and residents are already taking steps to reduce plastic bag use. For example, the Ecology Center eliminated all plastic bags and packaging from the Berkeley Farmers’ Markets beginning in spring 2009, making them the first farmers’ markets in the nation to do so. Customers are encouraged to bring their own bags or can purchase compostable bags at the Markets for $0.25 a bag. This action is part of the Ecology Center’s “Zero Waste” campaign which also includes recycling and composting all the materials generated at the Berkeley Farmers’ Markets.

Resources and assistance for community members City of Berkeley’s Solid Waste Management Division (www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=4034) Provides information on the refuse and recycling services offered by the City.

Ecology Center (www.ecologycenter.org/recycling) Offerings of this non-profit include the Berkeley Farmers’ Markets, curbside recycling program, Farm Fresh Choice food justice program, EcoHouse, Climate Change Action programs, and an EcoCalendar of environmental community events.

StopWaste.Org (www.stopwaste.org) Working to reduce the waste stream in Alameda County, this organization has services and resources on recycling and minimizing waste.


Bird trapped in plastic bag at Berkeley Aquatic Park

50


http://www.ecologycenter.org/recycling



Adapting to a Changing Climate

51

City of Berkeley, Office of Energy & Sustainable Development www.cityofberkeley.info/sustainable Oct-11

Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Adapting to a Changing Climate – Water Recycling and Graywater Use

The Berkeley Climate Action Plan recommended the following short-term action: Encourage water recycling and graywater use through the development of outreach materials and local guidelines that are consistent with the Building Code.

Status: Launched

Action: In 2010 the City of Berkeley took action to encourage water recycling and the use of graywater for outdoor irrigation through:

1. Establishing regulatory Guidelines for Rainwater Harvesting. In the absence of explicit code language from the State of California on rainwater harvesting, the City of Berkeley developed its own standards. The standards state that rain barrel systems of 100 gallons or less can be safely installed and used without permits.

2. Producing a Guide to Conserving Water through Rainwater Harvesting & Graywater Reuse for Outdoor Use. Available in print and on the web, this Guide defines graywater and rainwater, gives an overview of graywater and rainwater irrigation systems, and helps to simplify the permitting requirements of each system. Graywater is simply untreated household wastewater generated from hand washing, laundry, and bathing (i.e. graywater comes from bathroom sinks and showers, but not from toilets, dishwashers, or kitchen sinks.) Consistent with new California Plumbing Code language, the City does not require a permit or registration for the simplest type of residential graywater system, called a Laundry-to-Landscape system, that uses a washing machine and gravity to move laundry water directly out to the garden.

Why is this important? Berkeley must prepare for the impacts of climate change on the region’s water supply. Encouraging the use of rainwater harvesting and graywater recycling through simplifying code requirements (like minimizing permitting while still maintaining safety) and creating clear outreach and education materials is an important means of reducing the demand on our potable water supplies. Increasing water efficiency and reducing potable water use minimizes the energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions necessary to transport potable water and to treat wastewater. It also reduces pressure on sewage treatment systems.

Resources and assistance for community members: Learn more about the City’s resources on Home Graywater Collection Systems and Residential Rainwater Harvesting Systems online, including information about benefits, types, permitting requirements, and other resources such as the East Bay Municipal Utility District.

EcoHouse, a project of the non-profit Ecology Center in Berkeley, features the first graywater and constructed wetlands system to be permitted in Berkeley (and California).


52

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/uploadedFiles/Planning_and_Development/Level_3_-_Energy_and_Sustainable_Development/rainwater.pdf

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/uploadedFiles/Planning_and_Development/Level_3_-_Energy_and_Sustainable_Development/conserving%20water%20through%20harvesting%20and%20reuse.pdf

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/uploadedFiles/Planning_and_Development/Level_3_-_Energy_and_Sustainable_Development/conserving%20water%20through%20harvesting%20and%20reuse.pdf

http://www.hcd.ca.gov/codes/shl/2007CPC_Graywater_Complete_2-2-10.pdf





http://www.ebmud.com/

http://www.ecologycenter.org/ecohouse/



Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Adapting to a Changing Climate – Tree Gain

Goal: Make Berkeley resilient to the impacts of climate change

Performance metric: Annual net tree gain

Target: Plant at least 500 street and park trees per year (gross).

Status: The City’s Urban Forestry Management staff plant an average of over 600 street and park trees every year and planted 601 trees in 2010. The average annual net tree gain (number of trees planted minus number of trees removed) between 2000 and 2010 is 384 trees. In 2010, the net tree gain was 276 trees.

Berkeley has increased its number of street and park trees every year and has gained over 3,840 street and park trees since 2000. This amounts to an estimated total of over 46,000 street and park trees in the City of Berkeley.

These numbers represent a fraction of the total number of trees in the Berkeley community as they do not include trees on private property, which is where the majority of Berkeley's trees live.

Why is this indicator important? It is an important climate adaptation metric because it enables the community and the City to track the status of efforts to increase tree cover in our community. Among several other benefits, a robust urban forest reduces local air temperatures by shading buildings and dark colored surfaces such as roads and parking lots that absorb and store heat. Also, because higher temperatures contribute to conditions conducive to air pollution formation, trees play an important role in improving local air quality.

Resources and assistance for community members: Learn more about the City’s Urban Forestry Management program online, including information about tree planting, pruning, removal guidelines and schedules.

Data sources and technical notes: Data provided by the City of Berkeley Department of Parks, Recreation & Waterfront. The Department tracks every tree planted or removed on an annual basis. The total number of street and park trees is an estimate rather than an exact figure.


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Outreach and Empowerment

54

City of Berkeley, Office of Energy & Sustainable Development www.cityofberkeley.info/sustainable Jul-11

Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Community Outreach and Empowerment – Green Businesses

Goal: Enhance outreach and incentives to the business community

Performance metric: Number of Berkeley businesses green-certified by the Bay Area Green Business Program

Target: Achieve an annual net increase of 30 green-certified Berkeley businesses and green-certify 10 out of 12 Berkeley hotels by 2012.

Status: As of June 2011, 170 Berkeley businesses and 4 out of 12 Berkeley hotels are green-certified by the Bay Area Green Business Program.

While 38 Berkeley businesses were green-certified in 2010, performance in 2010 is below target with a net increase of only 2 green-certified businesses. The reduced net gain can be explained by green-certified businesses that closed or opted to not re-certify do to financial, time, or other constraints. Another contributing factor to the low net gain could be reduced program outreach to prospective green-certified businesses due to a recent backlog of businesses that desired certification.

The Program verifies that businesses meet specific standards of environmental performance. Businesses certified under this program take actions to conserve resources, prevent pollution, minimize waste, and reduce their carbon footprint. The Program estimates that, as of 2010, green-certified businesses in Berkeley collectively achieve the following annual outcomes through actions taken as part of program participation:

Reduce over 29,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy and water efficiency and reduced waste disposal

Reduce electricity consumption by over 28,500 KWh Reduce water consumption by over 56,600 gallons

Why is this indicator important? This is an important indicator for both environmental and economic reasons. Environmentally, green-certified businesses are held to a high standard and must get re-certified every three years. These businesses are actively working to use resources more efficiently and to limit GHG emissions. Economically, green-certified businesses have an edge because they use resources efficiently; they incorporate their “green credentials” into marketing strategies; and they receive recognition from the Green Business Program.

Resources and assistance for community members: Visit the Bay Area Green Business Program website to learn more about green business certification and benefits. Click here for a listing of green businesses in Alameda County.

Data sources and technical notes: Data provided by the Alameda County Green Business Program coordinator.


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* = Partial year information up to June for 2011 data

55

http://www.greenbiz.ca.gov/

http://www.greenbiz.ca.gov/

http://www.greenbiz.ca.gov/index.html

http://www.greenbiz.ca.gov/ShopGreenAC.html



Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Outreach and Empowerment – Climate Action Groups

Goal: Mobilize community members

Performance Metric: Participation in Ecology Center Climate Change Action Groups

Target: Achieve an annual sustained increase in Climate Change Action Group participation.

Status: Since 2008, Climate Change Action Group participation has grown steadily. There were 777 participants in 2010.

The Ecology Center, a Berkeley nonprofit, began offering free workshops on climate change action in 2008. These Climate Change Action Groups educate and empower participants on making changes in their personal habits, and facilitating changes in their communities, that minimize greenhouse gas emissions.

Through a series of four free weekly workshops, the Ecology Center convenes participants in small teams to calculate their personal carbon footprint, create a measurable personal action plan to reduce their footprint, engage in actions, and discuss ways to become a climate change leader in their household and community.

In addition to participating in facilitated Climate Change Action Groups, community members are also invited to attend facilitator trainings and receive the tools and resources to coordinate and lead their own Climate Change Action Groups. The Ecology Center also holds various carbon reduction workshops at the EcoHouse. Why is this metric important? The Climate Change Action Groups are an important resource for our community because they provide individuals with the tools and support necessary to effectively reduce their carbon footprint while saving money and building community. Given that the success of local climate action effort rests on behavior change, it is important that this program, and others like it, continue to reach more residents of Berkeley and beyond.

Resources and assistance for community members: The Ecology Center (www.ecologycenter.org) contains information on how to get involved in their Climate Change Action programs and other offerings including an EcoCalendar of environmental community events, the curbside recycling program, the Berkeley Farmers’ Markets, the Farm Fresh Choice food justice program, and EcoHouse.

Data sources and technical notes: Climate Change Action Group participation data is provided by the Ecology Center. Tracking our progress: Review Climate Action Plan performance metrics at www.cityofberkeley.info/climate

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Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Tracking our Progress Community Outreach and Empowerment – EcoHouse Events

Goal: Mobilize community members

Performance Metric: Participation in EcoHouse events

Target: Achieve an annual sustained increase in EcoHouse event participation.

Status: Since 2006, the Ecology Center’s EcoHouse has offered green building workshops and tours for community members. Participation has shown annual increases in every year except 2009 with dramatic increases in 2008 and 2010. In 2010 a total of 465 community members took part in EcoHouse events.

EcoHouse is a demonstration environmental home and garden located in a North Berkeley residential neighborhood. Classes, hands-on workshops, and tours of the house and garden are designed to teach people of all ages, backgrounds, and income levels how to make their living spaces healthier, more energy and water efficient, and ecologically friendly.

Ecohouse has variety of water-saving measures including efficient fixtures, a graywater and wetland system, and a rainwater cistern. Its green building features include natural and recycled building materials, salvaged kitchen cabinets, bamboo kitchen countertops, a strawbale and rammed earth shed, and solar panels. The EcoHouse gardens include a living roof vegetable garden and an organic permaculture garden with native drought tolerant plants. EcoHouse events include educational tours of the existing features of the property, hand-on workshops to build new environmental features at the house, and classes on relevant topics such as seed saving.

Why is this metric important? Annual level of participation in EcoHouse events is an indicator of how well the program is reaching the Berkeley community. The EcoHouse is a unique and important resource for our community because it provides individuals with tools and support necessary to inspire and make environmentally-sensitive changes in their own living spaces. Given that the success of local climate action effort rests on behavior change, it is important that this program, and others like it, continue to reach more residents of Berkeley and beyond.

Resources and assistance for community members: The Ecology Center (www.ecologycenter.org) contains information on the EcoHouse and other Ecology Center offerings including Climate Change Action programs, the curbside recycling program, the Berkeley Farmers’ Markets, the Farm Fresh Choice food justice program, and an EcoCalendar of environmental community events.

Data sources and technical notes: EcoHouse event and participation data is provided by the Ecology Center.


050

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EcoHouse Event Participation

57




Ratto, A. (Photographer). (2006) The Last Sunset [top left, online image] . 29 Nov 2011 from Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/andydr/93172551/

Working together tow ards a heal th ier community. . .

Learn how you can be part of the solution. Visit: http://www.cityofberkeley.info/climate


http://www.flickr.com/photos/andydr/93172551/sizes/z/in/photostream/

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Berkeley Climate Action Plan Progress 2011 Update · Berkeley Climate Action Plan Metrics 2011...

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