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| The Coachella Valley's Top Sustainable Accomplishments for 2008 |
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By Thom Gottberg (1-2-09)
2. Vista Dunes Courtyard Homes in La Quinta is the first low-Income housing project in the nation to achieve LEED Platinum Certification. The 80-unit complex will eventually house over 300 residences. The $36+ million dollar project came from the efforts of the City of La Quinta Redevelopment Agency for the purpose of eliminating a blighted property and increasing the community's supply of affordable housing. This is a remarkable project and is a great example of how a government agency can help pave the way for a sustainable future and meet the needs of the community. 3. Palm Springs Sustainability Summit allowed Palm Springs to take a giant leap forward in 2008 toward a sustainable community. It largely started when Mayor Steve Pougnet announced that he wanted Palm Springs to be the “Sustainable Capital of the Country”. To work towards that goal, the City of Palm Springs held their first Sustainability Summit in November featuring four days of activities, presentations and workshops that included residents, businesses, neighborhoods, local organizations and agencies, as well as a free public lecture by world famous sustainability expert and environmentalist, Dr. David Suzuki. The City also hired a consulting firm to guide the process to develop a Sustainable Master Plan. Hats off to the City of Palm Springs and the passion we are seeing from Mayor Steve Pougnet with regarding to becoming one of the leading green/sustainable cities in the nation. 4. The Henderson Community Building in Palm Desert opened in 2008 and is scheduled for LEED “silver” certification. The Henderson Building is home to the Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce and is the city's second LEED “silver” certified building. The 5,726 square foot building features thermal-insulated concrete walls that are partially earth covered and has a unique flowing design by Patel Architecture of Rancho Mirage. Take a moment and check this beautiful building along with the Palm Desert Visitor's Center that was their first LEED certified building. 5. The Desert Lyceum Summit on Energy, Environment and Economic Change was held in Indian Wells on April 25, 2008. I attend this inaugural event and found it to be informative and inspirational. Even more importantly, the format was exceptional for bringing together the collective energy and creativity from as many sources as possible. Attending were government officials including a number of city mayors, a variety of business owners and entrepreneurs, utility agencies, educators and the general public. Carolyn Stark, the co-chair for the Desert Lyceum and the Executive Director of the University of California, Palm Desert expressed it best when she said “Our goal is to bring the public into our dialogue to discuss and debate ideas that will lead to our entire valley working together to become cleaner, greener and more prosperous”. In my opinion the goal of this Summit was met and I truly hope that this event continues so we can strengthen our collective efforts for a cleaner and greener Coachella Valley. More information about the Desert Lyceum Summit go to www.desertlyceum.org 6. Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Plan was finally approved after 14 years in the making. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued the final permit on October 1, 2008. The Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (CVMSHCP) is the plan that attempts to balance the needs of business and population growth, along side responsible conservation in the valley. In addition to laying out an approved plan for the conservation needs of the Coachella Valley, this approval will now take away many of the environmental impact uncertainties that block future growth and development in the CV. In exchange for a streamlined permitting process, a habitat mitigation fee of $5,730 per acre, or $1,284 per residential unit for 1 to 8 units, is required from all new development projects. The funds raised will then be used to administer the plan and buy property in conserved areas to complete the reserve system planned for conservation. For more information about CVMSHCP go to www.cvmshcp.org 7. Cal State San Bernardino opens Palm Desert Health Sciences Building. The newest addition to the CSU San Bernardino Campus in Palm Desert was dedicated on October 16, 2008 and was designed to achieve LEED “gold” certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The 23,000 square foot facility included using more than 64 tons of recycled materials in the construction process, plus managing up to 90 percent of the construction debris to be recycled and diverted from landfills. Approximately 500 solar panels will also be installed to produce approximately 40% or more of campus daytime electrical needs. Waterless urinals and low-flow toilets were also installed. Built to be highly energy efficient and environmentally responsible, this is another great example of how the Coachella Valley is leading the way for a more sustainable future. Obviously there were more green stories here in the desert for 2008 but I believe these are the most outstanding and deserve this further recognition. May 2009 be an even more amazing year for creating green in the Coachella Valley.
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