It is gratifying to see increasing awareness of our collective environmental responsibility. Most interesting is that much positive environmental progress in Seaside is being made in the private sector with virtually no prodding by government.
Monterey County Weekly has, for example, recently installed a large photovoltaic array on its roof and the recently built Chartwell School is Platinum LEED certified (slideshow).
Of course environmental issues encompass much more than energy efficiency, energy sources and sustainable building materials and methods (indeed, LEED recognizes this). One particularly great local issue is water: sources, quality, runoff and waste. The issue is so significant I have dedicated a separate page just to water supply and catching runoff.
Another environmental issue is the effectiveness of the citywide recycling program. Seaside has come a long way in this regard, but all too often we see residents throwing in the trash items that are accepted by either curbside recycling or other recycling programs.
Proposed Solutions:
Seaside definitely needs to clarify its building ordinance to clearly include benefits and perhaps even requirements for “green” building. At the very least, the City should start by offering incentives to green developers by fast tracking projects, lowering or waiving some fees, and giving priority on water waiting lists to those projects which significantly offset potable water needs with alternative sources such as cisterns and/or bioswales for capturing rain runoff to recharge our aquifer.
Considering implementing U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED standards is a great place to start, as the technical work has already been done and has been evaluated and qualified by many proactive communities around the country. This proven approach would require much less effort on the part of City staff and as a result require the taxpayer to shoulder fewer costs.
Most developers and property owners will quickly come to realize greater long term profits from their sustainably built projects. These greater profits come particularly from energy savings, but also from less quantifiable benefits such as more comfortable spaces with better air quality for residents and workers and productivity-enhancing natural sunlight in living and workspaces.
Recycling efforts can be improved largely through education. A good starting place is to contact landlords and have them place language in their leases which require recyclables to be recycled. This can sharply reduce landlord trash costs and can serve as a catalyst for greater recycling in the community.
The City should also compel the recycling operator to accept a greater variety of recyclables at homeowner curbside. All metal (in non-dangerous forms, i.e. not knives or other blades), for example, should be allowed in curbside recycling bins. This should overtly include items typically not recycled at curbside such as construction metals like clean rebar and any metal pluming pipes.
Increased recycling would also have a positive impact on City funds as the recycling operator returns a portion of profits to the City.
Paid for by Felix For Seaside City Council