City departments have been recognized for eco-friendly
practices
Gilroy – Six city departments have been recognized by the county for eco-friendly business practices, for everything from recycling toner cartridges to installing energy efficient lighting.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Tuesday afternoon bestowed the title of “green business” on City Hall, the corporation yard, the Gilroy Senior Center, and three fire stations. The Gilroy departments were among a group of 41 new businesses and government agencies recognized countywide for eco-friendly business practices.
It is the first time the city has earned the honor, though businesses from Gilroy were among the 100-plus “green businesses” in Santa Clara County.
“I think that the city council and staff have been very much in tune with the environment and making sure we participate in programs that can help us become a green city,” Mayor Al Pinheiro said. “I think things are going forward. I’m very happy that the city is really getting involved more and more. We need to now transmit that to developers, whether it be commercial, industrial or residential projects.”
Though the city is currently working on an ordinance that would require local builders to require certain percentages of the wood, cement and other debris left over from construction, the certification awarded Tuesday was for city government efforts to protect the environment.
The list of environmentally conscious practices include installation of energy-efficient lighting and water-conserving toilets, use of rechargeable batteries and drought tolerant plants.
Though the county has traditionally award the title of “green business” to companies, more and more local governments are earning the certification as well, according to Lisa Rose, senior management analyst with the Santa Clara County Agriculture and Environmental Management Department.
“The cities help us identify businesses (for certification),” Rose said, “and they got to the point of where they said ‘We should be practicing what we preach.’ I think that we’re going to see more and more cities do this.”
