Hoping to make Los Angeles County a national leader in “green” innovation, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas recently urged business, banking and environmental leaders from around the nation to bring novel solutions to reduce the carbon footprint and improve the region’s quality of life.
“There is no issue more inspiring, more challenging, more critical and more global than the emerging green economy,” he said at the 8th annual VerdeXchange Green Marketmakers Conference. “Businesses, environmentalists and other local leaders are stepping up to the plate with big ideas. And the threat of climate change is pushing government – at all levels – to respond and adapt to a new way of doing things.”
Ridley-Thomas pledged the County’s cooperation and dedication to creating public/private partnerships.
“The County of Los Angeles strives to be part of the solution, not part of the problem,” he said.
The Supervisor has been working with the nationwide Emerald Cities organization to develop a model workforce training program that will create a pipeline for local contractors to bid on large-scale municipal retrofit projects. In addition, he has championed the large scale adoption of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Programs so that residents and businesses will have other means for financing energy efficient improvements on their properties. He also continues to advocate for more resources to expand the County’s local transit system
A “green” economy, he noted, brings a triple bottom line including, greening communities, inspiration of a new generation of environmental stewards and making sure those green dollars stay local.
“Nothing will reduce our carbon footprint more than getting people out of their cars,” he said. “We know that what is good for the environment is good for business.”