The City planted 80 trees at Lake Cunningham Park on October 22, 2011 with assistance from Our City Forest, Alliance for Community Trees, Siemens, and nearly 100 volunteers from the community. The tree planting was made possible through the City receiving the 2011 Siemens Sustainable Community Award which included $20,000 for trees. San José was one of three cities recognized this year, receiving an award in the “large community” category for the City’s bold Green Vision strategy. San José received the award in April 2011, at the 2011 National Conference on Corporate Community Investment in Philadelphia. Created in 2008 by the U.S. Chamber Business Civic Leadership Center and Siemens Corporation, the Sustainable Community Awards are given to communities in the United States that are taking proactive steps to improve quality of life, be a steward of the environment and increase the ability to sustain a successful community for generations to come. To learn more about the award, please visit the Sustainable Community Award website.

The San José Department of Transportation’s $2.4 million repaving and rehabilitation project of Monterey Road is slated to be completed before the end of 2011, and will be a welcome relief for residents who travel the 2.2 miles from Blossom Hill to Bernal Road. What’s unique about this project is new technology called “cold in-place recycling”. This new method will save 23% of the project cost compared to the old method, plus eliminate 1,400 truck loads of material hauling.  The rubberized asphalt wear course will reuse 17,000 old tires, keeping them out of landfills. To measure the project’s environmental savings even more, San Jose signed on to be the first “Greenroads” rated project in California.  Points are assigned for efforts such as noise pollution control, pedestrian access, and reuse of pavement.  Energy efficiency is a category that will see installation of 105 LED streetlights along the corridor, improving lighting and using 60% less energy. The “green” lessons learned in this project will be applied to San José’s future street maintenance projects, and will allow us to do more with less. For more information see the Greenroads web site: http://www.greenroads.org/

On September 2, Armageddon Energy debuted a 1kW AC system at San Jose City Hall. The SolarClover™ system is a modularsolar energy system that features lightweight polymer solar panels and can be easily installed by non-specialists, including electricians, roofers and general contractors, and reduces the cost of installing a residential solar system. It is scheduled for widespread consumer release next summer and a limited version 1 release beginning in November. The installation of the SolarClover™ system, which resembles the shape of a clover, is part of the San Jose Green Vision Demonstration Partnership Policy, a framework for forming strategic partnerships with public and private entities to satisfy key Green Vision goals, an ambitious set of ten goals that addresses economic development and mitigates climate change. To learn more, please click here to download the press release.

San José has secured funds through three competitive grant programs to advance development of trail systems across the City. California’s Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program will contribute $350,000 to budgeted City funds for the design and construction of 1.1 mile of paved trail along Coyote Creek, from the Highway 237 Bikeway to Tasman Drive. The Santa Clara Valley Water District is providing $450,000 towards repair and conversion of a railway trestle over Los Gatos Creek for interconnectivity between the existing Los Gatos Creek Trail and the future Three Creeks Trail system. The grant also supports installation of interim signage and fencing along one mile of property being acquired for the Three Creeks Trail system. California’s Habitat Conservation Fund is providing $200,000 to be combined with City funds for design and construction of 0.7 mile of paved trail along Thompson Creek, from Tully Road to Quimby. To learn more about the Trail network, please visit the San José Trails website.

The City of San José is considering ways to reduce disposable food ware litter and keep our creeks clean. We want to hear your ideas and will host several meetings with restaurant, cafeteria, and food truck representatives, recyclers, makers of food ware, consumers, and community members. Visit the GREEN TO GO website to find the schedule for public meetings or take the survey.

During the thirteen Summer Concert Series events at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, the Valet Bike Parking program parked 2,675 bikes, averaging more than 200 bikes per show.  The City of San José partnered with Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition to provide this free service; facilitating more biking and less driving to downtown events! Please see the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition website to learn more about their programs and upcoming events.

Our City Forest is offering a new free trees program! You can get a tree for your front and back yards, business, church, complex and more! No permits are required. Limited time --- first come first serve. Click here to see pictures and information about the trees that are available for this exciting new program. Make sure that the tree(s) you want will be a good fit for the available space by checking out the planting location guidelines. Download and fill out the tree application --- to submit automatically. For more information about trees for private property, call (408)998-7337 x124 or email communityplanting@ourcityforest.org.

On Saturday, April 30, over 700 community members attended the City's Solar and Energy Efficiency Fair at the Green Vision Clean Energy Showcase to learn about how to save on their utility bills and solar installations. The event featured product vendors, energy workshops, and self-guided tours. The Showcase is the first outdoor demonstration site of large scale, cutting-edge solar, wind, electric vehicle and energy efficiency technologies in the United States and is funded through donations and a Department of Energy Solar America Cities grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Additional opportunities to educate consumers about clean energy solutions and workforce training are available at the Showcase through December 2011. To learn more please see the Showcase Website.

On April 29, nearly 1,000 people attended the Earth and Sun celebration entitled Bright Green Day that was held at the City Hall Plaza! The zero-waste event included an array of activities including nine local food trucks, an electric vehicle display, environmental workshops, music performances, eco-face painting, a community art canvas, tours of the Clean Energy Showcase, a 22-foot interactive Earth Balloon, and a reusable bag challenge. The event showcased collective efforts of the City and the broader community, including 45 local non-profit organizations and businesses, in advancing San José’s Green Vision. The event was funded by the Department of Energy/Solar America Communities Program and through generous donations from Nissan, SunPower, Silicon Valley Community Newspapers, World Centric, General Motors, Pacific Gas & Electric, SolarCity, Vectrix/Wattco and others.

On April 27, Mayor Reed, DRI Energy and SunEdison celebrated the activation of a 1.24MW solar deployment at the city’s Central Service Yard located at 1661 Senter Road. Comprised of more than 5,300 photovoltaic solar panels and deployed on the rooftops and new parking canopies at the city’s Central Service Yard, the solar power systems are expected to generate more than 1.8 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity in the first year alone and more than 33 million kWh over 20 years. The city will use all of the energy produced to offset demand for this facility from the grid. To learn more, please click here to download the press release.

The San José/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant (Plant) has completed installation of over 100 Beta Acuity Light-emitting Diode (LED) streetlights designed to save energy and money. The Plant is the largest energy user among municipal facilities, and though the Plant generates approximately two-thirds of its own power, all energy demand savings help the Plant move towards its goal of being energy self-sufficient. Since the Plant is a 24/7 operation with the lights on every night, savings from the LEDs will add up quickly. Installation of the LEDs, completed by the Treatment Plant’s own electrical personnel, also help the City move toward its Green Vision goal of replacing 100% of its streetlights with Smart, Zero-emission lighting. To learn more, please click here to download a flyer about San José's LED Streetlight Conversion Program.

On March 25, over 50 representatives from banks, corporations, and local municipalities attended a workshop at City Hall to learn about SunShares, a first-of-its-kind residential solar group-buy model that companies and local governments can replicate with financial institutions to encourage solar energy installations for their employees. The model was piloted in 2010 for City of San José employees and retirees through the Department of Energy’s Solar America Cities program, in which 39 City employees and retirees were able to negotiate more than 40 percent off retail solar power rates and receive competitive financing from the San José Credit Union. The City of San José has partnered with the Bay Area Climate Collaborative (BACC) to launch the SunShares program more broadly. This partnership will assist member organizations to coordinate employee group buys with special financing options provided by the Technology Credit Union. To learn more, please click here to download the SunShares brochure. 

On March 22, 2011, San Jose City Council approved the 2010 Green Vision Annual Report and the 2011 Work Plan priorities and implementation framework. Key goals for 2011 include: advancing the installation of solar at City facilities, completing identified waste to energy projects, and completing energy audits for City facilities and beginning energy efficiency improvements. To view the Annual Report and the City Council Presentation, please visit the  Green Vision Reports & Publications webpage. 

Terminal B Concourse and the adjoining Terminal B at Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) has each achieved LEED® Silver certification from the US Green Building Council in recognition of the airport’s significant commitment to environmentally sustainable design and construction. With a bold architectural design that expresses the innovative spirit of the Silicon Valley region, the 380,000-square-foot, $342 million Terminal B Concourse was the first major element of SJC’s comprehensive $1.3 billion modernization program that is now substantially complete. Adjoining Terminal B was designed and built as a separate building, but has also achived LEED® Silver certification as the buildings were successfully integrated as a unified building and fully opened for service on June 30, 2010. To learn more, please visit the San Jose Mineta Airport website.