The city of Riverside, Calif., has adopted the Clean and Green Sustainable Riverside Action Plan, a result of meetings by the city's Clean and Green Task Force, established by Riverside Mayor Ronald Loveridge in 2005. The group, made up of city staff and citizens, promotes sustainability and use of city resources in reaching certain goals.
Noting state and federal regulations and Riverside's General Plan for 2025, the Action Plan addresses seven broad categories, including energy, greenhouse gas emissions, waste reduction, urban design, urban nature, transportation and water.
Each action item will provide direct and indirect benefits to Riverside and embrace improved air quality, reduction of traffic congestion and increased accessibility and use of parks and open space, according to the city.
‘This plan is imperative to moving forward with the necessary steps we all must take as a community to ensure the environmental safety and sustainability of Riverside today and well into the future,’ says Loveridge.
Highlights of the Clean and Green Sustainable Riverside Action Plan include the adoption and implementation of a policy to increase the use of renewable energy to meet 33% of the city's electric load by 2020, promotion of Riverside as a solar city, and implementation of programs for residential and commercial customers that will increase solar generation in the city to 1 MW by 2015 and 3 MW by 2020.
Additionally, the plan would implement a climate action strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7% of the 1990 city baseline by 2012.
