The city of Chula Vista, Calif., is the first jurisdiction in San Diego County to develop a comprehensive sustainability action plan for municipal operations. The city council recently adopted a city operations sustainability plan to help reduce municipal costs, improve local environmental conditions and lead by example in the community and region. Seven key areas were identified—energy use, water use, green purchasing, waste management, pollution prevention, green buildings and infrastructure.
More than 30 sustainability strategies were also identified in the plan and include transitioning to zero-net energy design for new city buildings, expanding preferential parking for carpool and alternative fuel vehicles at municipal facilities throughout the city, integrating green specifications into procurement processes and hosting sustainability-focused trainings for employees.
Chula Vista’s sustainability plan was developed by a task force consisting of various city department staff members. The group participated in a six month Sustainability Circle training organized by True Market Solutions and sponsored by San Diego Gas & Electric.
