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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-07-19 City CouncilCity of Palo Alto City, Manager’s Report TO: FROM: HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL CITY MANAGER 5 DEPARTMENT:FIRE DATE:JULY 19, 1999 CMR: 284:99 SUBJECT:RESOLUTION ACKNOWLEDGING PARTNERSHIP IN THE SANTA CLARA COUNTY GREEN BUSINESS PROGRAM AND ADOPTING THE GREEN GOVERNMENT PLEDGE REPORT IN BRIEF This report requests Council to approve a resolution acknowledging City participation in the Santa Clara County Green Business Program and adopting the Green Government Pledge. It includes a description of the County Green Business program, a copy of the Green Govemment Pledge, and a copy of the County Resolution commending the City of Palo Alto for its participation. This voluntary program is intended to promote and assist businesses in achieving a higher level of environmental performance, to foster improved relations and to create a more coordinated compliance and pollution prevention/resource conservation process between the City and the business community. Fire prepared this report because the staff person at the Water Quality Control Plant assigned this project recently left the City and because the City’s Environmental Protection Coordinator is assigned to Fire. The report has been coordinated with staff from Public Works and Utilities. CMR 284:99 Page 1 of 6 RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that Council approve the attached resolution supporting the City’s participation in the Santa Clara County Green Business Program and adopting the Green Government Pledge. BACKGROUND The Bay Area Green Business Program (Program) is a regional effort being coordinated by the Bay Area Regional Hazardous Waste Facility Allocation Committee (originally called the Tanner Committee) in an effort to reduce hazardous waste generation in the region. This Committee is responsible for ensuring a regional balance between the areas that generate hazardous waste and the areas that treat and dispose of it. The Program is a logical outgrowth of the work of this Committee because it may result in a net reduction in the amount of hazardous wastes generated. The Program is intended to promote and assist businesses in achieving a higher level of environmental performance. The Program requires environmental compliance and sets standards for pollution prevention and resource conservation. The pollution prevention/resource conservation standards are largely based on those developed by Santa Clara County in cooperation with local agencies and businesses under a State grant. The objective of the Program is to encourage the use of environmentally responsible business practices through market-based and educational incentives. This approach is in direct response to business concerns expressed that making the extra effort to be in compliance and proactive environmentally offered no additional marketing advantage as clients could not distinguish their operations from less environmentally sound operations. The Program will identify environmentally responsible businesses and make them highly visible to the public to increase their marketing advantage (through publicity, identifying logo, etc.). It will also provide information, resources and assistance for implementing practices that often save money while improving environmental protection. Though the Program is geared towards smaller businesses with direct public interface, other types of businesses can also benefit from improved public image and/or demonstration of environmental proficiency in business-to-business client relationships. An additional benefit, proven in other jurisdictions, is the fostering of improved relations and a more coordinated process among government agencies, as well ag between agencies and businesses. The Program also represents an opportunity to provide a single vehicle for delivery and implementation of multiple environmental program objectives, including environmental compliance, pollution prevention, solid waste reduction/recycling and water and energy conservation. This approach helps companies take a comprehensive approach to environmental responsibilities, reduces competition for attention from various environmental agencies, and may alleviate public confusion resulting from a proliferation of individual recognition programs. CMR 284:99 Page 2 of 6 Key aspects of the Program are that it is voluntary, that it utilizes the existing environmental agencies structure, and that both environmental compliance and achievement of pollution prevention/resource conservation standards is verified by the Program and partnering agencies. The Program also provides the public with an active role in enhancing environmental quality by supporting Green Businesses in their community. Though the Program framework and standards have been set at a regional level, implementation is managed at the local level, with great flexibility in how it is accomplished. Generally a county agency acts as the lead coordinating entity, with local agencies partnering in implementation. The Program is currently being implemented in Alameda, Napa, Contra Costa and Santa Clara Counties. Regional agencies/organizations which support the Bay Area Green Business Program with funding, resources, or commitments to cooperate in implementation include the California Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Pacific Gas and Electric, and several trade associations. Santa Clara County’s program is being implemented consistent with the Association of Bay Area Governments Committee’s Bay Area-wide Program design and will benefit from the Bay Area Green Business Program’s publicity and materials. Palo Alto City staff from Public Works, Utilities and Fire participated with staff from San Jose, Gilroy and the County in the development of the Santa Clara County Program to ensure maximum benefit to the community with minimal impact on City staff. Council member Dena Mossar expressed support of the development of this program in a June 1998 letter to Supervisor Simitian. (Copy attached) DISCUSSION Santa Clara County’s Green Business Program In 1998, at the recommendation of the Santa Clara County Pollution Prevention Committee, the County asked local cities if they would like to participate in and fund implementation of the Bay Area Green Business Program in Santa Clara county. San Jose, Gilroy, and Palo Alto agreed to participate. The City of Morgan Hill currently implements its own Green Business Program and will coordinate with the County. The County Pollution Prevention Program is acting as the lead agency in coordinating the county wide effort for participating cities and the unincorporated areas. City and other local environmental agencies/organizations are cooperating partners with the County in implementing the Program. At the County’s request, Palo Alto agreed to have a $3600 payment previously made by Palo Alto for other County-wide hazardous waste programs diverted to the Green Business Program in FY 1998/1999. CMR 284:99 Page 3 of 6 Green Business Pledge for Governments To be consistent with expectations for participating business, the Program also sets expectations for participating governments to strive to enhance the government business interface and lead by example through improving government’s own environmental performance. Palo Alto has an enviable record of environmentally related improvement efforts including award winning and innovative Source Control and Non Point Source Control Programs, Recycling Programs, Employee Commuting Incentive Programs, and public and business educational programs, to name a few. The Bay Area Green Business Program requires participating businesses to adopt a Green Business Pledge (attached). Businesses involved in the development of Program guidelines suggested that participating governments should also adopt a similar pledge. Attached is the Green Government Pledge that each agency participating in the Bay Area Green Business Program is therefore required to adopt. Its meaning for the City of Palo Alto is: (1)That the City agrees to continue to work cooperatively with the other inspection, pollution prevention, and resource conservation agencies involved in the program; and (2)that the City agrees to continue to work in a cooperative, educative manner with businesses. The role of the existing outreach programs will only slightly expand, if at all. It is likely that one benefit of the Program will be to focus the time and expertise of outreach program staff on facilities more likely to benefit from their expertise. RESOURCE IMPACT Actions taken to support the County’s Green Business Program are not expected to result in additional costs to the City. Additional stafftime is expected to be minimal. Procedural and policy changes will be low or no cost and can be accommodated within existing departmental budgets. Staff will monitor time and costs related to the Program to determine the impacts of participation. Initial projections for the Program are that there will be minimal impact to the City. Staff anticipates that less than 25 businesses from Palo Alto will participate during the first year. The role of the regulatory compliance programs (Hazardous Materials in Fire and Source Control in Public Works) will be limited to verifying that interested businesses were in compliance at the time of their last inspection, or that any observed violations were minor and were corrected in a timely manner. Staff believes that in a very few cases, scheduled inspections may need to be moved up a few weeks to accommodate the Program evaluation CMR 284:99 Page 4 of 6 of a business. However, in the majority of cases, if the inspection was conducted within 6 to 9 months of the request to become a Green Business, staff would simply indicate the status of the facility at the last inspection. POLICY IMPLICATIONS The re.commendation is consistent with Council direction and past policy. The City of Palo Alto has demonstrated leadership in and has been an advocate of environmental awareness and protection for many years. City staff has worked to educate the public and businesses in Palo Alto of laws, regulations, and methods necessary to protect the environment. Staff has led and participated in many efforts to develop new protection methods, from ordinances regulating discharges to the Regional Water Quality Control Plant and storage practices for hazardous materials to waste reduction and recycling management practices which can offer improved alternatives to "the way it’s always been done." Most recently, the City Council adopted a proclamation in April directing staff to develop a Strategic Environmental Management Plan for the City which will bring together and enhance the environmental components of the Comprehensive Plan. Palo Alto has developed outreach programs in different departments including Utilities and Public Works to assist residents and businesses in becoming more environmentally conscious regarding their activities. Becoming a partner in the Green Business Program and adopting the Green Government Pledge is consistent with the City’s past practices and current philosophy. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW This is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). ATTACHMENTS 1 2 3 4 5 Resolution Green Business Pledge Green Government Pledge plaque Santa Clara County Resolution of Commendation Letter from Council Member Dena Mossar CMR 284:99 Page 5 of 6 PREPARED BY: Dan Firth, Environmental Protection Coordinator DEPARTMENT HEAD: RUBEN ~/)~IJALV~ Fire Chiff~/ CITY MANAGER APPROVAL :~). ~-J~ EMiLS-HARRISON Assistant City Manager CMR 284:99 Page 6 of 6 RESOLUTION NO. RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO RESOLVING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SANTA CLARA COUNTY ~GREEN BUSINESS PROGRAM" AND ADOPTING "GREEN GOVERNMENT PLEDGE" WHEREAS, the City of Palo Alto believes that a healthy economy depends on a healthy environment, and also that a healthy environment depends on a healthy economy; WHEREAS, it is important for all City of Palo Alto employees, citizens and businesses to conserve natural resources, save energy, and prevent waste to protect our environment and also save money through increased efficiencies; WHEREAS, working cooperatively with other government entities, the business community, and the public will be more effective in helping to achieve common environmental goals; and NOW, THEREFORE, the Council of the City of Palo Alto does hereby RESOLVE as follows: SECTION I.The Council hereby acknowledge its participation in the Santa Clara County Green Business Program, adopts the attached Green Government Pledge and fully encourages and supports the City’s continued leadership in seeking new opportunities to set an example and enhance business services, intergovernmental relations, public education, and environmentally quality for all. SECTION 2. The Council finds that the adoption of this resolution is not a project under the CEQA Guidelines and, therefore, no environmental review is required. INTRODUCED AND PASSED: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTENTIONS: ATTEST:APPROVED: City Clerk Mayor APPROVED AS TO FORM:City Manager Senior Asst. City Attorney Director of Administrative Services Fire Chief 990630 syn 0043762 Green Business Pledge ATTACHMENT 2 We believe a successful business is dependant on a healthy environment. We are actively working to show our environmental responsibility to our community by committing to the following objectives: To comply with all applicable regulations and strive to exceed compliance To conserve energy, water, materials, and other resources To develop and implement practices that prevent pollution and waste To be an environmentally responsible business within our community ATTACHMENT 3 BAY AREA GREEN BUSINESS PROGRAM GREEN GOVERNMENT PLEDGE We believe a healthy environment depends upon a healthy economy. We are actively working to show our environmental responsibility to our community through leading by example, and committing to the following objectives: To work with business and coordinate with local, state and federal regulators to achieve the objectives of the Green Business Program. To agree to a common set of Green Business environmental standards for the business community. Program To provide business with technical assistance and guidance to achieve these environmental standards. To support the conservation of energy water, materials and other natural resources. To work with business to educate and inform the public regarding the business Program. 990630 syn 0043762 ATTACHMENT 4 711EIiF~,"-’ " ......" "-" ......"-’" " ........ .." " ~ :" ’- -,’-. -"" - CITY ’A~EI) AND A~Ol~’l(ll, lhi~ ~0d~ D,~X 0f April, Ni~e~ Original size of commendation: 13" x 15" . .C_ i_ ty_ 9_ .f .pal o Alto Office of the Mayor and Ciad Council ATTACHMENT 5 June 5, 1998 Supervisor Joseph Simitian County of Santa Clara Office of the Board of Supervisors County Government Center, East Wing 70 West Hedding Street, 10~’ Floor San Jose, CA 95110 Dear Supervisor Simitian: Your February 4, 1998 letter described the emerging Green Business Program which the Santa Clara County Pollution Prevention (P2) Committee is proposing to implement locally. Implementation by Santa Clara County would make the new Bay Area-wide recognition program available to our proactive businesses and help build a program currently being piloted in several counties, We support this program and will make the $3,600 available that your letter requested, Public recognition, of businesses that provide leadership by demonstrating environmentally sound practices provides an incentive for others, As you pointed out, encouraging such leadership contributes to the sustainability of our natural environment as well as the economic vitality of our community, Substituting this program for programs previously fimded by Palo Alto is a good approach. While our budget would not allow a substantial increase in funding for countywide pollutiofi prevention programs, this substitution is workable. As the Green Business Program matures, the recognition and public awareness component of the program will become increasingly important. Public awareness programs can be expensive and this element does not appear to be covered by the County budget. We suggest that a strategy be developed at the Bay Area- wide level for a recognition and awareness campaign and that funding be located. I look forward to working with you on this and other Pollution Prevent,ion Programs. Sincerely, Dena Mossar City Council P.O. Ik~x 10250 Pak~ Alto, CA94303 415.329, 2477 413.328.~(~1 Fax