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Green Expo Coming to Port of San Diego’s Port Pavilion

Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Contact: Barbara Moreno (619) 686-6216

Port’s Green Port Program to Receive Award

The Port of San Diego's greenest building will host an event designed to showcase green transportation and honor eco-friendly officials, organizations and programs.

San Diego's second annual "Celebrating Green Streets" is coming to the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier, 1000 N. Harbor Drive, on Thursday, October 27. The event, organized by Move San Diego, will feature a free expo for the public from 3 to 6 p.m.

Prizes, including a year's worth of free transit from the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, will be raffled to the first 100 entrants. Attendees can also see the latest in green transportation options, including bicycles and electric cars.

There will also be information exhibits from CalTrans, the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, San Diego Gas & Electric, the California Center for Sustainable Energy and the Port of San Diego.

A cocktail reception and awards ceremony will also take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase online for $75 each.

During that event, Chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners Scott Peters will accept an award for the Port of San Diego's Green Port program. The award is for the port's commitment to reducing climate emissions and promoting sustainable business practices:

• As part of its Clean Air Program, the Port of San Diego installed a $7 million shore power system at the B Street Pier Cruise Ship Terminal and the Port Pavilion. The system allows cruise ships to shut down their diesel engines while at the dock and plug-in to an electrical source on shore. Each day a cruise ship uses the shore power system while docked, it prevents about one ton of pollutants from entering the air. The San Diego Air Pollution Control District provided a $2.4 million Carl Moyer Program grant for the installation of the system.
• The port is working with member cities and other agencies in the development of a Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Plan to address climate change and the environmental impact of sea level rise, an issue crucial to all ports.
• The Port of San Diego kicked off its Green Business Challenge in January 2011. San Diego is the first jurisdiction on the West Coast to host the Challenge, which promotes business practices that reduce energy consumption, water use waste as well as to prevent pollution. Fifty-four port tenant businesses are participating.
• The Port's Commuter Assistance Program provides 100 percent reimbursement of bus, train and trolley passes to its employees who commute to and from work using public transportation.

The Port Pavilion, the venue location, which opened in December 2010, has been certified as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold-certified building.

The certification, given by the U.S. Green Building Council, is a tool used in projects aimed at reducing the environmental impact of a building during design, construction and operation. The Port Pavilion includes environmentally beneficial features such as solar panels, water efficient fixtures, low volatile organic compound (VOC) paints and adhesives.

As an environmental steward of San Diego Bay, the port protects San Diego Bay and the surrounding land. It has established a Green Port program to minimize its environmental footprint, and established an environmental fund, which has helped fund more than 60 projects around port tidelands.

The Port of San Diego was created by state legislature in 1962 and is responsible for $1.7 billion in public improvements in its five member cities: Imperial Beach, San Diego, Coronado, Chula Vista and National City.

The Port oversees two maritime cargo terminals, two cruise ship terminals, 17 public parks, the Harbor Police Department and the leases of more than 600 tenant and sub tenant businesses around San Diego Bay.