San José is now offering an incentive to encourage residents and businesses to install solar by paying the permitting costs for a limited time. Using grant funds from the Department of Energy, the City will pay $309 for a residential solar installation and $1,340 for a commercial installation. This is the full cost of a permit for the majority of installations. This incentive is available until June 30, 2012 or until all available funds are gone, and is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Solar installations must be within San José city limits. To learn more, please see the linked Press Release.

On April 19th, 2012, the City of San José celebrated Earth Day at San José State University, with a variety of entertainment and activities from over 80 community organizations, public agencies, and businesses. It was a first-ever collaborative effort between the City and the University to host Earth Day together. The event was a huge success with over 2,000 people in attendance. Highlights of the day included a hybrid/electric vehicle display, food trucks, and an Environmental Careers panel discussion. This year’s Earth Day focused on building environmental awareness among university students and City employees, promoting local businesses and organizations, and providing resources to all attendees to continue Earth Day all year round. To learn more please visit the SJSU Enviromental Resource Center webpage.

On March 20, 2012, San José City Council approved the 2011 Green Vision Annual Report. The Report outlines the progress made on the implementation of the Green Vision and highlights accomplishments and strategic direction and 2012 work plan for each of the goals. To view the Annual Report and the City Council Presentation, please visit the  Green Vision Reports & Publications webpage.

The City of San José, long a center of technology innovation, is now leading the way with innovative financing by closing an approximately $27 million New Markets Tax Credits financing transaction to complete construction of the new San José Environmental Innovation Center (EIC) – a premier demonstration facility for emerging clean technology companies, a construction materials store called the ReStore, and a household hazardous waste facility. To learn more, please see the Project Summary and Press Release.

San José customers are now shopping greener than ever! Since, January 1, 2012, all grocery and retail stores in San José can no longer provide single-use carryout bags at checkout. Of the plastic bags collected at curbside, only 4% are recycled, the rest are landfilled or become litter, which impairs our streets, creek and oceans. The City of San José no longer collects plastic bags at curbside for recycling because single-use plastic carryout bags interfere with the recycling facility’s machinery and often jam the screens used to separate materials, which is expensive to repair. The City estimates the cost at $1 million a year. Consumers can either bring reusable bags or purchase recycled paper bags. To learn more, please visit the Bring Your Own Bag webpage.