Riverside, Calif., Honored for Sustainable Activities

The city of Riverside, Calif., has achieved Silver status as a California Green Community (CGC) for its commitment to sustainability. Riverside is one of only four cities to be honored by the CGC for its efforts.

Representatives from the Environmental Media Assn. (EMA), Southern California Edison (SCE) and Green Seal – founding partners in CGC – will present the honor to the Riverside City Council at its meeting tomorrow.

"We created CGC to showcase what cities are doing to improve the quality of life for their residents," EMA President Debbie Levin said. "Riverside is a leader among Southern California cities that are modeling sustainable practices for others."

CGC is a community-based effort that encourages cities to adopt environmentally sound practices involving energy efficiency, waste reduction, water conservation, renewable and alternative fuels, efficient transportation and other activities. Cities develop unique action plans to identify projects and activities they will implement to reach Silver, Gold and Platinum status in the program.

To reach the Silver level, Riverside completed many initiatives, including the creation of the Whole House Rebate program, which allows customers to upgrade the efficiency of their homes through a one-stop-shop program. Other initiatives include diverting 69% of their waste through programs like multifamily recycling.

"We are delighted to be recognized by CGC with the Silver status," Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge said. "The CGC program has given us a terrific opportunity to share and learn best practices with our fellow green cities from all over the state."

Source: PRNewswire