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City of Burlingame Receives National Environmental Award

BURLINGAME, Calif. – April 4, 2011 – The National Environmental Hall of Fame honored the City of Burlingame tonight for its community sustainability initiatives, including adoption of the city’s first Climate Action Plan, residential and commercial green building ordinances, new specific plans that emphasize transit-oriented development, green seminars and an annual Green Street Fair.

Accepting the award on behalf of the city, Mayor Terry Nagel applauded the city’s Green Ribbon Task Force and the Citizens Environmental Council - Burlingame, along with the city’s staff, for researching and implementing an impressive number of new programs aimed at lowering carbon emissions and promoting environmental sustainability. “I am very proud of the many citizens who have stepped forward to make the environment a priority in our city,” Nagel said.
 
Bill Schulte, Chair of Sustainable San Mateo County, presented the award to Nagel on behalf of the National Environmental Hall of Fame during the Burlingame City Council meeting held Monday evening.
 
Among Burlingame’s green accomplishments are:
  • Adoption of a Climate Action Plan (CAP) with specific actions designed to lower the city’s carbon emissions to 15 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2020 and below 80 percent by 2050, as mandated by Assembly Bill 32. The city is ahead of schedule in meeting its interim 2012 targets. The CAP was crafted by members of the city’s Green Ribbon Task Force, which Mayor Nagel formed in 2007.
  • Adoption of a new Downtown Specific Plan and North Burlingame/Rollins Road Specific Plan which both encourage high-density and mixed-use, transit-oriented development close to major mass-transportation facilities.
  • Sponsorship of a Burlingame Green Street Fair, held annually in the city since 2008, that is organized and run entirely by members of the Citizens Environmental Council - Burlingame (CEC). The fourth annual Green Street Fair will be held Sunday, May 15, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., adjacent to the city’s Fresh Market on Park Road near Burlingame Avenue.
  • Sponsorship of informational seminars on sustainability topics, including solar energy options, water-efficient landscaping and the zero-energy home. These events are organized and run entirely by members of CEC. The first seminar in this year’s series will be held April 25. For more information, visit www.sites.google.com/site/burlingamecec.
  • Hiring a half-time Green Building Specialist to assist in educating the public about sustainability practices, particularly related to building construction, and to serve as a staff liaison to CEC.
  • Participation for two years in the Drive Less Challenge (www.drivelesschallenge.com), which encourages people to bike, walk and ride share.
  • Formation of a Green Information Group consisting of representatives from several city departments, whose charge is to promote sustainability practices within city government and work collaboratively with CEC.
  • Adoption of residential and commercial green building ordinances that require all new construction and major remodeling projects to comply with minimum green building standards.
  • Adoption of a Preferable Purchasing Policy that directs city staff to buy environmentally friendly projects when the difference in cost does not exceed 5 percent.
  • Adoption of a Bicycle Transportation Plan that identifies the best and safest routes through Burlingame, both for local travel and to connect with other routes through San Mateo County. Multiple, designated bicycle routes exist throughout the city.
  • A requirement that all major development projects include Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs.
  • Elimination of fee for solar permits to promote more solar installations.
  • Creation of a “Sustainable Burlingame” section on the city’s web site www.burlingame.org/sustainable.
  • Adoption of a water-efficiency landscape ordinance.
  • Installation of a co-generation system at the city’s wastewater treatment plant, powered by methane, that saves the city more than $105,000 a year by providing a large portion of the plant’s electrical needs.
  • Hired a consultant to assist the city’s 13 hotels in creating individual recycling programs that increased hotel diversion by an average of 37 percent.
  • Signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which pledges to advance the goals of the Kyoto Protocol.
  • Joined ICLEI (now called Local Governments for Sustainability).
  • Held two Town Hall Meetings at which dozens of residents offered suggestions for cutting carbon emissions and promoting sustainable practices.
  • Hosted a meeting on car sharing with five Enterprise Holdings (WeCar) leaders that was attended by a county supervisor, council members from three cities, and transit and environmental representatives from throughout the county.
The National Environmental Hall of Fame has given its award to more than 30 mayors and sustainability officers on behalf of their communities’ sustainability efforts, including former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, who launched the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and the mayors of Austin, Texas; Santa Fe, N.M.; Des Moines and Cedar Falls, Iowa; Springfield and Urbana, Ill.;