Winter 2011

In November, California voters soundly rejected Prop. 23, a ballot initiative that would have rolled back regulations arising from AB 32, the landmark greenhouse gas emissions reduction law that has positioned California as a worldwide leader in green policy and technology. In December, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved one of the most significant portions of AB 32’s policy mechanisms—cap-and-trade regulation for business and industry.

On Dec. 13, 2010, the newly-created Plug-In Vehicle Collaborative released a report called, “Taking Charge: Establishing California Leadership in the Plug-in Electric Vehicle Marketplace.” The report includes 30 suggested actions to develop an electrified transportation system in California. VerdeX presents excerpts from a series of presentations at a press conference at Universal Studios announcing the Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative and the report.

While large cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco get a lot of attention for their efforts in greening operations and infrastructure, smaller cities around the state of California have been quietly making strides in adopting innovative technologies and policies at the local level. One such innovative city is Huntington Beach. In order to detail the programs and technologies enabling this local success story, VerdeX was pleased to speak with Huntington Beach Energy Project Manager Aaron Klemm.

When the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) launched a $1.2 billion building program in 2001, green building and sustainability were not nearly the industry buzz words that they are today. Now, with LACCD’s program continuing through 2015 and spending $6 billion, LACCD has consistently set the market for green products and can claim game-changing impacts on sustainability practices in the building industry.

With its headquarters in California, ZAP Electric Vehicles made business history last month when it announced that it had gained approval from the Chinese government to acquire Jonway Automotive, becoming the first American company to have controlling interest in a Chinese automotive manufacturer. With this powerful foothold into the Chinese market, ZAP Electric Vehicles, whose stock price has soared since, is revolutionizing the automotive market by delivering a variety of affordable electric cars to the market.

With the November election in the rear view mirror and a new governor set to take office, VerdeX presents the following Clean Energy Jobs Plan, which was released recently by Jerry Brown, the current state attorney general and the governor-elect.

Since arriving as the dean of the USC School of Architecture in 2007, Qingyun Ma has set an aggressive agenda for expanding the scope and skill set of the students and faculty of the architectural school. Three years later, Dean Ma continues to focus on integrating technology and sustainability, while organizing workshops around the world—establishing USC as a world class school of architecture.

Andy Lipkis, founder and president of TreePeople, details one of his projects, the Elmer Avenue Project in Los Angeles, which blueprints TreePeople’s 40-year history of proving the feasibility of new types of infrastructure development that simultaneously mimic natural processes and benefit the environment.