Jared Blumenfeld: World Environment Day 2005

When San Franciscans think about the environment, they often think they have to leave the City to get to it. Truth is, when it comes to our health, economy and well-being, the City is our environment. And it's the same the world over.

For the first time in history, the majority of the world's people live in cities. Cities use 75 percent of the world's natural resources - and discharge 75 percent of the waste. Today, cities are tackling the world's most complex environmental challenges. Successful environmental solutions will have to engage cities in the process.

The importance of cities to global environmental health is why promoters of the United Nations World Environment Day (WED) chose "Green Cities: Where the Future Lives" as its theme this year. World Environment Day is celebrated every June in more than 100 countries where governments, individuals, organizations and businesses participate in activities aimed at improving the environment. Each year, the United Nations selects a major city to host the celebrations. For the first time in the event's 35-year history, United Nations World Environment Day selected a U.S. city to be the global host: San Francisco.

San Francisco and its metropolitan Bay Area, with more than seven million inhabitants, can be counted among the world's mega-cities. And while we can benefit from the environmental lessons of others, we also have much to share. 

At 63 percent total recycling, no other U.S. city of comparable density saves as much material from landfills as San Francisco. The City has nearly 1,000 vehicles in its clean air fleet, establishing us as a leader in alternative fuel vehicle technology. We are leaders too in energy conservation and renewable energy, with municipal funding sources in place to underwrite solar panels and a program to test the viability of non-polluting tidal power. Our landmark environmental policies serve as models, nationally and internationally.  

To that end, San Francisco's World Environment Day 2005 will bring together mayors of the world's largest and most environmentally significant cities to share best practices, establish universal benchmarks of urban environmental progress and identify the tools needed to achieve the targets. This collaborative process will be formalized as the San Francisco Urban Environmental Accords and may be the greatest legacy of San Francisco's turn as WED host.

But there is more, because WED 2005 is designed to educate and motivate all city dwellers - not simply their mayors.

Each day of the five-day event will focus on a specific environmental theme: Urban Power (energy, renewable energy sources and energy conservation); Cities on the Move (transportation); Redesigning Metropolis (waste diversion and the built environment); Pure Elements (food, water and air); and Flower Power (open space, bio-diversity and greening the urban environment).

As the biggest international environmental gathering to hit San Francisco in years, WED 2005 will present hundreds of exciting, informative cultural and recreational events. Highlights include Green Screen, an environmental film festival sponsored by San Francisco State University; California Tomorrow, a clean energy festival; and the Green Cities Expo, a three-day show featuring environmentally friendly products and services that make it easy to incorporate sustainability into everyday life. 

Come to WED 2005, June 1-5. There is bound to be something to inspire all Bay Area residents to improve the environment. The promise of World Environment Day 2005 is a healthier, greener urban life locally - and globally. It's our responsibility as citizens of San Francisco and the world to show up and take action.

Jared Blumenfeld is director of SF Department of the Environment. For a more comprehensive list of World Environment Day activities, visit WED2005.org.