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Chula Vista Nature Center Proud to be Green

Monday, 15 August 2011

The Chula Vista Nature Center is touted as a “living, breathing, flapping, buzzing and splashing home” to wildlife – but it can also add “green” to its descriptive list.

The nonprofit organization is among the 54 participating waterfront businesses taking part in the Port of San Diego’s Green Business Challenge. The Challenge – the first of its kind on the West Coast – is designed to promote practices that reduce energy consumption, water use, minimize waste, as well as prevent pollution.

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One of the missions of the Port of San Diego is to act as an environmental steward for San Diego Bay, protecting the bay and its resources.

"Here at the Nature Center, we're all about connecting our local community with our environment – specifically our native wildlife and plants,” said Wendy Spaulding, director of education and guest experience. “The Green Business Challenge is a really great fit, because we want to tell people how to conserve energy as well as environmental conservation. They can come here and learn about it.”

Located just six miles south of downtown San Diego, located at 1000 Gunpowder Point Drive in Chula Vista, the Nature Center combines a first class zoo and aquarium exhibits with live birds, reptiles and marine life that are native to San Diego Bay.

And some of those exhibits are being powered by green technology, including a 6 kilowatt (kWh) rooftop solar photovoltaic system.

“It helps to run the pumps for our aquariums. We also chill that water with a giant block of ice,” said Mark Valen, the Nature Center’s horticulturalist. “We also offer compost education in partnership with the city of Chula Vista. Residents can become master composters, by learning how garden at home."

The Nature Center also has energy-efficient LED lighting in most exhibits. These efforts save about 25,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year and help reduce our energy costs.

The Port’s partner in the Green Business Challenge is San Diego Gas and Electric. With their assistance, the Nature Center is promoting energy conservation opportunities with smart meters.

"This current project will help us educate 50,000 people about their new smart meters,” said Spaulding.

The Port has a partnership with KGTV Channel 10 as part of its Sustain San Diego environmental program. In working with the Port of San Diego, Channel 10 news reporter Phoebe Chongchua is providing reports on milestones from the Green Business Challenge each month.

A complete list of all participants in the Green Business Challenge is available at GreenPortChallenge.org.

The challenge is just one component of the port’s environmental initiatives. As an environmental steward of San Diego Bay, the port has established several programs to minimize its environmental footprint, as well as to protect San Diego Bay and the surrounding land.

More than 60 projects, representing a $7.3 million investment, are either underway or complete as part of the port’s Environmental Fund,. The fund was established to provide funding for the restoration or enhancement of the bay and surrounding tidelands, along with protection and enhancement of wildlife habitat.