Burlingame brainstorms "green projects (by Diana Samuels, San Mateo County Times)
Burlingame's wish list of environmental projects is very dependent on another kind of green the economy.
The city's "green ribbon" environmental task force created a list of 26 proposed steps the city can take to help reduce energy emissions, and it presented them for feedback during a community workshop Saturday. Faced with a tight city budget, many of the proposed steps aim to make a change without much spending. Go with your heart, City Councilwoman Terry Nagel urged community members as they began to brainstorm greening ideas, but "also go with your head and what is most reasonable for the city to do, in our situation."
One proposal listed in Burlingame's Climate Action Plan is an ordinance that would require new residential construction to include a minimum number of green building elements.
Another would create a volunteer program to run free energy audits at homes, since PG&E offers free audits for businesses, but not residences.
Another proposal would create a financing program for green building improvements. A resident who wanted to put solar panels on his or her home, for example, could get financing for the project and pay for it gradually with a charge added to his or her property taxes.
Other proposed changes include: prioritized parking for hybrids or other alternative-fuel cars in city streets, garages and lots; encouraging higher-density and mixed-use development so people could walk to stores or work instead of driving; and offering recycling pickup every week instead of every other week.
About 20 people attended Saturday's meeting, providing feedback on the task force's proposals. One man said he was concerned that too many of the proposals were mandatory, making them too expensive. Others stressed the importance of hiring a part-time sustainability coordinator. "When you mandate something, you have to enforce it, and when you enforce it, you have to hire someone," one man said.
Nagel replied that Burlingame has to balance economic concerns while also preparing for 2020, when the state mandates that greenhouse gas emissions must be cut by 15 percent. "If we wait until the last year, it's going to be a huge change in practices," she said.
With the completion of the proposed action plan, the green task force will be disbanded and funding will end for the city's green consultant, Kathleen Gallagher.
Nagel said the city plans to form another group of community members to tackle environmental issues, but it might also be able to find grants to fund a part-time consultant.
The City Council is scheduled to hold a study session on the proposals May 18, and the climate action plan is tentatively scheduled to come before the council June 1. More information about Burlingame's environmental goals is available on the "Sustainable Burlingame" page at http://www.burlingame.org.
– Written by Fiona
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