Greening Cerritos

By Jonathan Ho and Jonathan Liang

Thousands of dollars in incentives and green energy savings are just part of the benefits Cerritos businesses and residents can obtain through the Voluntary Green Development Program (VGDP) recently approved by the Cerritos City Council. The program stemmed from the City of Cerritos commitment to protect the environment and promote sustainability and aims to provide comprehensive information on the City’s
website, which explains green "building" and the incentives of the Green Development program.
“After the approval of the program, the City Council anticipates residents and businesses who wish to practice green development techniques, but who may not have had reliable and useful information available, could utilize the program as a resource and informational guide in using green building techniques,” said Torrey Contreras, the Director of Community Development. “The City Council] hopes to encourage better environmental design and construction through program incentives and a recognition program.”
Since buildings constructed through current practices account for 39 percent of total energy use, 12 percent of total water consumption, and 38 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in the US, Cerritos has developed the VGDP to combat this problem.
Build it Green, a non-profit organization, explains that green building is a building practice to help increase efficiency with natural resources and establish energy efficient buildings. Such practices include taking advantage of the sun for heat, power, and light. It also calls for the incorporation of salvaged materials, the use of native, drought tolerant plants, and the application of shading elements.
Energy efficiency is the most important aspect of building green. Installing solar panels and low energy-using major appliances are a few methods of this feature help to reduce the potential of energy supply interruptions and the need for new power plants. Indoor air quality is another element to consider for building green. Poor indoor air quality is a result of moisture infiltration and poor maintenance and can emit volatile organic compounds.
These problems can be improved by some simple steps, such as installing permanent front door walk-off mats to reduce indoor dust and ensuring that gas appliances have their own exhaust fans routing towards the exterior of the residence. Another important step in building green is resource conservation, which ensures more efficient building practices, especially when using wood, water, metal, and fossil fuels.
Resource conservation starts with reusing and recycling old construction and demolition waste while also diverting project demolition and construction waste from landfills. It also includes using durable roofing materials that have 40-50 year warranties and using recycled materials for counter tops and walkways.
Resource conservation involves efficient water management with methods such as installing low or dual flush toilets, plumbing fixtures with below standard flow rates, and on- site water retention systems. With these resources, there are many ways that residents and businesses are able to obtain incentives. Not only does building green help the city and environment, but it also helps businesses and residents save money through incentives.
To further promote building green, the Cerritos City Council will provide incentives based upon on a structured basis, the LEED Certification Project. It is a four tiered system that, from lowest to highest, is ordered as certified, silver, gold, and platinum. The permits and plan check fees will be waived by 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% respectively. Incentives for the LEED Project include waivers for the Development Code, Conditional Use Permit, Precise Plan, and Subdivision and Parcel Maps.
Residential and business rebates are also available through Southern California Edison and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Southern California Edison provides Energy In-Home Surveys to present suggestions for making a home more energy efficient. Some rebates such as the Energy Efficient Evaporative Cooling Rebate gives reimbursements of up to $600. The California Solar Incentives also provide monetary stimulus based upon the characteristics of the installation and the watts generated. The Water District provides incentives through its Social Water Smart Program. As such, it provides rebates that start at $100 for highly efficient toilets and $85 for highly efficient washers.
The VGDP is a new way for the City of Cerritos to "go green." It structures such projects to be more efficient and clearer than before. The City Council expresses its enthusiasm for the VGDP and hopes that this program will encourage the city to be more environmentally friendly.
Contreras said, “Green Cerritos encourages the development of environmentally friendly buildings by providing information on the City's web site on what green development is, why green development is important and beneficial to the community, methods and techniques for green development, and information on resources, rebate programs, and incentives.”
For more information visit http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cominfo/business/green_cerritos.html