San Jose - Green Vision
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San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed unveiled a 10-point "Green Vision" calling for a 50% reduction in per capita energy use and a switch to 100% renewable energy sources. Reed also calls for the construction or retrofit of 50-million-sq.-ft. of green building space - 22 times the city's current inventory of green building space. In addition, Reed envisions adding 25,000 new clean-tech jobs, mostly in the solar industry, replacing incandescent light bulbs in the city's 58,185 streetlights with solar-powered LEDs, converting waste to energy and recycling or reusing 100% of San Jose's wastewater (the city currently converts none of its waste to energy and only recycles about 10% of its wastewater). Reed says San Jose should account for 100,000 of the 1 million solar roofs the governor envisions for California, and he wants all city-owned buildings on solar power by 2022.
Green Vision Goals
Within 15 years, the City of San José in tandem with its residents and businesses will:
- Create 25,000 Clean Tech jobs at the World Center of Clean Tech Innovation
- Reduce per capita energy use by 50 percent
- Receive 100 percent of their electrical power from clean renewable sources
- Build or retrofit 50 million square feet of green buildings
- Divert 100 percent of the waste from their landfill and convert waste to energy
- Recycle or beneficially reuse 100% of their wastewater (100 million gallons per day)
- Adopt a General Plan with measurable standards for sustainable development
- Ensure that 100 percent of public fleet vehicles run on alternative fuels
- Plant 100,000 new trees and replace 100% of their streetlights with smart, zero-emission
lighting - Create 100 miles of interconnected trails