Sustainability Actions and Accomplishments Archive

More Actions and Accomplishments

2024

Climate Action and Awareness

  • The City launched the Youth Climate Advisory Board, an advisory body of high school students dedicated to environmental sustainability and climate stewardship. The inaugural board of eleven high school students attending schools in Palo Alto convened in September 2024.
  • On April 21, 2024, the City hosted the first city-wide Palo Alto Earth Day Festival at Rinconada Library with games, giveaways, and resources to help residents and businesses take environmental action. Booths and tables included information on how to electrify your home, choose sustainable transportation, protect our water supply, live a zero waste lifestyle, and protect pollinators. Other highlights included a cooking demo with an Award-Winning Chef on an induction cooktop with back-up battery, an upcycled Art Show, and an electric waste truck.
  • Palo Alto emitted an estimated 425,910 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MT CO2e) from the residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, waste, water, and municipal sectors. In comparison to the 1990 base year emissions, that is a 46.7% decrease in total community emissions, despite a population increase of 22% during that same time period.

Energy

  • In February 2024, the City launched the Spring Forward, Ca$h Back business rebate program to encourage local businesses to participate in the Business Energy Advisor (BEA) Program. As part of the program, the City boosted all efficiency incentives by 20% for BEA customers who completed projects by May 31, 2024.
  • In September, the City launched an Emergency Water Heater Replacement program. The program helps residents replace their gas waterheater with a heat pump water heater during an emergency while restoring hot water within 48 hours.
  • The City co-sponsored Acterra's 2024 Electric Home Tour, which highlighted a variety of electric homes in Palo Alto, as well as throughout the Peninsula and South Bay. Attendees had the opportunity to explore the latest in home electrification, including heat pump water heaters, heat pumps for both heating and cooling, induction cooktops, electric dryers, fireplaces, and electric gardening tools.

Electric Vehicles

  • The City received delivery of 17 new Chevy Bolt electric vehicles, 1 Tesla Model 3, and 1 Rivian R1S, which replaced internal combustion engine fleet vehicles. There are now 35 electric vehicles (EVs) in the City fleet, or about 15% of the passenger vehicles and light duty trucks and vans.
  • There are currently 111 City-owned electric vehicle chargers, with a total of 146 charging ports. 25 of those chargers are dedicated to City vehicles, while the rest are primarily for public use.

Mobility

  • The City invited the public to review and comment on the draft Safe Streets for All Safety Action Plan (SS4A) between December 2024 and March 2025. Improving safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users is key to reducing vehicle miles traveled.
  • In another SS4A accomplishment, the City received a second grant for the plan that will be used to implement the South Palo Alto Bikeways Demonstration Project.
  • Starting in March 2024, teenagers can now ride the Palo Alto Link to specific destinations supporting teen mental health and wellbeing for free.
  • In January, City Council reviewed a Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan Update, which intends to update the plan with consideration of community needs and desires as well as recent trends in bicycling and bicycle and pedestrian planning, and design.
  • In a joint session on April 15, 2024, the Planning & Transportation Commission and the City Council readopted the sixth cycle 2023-2031Housing Element. The California Department of Housing and Community Development certified the Housing Element in August 2024.
  • The City began the Downtown Housing Plan preparation process with the goal of increasing housing while ensuring that the downtown area continues to be an attractive local and regional destination. The Plan will help implement programs of the Housing Element by establishing policies and development standards, and will plan for the public infrastructure necessary to support increased housing.
  • The City continued to lay the groundwork for commencing the San Antonio Road Area Plan process, which envisions cohesive mixed-use neighborhoods with improved mobility and interconnectivity that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.

Natural Environment

  • In February, the City launched the Canopy Tree Plotter, a collaboration with Canopy.  This online resource  enhances tree planting and tree care management, explores the benefits trees provide, and enables users to share tree stewardship activities.

Climate Adaptation and Sea Level Rise

  • In January, City Council authorized improvements to the Palo Alto Baylands as part of the Horizontal Levee Pilot Project. The horizontal levee will be a nature-based, multi-beneficial alternative to traditional greyscape solutions for wave attenuation on the bayside of a flood control levee near Byxbee Park. Since 2017, the City has collaborated with the Association of Bay Area Governments to design Palo Alto Horizontal Levee Pilot.

Zero Waste

  • The City Zero Waste  office developed a new outreach campaign to educate the community about the importance of food waste reduction and connect it to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The campaign includes a call to action (“Strategize, Organize, Prioritize”) as well as new print and electronic advertisements in the local newspapers, outreach signs for waste collection vehicles, and social media content.  A new weekly community outreach e-newsletter  – The Zero Waste Minute – also provides recipients with reduce, reuse, repair tips, and essential tools to tackle the complex waste challenges our community is dedicated to solving.   
  • Zero Waste Palo Alto launched a first of its kind outreach initiative offering waste reduction resources for businesses.
  • The City conducted proactive outreach and collaboration with project managers, helping 60 buildings complete the deconstruction process in 2024. This participation resulted in approximately 7,450 tons or 93% of the building materials being salvaged for reuse or recycling, compared with only 548 tons (7%) of materials being landfilled! Since the Deconstruction Ordinance went into effect in July 2020, over 170 buildings have gone through the deconstruction process, resulting in 20,800 tons (93%) of building materials salvaged for reuse or recycle.
  • In an important step toward consistent implementation of SB 1383 (reducing emissions through composting organic waste), the City approved a memorandum of understanding for a countywide food recovery program. The program includes a countywide edible food recovery program and sharing program costs based on the number of edible food generators within each city.

2023

Climate Action and Awareness

  • In June, City Council adopted the 2022 Sustainability and Climate Action Plan(PDF, 6MB), certified the Comprehensive Plan Environmental Impact Report Addendum: Update to the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan(PDF, 943KB), and accepted the 2023-2025 S/CAP Workplan(PDF, 741KB). The S/CAP is a roadmap to reduce the City’s and community’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while also guiding land and natural resource use to ensure quality of life for future generations.
  • Palo Alto emitted an estimated 440,705 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MT CO2e) from the residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, waste, water, and municipal sectors. In comparison to the 1990 base year emissions, that is a 44.8% decrease in total community emissions, despite a population increase of 22% during that same time period.
  • Palo Alto earned a spot on environmental impact non-profit, CDP's 2023 Cities A List for our bold leadership on climate action, ambition, and transparency. Of the almost 1,000 local governments across the globe that were scored, just 119 received an A.
  • Staff created a new interactive sustainability dashboard to show progress on our S/CAP goals. The Sustainability Dashboard is a living tool the City uses to communicate sustainability goals and progress to our community.
  • The City of Palo Alto's Office of Sustainability partnered with students from the Sustainable Cities course at Stanford University to conduct a survey to determine Palo Altan’s awareness of and ability to act on our sustainability goals.

Energy

  • In February, the Full Service Heat Pump Water Heater Pilot Program began offering free, expert help for residents to get permits, installers, and rebates worth thousands of dollars to install a better water heater.
  • In the first year of the Full Service Heat Pump Water Heater Program, 154 water heater installs were completed through the program, with another 176 installs scheduled. In addition, 44 residents have installed heat pump water heaters on their own, receiving a rebate from the City.
  • Staff began design of the first grid modernization project (upgrade of the neighborhood bounded by Highway 101, Embarcadero, Louis, and Amarillo) with construction to be completed in early 2024.  

Electric Vehicles

  • Staff held 32 Electric Vehicle (EV) and e-bike workshops and events in 2023, attracting over 1,700 attendees. Events included twelve in-person EV expos and e-bike test rides, financial incentives clinics in multiple languages, e-bike workshops, and discount campaigns.
  • As of December 2023, nine multi-family properties representing about 4% of all multi-family units in Palo Alto have installed EV chargers facilitated through the City's EV programs, with another active 17 sites in the pipeline representing 955 units, or 8% of Palo Alto multi-family units.
  • In December, Staff received delivery of 13 new Chevy Bolt Electric Vehicles, for a total of 27 EVs in the city fleet.

Mobility

  • In March, the City of Palo Alto's Office of Transportation launched Palo Alto Link - the City’s new easy, affordable, and eco-friendly rideshare service.
  • In the six months since its launch, Palo Alto Link had completed 23,700 rides with over 2,960 unique riders. These rides have led to an estimated 43% reduction in CO2 emissions assuming passengers are choosing Link in lieu of high-emissions private single occupancy vehicles to complete the same trip.
  • In May, the 2023-2031 Palo Alto Housing element was adopted by City Council. The City also initiated a Downton Housing Plan process, both of which will likely contribute to reduced vehicle miles travelled (VMT) and S/CAP Mobility goals.

Water

  • The design and finance plan for a salt removal facility for the Regional Water Quality Control Plant have been completed.  This facility will help improve the quality of the recycled water produced at the plant. In September, Council approved going out to bid for construction in 2024.

Zero Waste

2022

Climate Action and Awareness 

  • In September, City Council accepted the S/CAP Goals and Key Actions(PDF, 760KB). This document incorporates extensive community feedback and guidance from the S/CAP Ad Hoc Committee, and is meant to be a high-level road map to achieving Palo Alto's 80 x 30 goal. Council acceptance of the S/CAP Goals and Key Actions allowed staff to commence California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) evaluation of the full S/CAP.
  • Palo Alto emitted an estimated 439,212 metric tons (MT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) from the residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, waste, water, and municipal sectors. In comparison to the 1990 base year emissions, that is a 45.0% decrease in total community emissions, despite a population increase of 21.3% during that same time period.  
  • In October, City Council passed an ambitious carbon neutrality by 2030 goal, building on the City's existing goal of cutting emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2030.
  • Palo Alto earned a spot on environmental impact non-profit, CDP's 2022 Cities A List. Palo Alto is recognized as one of 122 cities on the list taking bold leadership on environmental impact and transparency. Of the over 1,000 local governments scored by CDP in 2022, only 12% received an A. A List Cities must disclose publicly through CDP-ICLEI Track and have a community-wide emissions inventory, among other actions. 
  • Palo Alto received an Honorable Mention in the “Small City Category” of the 2022 Climate Protection Awards from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The award winners are the 16th class of mayors to be honored for successful local climate action, changing how energy is used and produced in cities resulting in reduced carbon use and emissions. Palo Alto’s mayor received the award at the U.S. Conference of Mayor’s 90th Annual meeting in Reno, Nevada on June 3 and spoke on the panel, EVs and Cities: Early Lessons from Public and Private Sector Deployments. The Mayor and Palo Alto City staff were recognized for the Multifamily Gas Furnace to Heat Pump Retrofit Pilot(PDF, 4MB).
  • Students in the Stanford Public Policy Program evaluated carbon neutrality strategies for the City, resulting in a report with recommendations for sequestration(PDF, 3MB) both within and beyond Palo Alto.

Energy 

  • The Full Service Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH) Pilot Program was approved by Council in September. The program will make it easier and more affordable for residents to switch to a HPWH, with a goal of replacing 1,000 gas water heaters. If fully subscribed, the program will reduce emissions by about 800 MT CO2e per year. Site visits for the program are projected to begin in early 2023.
  • City Council passed the 2022 updates to the Green building Ordinance and Energy Reach Codes (referred to as "Reach Codes"). These carry over the requirements of the 2019 Reach Codes, with additional requirements in the areas of building electrification, EV infrastructure, water efficiency, and embodied carbon in building materials. The Reach Codes will go into effect in January 2023, and collectively will avoid over 3,420 MT CO2e per year.
  • City of Palo Alto Utilities completed the Multifamily Gas Furnace to Heat Pump Retrofit Pilot(PDF, 4MB), which aimed to identify viable retrofit options and validate the cost and benefits of retrofitting existing gas furnace systems with energy efficient electric heat pump alternatives at an affordable 24-unit multifamily apartment complex. The pilot provided direct benefits to residents through improved indoor air quality and bill savings, as well as increased comfort and safety. At the community level, the pilot will reduce the City’s greenhouse gas emissions and serves as a case study for future electrification projects in multifamily buildings. 

Water 

  • In July, the City initiated a "One Water" planning effort. The One Water Plan will serve as a long-term guide to better prepare for future uncertainties like multi-year drought, climate change, and more. 

Climate Adaptation and Sea Level Rise 

Natural Environment 

  • In June, City Council adopted an updated Tree Ordinance that expands tree protection to include additional protected tree species, roughly tripling the number of trees that would be classified as "protected" and imposes new requirements for developers seeking to remove these trees. The updated Tree Ordinance went into effect on July 21, 2022. 
  • Palo Alto was accredited by the National Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA for the 35th year, and as a Tree Line USA electric utility for the 7th consecutive year. The Tree City USA program recognizes cities that help care for and increase our urban tree canopy. Our urban forest provides numerous benefits to our community including cooler temperatures, cleaner air, higher property values, and healthier residents.
  • In partnership with the local organization, Grassroots Ecology, the City continued to update the 12 bioretention areas along Castilleja Avenue, Sequoia Avenue, and Miramonte Avenue as part of the Southgate Beautification and Re-Greening Project. The Green Streets Stewards Program was initiated to help community members maintain and care for the sites to ensure long-term success. 

2021

Climate Action and Awareness 

  • Palo Alto emitted an estimated 395,252 metric tons (MT) or carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) from the residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, waste, water, and municipal sectors. In comparison to the 1990 base year emissions of 780,119 MT CO2e, that is a 50.5% decrease in total community emissions, despite a population increase of 19.5 percent during that same time period.
  • Launched an update to the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (S/CAP) to develop the strategies needed to meet our sustainability goals, including our goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 (the “80 x 30” goal).
  • Formed an S/CAP Ad Hoc Committee to guide the development, implementation, and communication of the S/CAP and to engage with a stakeholder group of domain experts and community activists.
  • Completed an Impact Analysis(PDF, 377KB) of the goals and key actions needed to achieve 80 x 30, including the development of Buildings, Vehicle Emissions, Mobility, EV, and Finance Models and accompanying technical memos.
  • As part of a partnership between the Office of Sustainability and Stanford University, masters students at Stanford evaluated strategies for the City's sustainability goals. Read the strategy evaluation report(PDF, 132KB). 

Energy  

  • In March 2021, City of Palo Alto Utilities launched a new Business Advantage Program to help small and medium business customers save energy, money, and improve indoor air quality. The program provides businesses with a free Energy Management System, a cloud-based energy management portal, and free MERV-13 air filters to improve indoor air quality. As of December 2021, over 50 systems have been installed.
  • In May, Council approved the updated 10-year electric efficiency goals between 2022 and 2031(PDF, 446KB). The estimated energy savings in 2031 based on these goals is around 4.4% of the City’s total electric load.
  • Utilities completed a report on the Impact of Decarbonization on the Resiliency of Single Family Homes in Palo Alto(PDF, 2MB). The report found that while electrical systems are susceptible to short, local power outages caused by typical annual weather events, the restoration time for electrical services is significantly faster than natural gas services in major outage scenarios such as earthquakes.
  • In November of 2021, City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) was recognized with a leadership award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its refrigerator recycling program. CPAU was among 14 partners who were recognized for reducing ozone-depleting substances and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through insulation foam recovery, significant growth of an appliance recycling program, and demonstrating a notable commitment to advancing the goals of the Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) program. Since becoming a RAD Partner in 2009, Palo Alto Utilities has processed a total of 1,232 units, reducing GHG emissions equivalent to those from 1,330 homes' energy use for one year.
  • Palo Alto has partnered with MidPen Housing in a pilot to replace the gas furnaces at Page Mill Court, a low-income multifamily apartment complex, with efficient heat pump systems. The pilot was funded by a grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). The retrofit work was completed for all 24 apartment units in December.
  • City of Palo Alto Utilities was recently announced a designee of the American Public Power Association Smart Energy Provider (SEP) Award for the third year in a row. The SEP designation recognizes public power utilities for demonstrating leading practices in four key disciplines: smart energy program structure; energy efficiency and distributed energy programs; environmental and sustainability initiatives; and the customer experience.
  • The Office of Emergency Services was awarded a $200,000 State Homeland Security Grant, which was used to purchase a custom-built Solar Generator Trailer (SGT). The SGT is an important resource for the City to provide electric power to the Mobile Emergency Operations Center (MEOC) and other critical systems that require electricity to operate. 

Mobility 

  • Palo Alto received the League of American Bicyclists’ Gold-Level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) Award in recognition of the years of work our transportation professionals, bike advocates, and residents have put in to creating transportation and recreational resources that benefit residents of all ages and abilities while encouraging healthier and more sustainable transportation choices. Palo Alto is one of 34 Gold Level BFCs out of a total of 487 BFCs nationwide.
  • The Office of Transportation launched the South Palo Alto Bikeways Project - the biggest protected bike lane project in town so far. The South Palo Alto Bikeways project proposes bicycle facility improvements for the Waverley Multi-Use Path on Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) land, Fabian Way, and East Meadow Drive. This project invests in the city’s bicycle network to provide safer infrastructure for students commuting to school via bicycle and encourages mode shift to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The project was awarded federal funds for construction and will initiate the construction phase in 2023.
  • Completed a new, year-round bicycle and pedestrian overcrossing over Highway 101 at Adobe Creek near the City’s southern border. The new Highway 101 Pedestrian/Bike Bridge connects the community all year round to amenities like the Baylands Golf Links, hiking and biking the Baylands Nature Preserve, experiencing Byxbee Park, connecting to the San Francisco Bay Trail, and so much more. 

Climate Adaptation and Sea Level Rise 

  • Completed the Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment
  • Public Works Watershed Protection developed Sea Level Rise Curricula for ages K-5 in partnership with Grassroots Ecology
  • Collaborated with Santa Clara County and other jurisdictions to evaluate the State’s new SB1383, Short-Lived Climate Pollutants requirements and drafted a new ordinance on an Edible Food Recovery Program for food service establishments, the process of how the food donations will occur and a county wide outreach for the food services establishments and food recovery organization; developed a work plan and checklist to ensure the city is in compliance with the many regulation requirements and exploring how the new procurement requirements of recovered organic waste products will be met. 

Natural Environment 

  • Received a $1.2 million Environmental Protection Agency grant to green Parking Lot A in downtown Palo Alto by retrofitting with green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) elements. The Project will capture 80% of the runoff from the treatment area, provide 282,000 gallons per year of stormwater retention on average, reduce PCBs and mercury pollution entering the Bay and capture 1.9-2.8 million particles/year of microplastics which would otherwise enter creeks or the Bay. 
  • Palo Alto was selected as a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for the 34th year! The Tree City USA program recognizes cities that help care for and increase our urban tree canopy. Our urban forest provides numerous benefits to our community including cooler temperatures, cleaner air, higher property values, and healthier residents. 

Zero Waste 

  • Collaborated on a “Serve-It-Safe” reuse pilot with Upstream, Dishcraft and Tootsie’s for the use of reusable dine-in and take-out reusable food containers. 

2020

Climate Action and Awareness 

  • Palo Alto reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions an estimated 50.5 percent from 1990 levels, despite a population increase of 21.8 percent during that same time period. This equates to 5.7 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MT CO2e) per Palo Alto resident in 2020 compared to 14 MT CO2e per Palo Alto resident in 1990. The California Air Resources Board 2017 Scoping Plan Update recommends local government goals of 6 MT C02e per capita by 2030. It is important to note, however, that 2020 was the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2020 GHG inventory includes pandemic-related impacts, such as shelter-in place orders and changes in how and where people worked, resulting in emissions reductions that may be temporary. Without the effects of the pandemic, emissions reductions would be closer to a 42 percent decrease relative to 1990 and 6.1 percent decrease relative to 2019, and 6.7 MT CO2e per resident. 

Energy 

  • Starting in November 2020 and in response to COVID-19 safety protocols, the Home Efficiency Genie launched a new virtual assessment platform to provide residents with a remote efficiency evaluation of their home. For a $49 fee, this virtual, phone-based platform allowed residents to walk through their home with guidance from the Genie technician to review and uncover inefficiencies, comfort concerns, and even health and safety issues. The Genie Home Electrification Readiness Assessment (HERA) was also redeveloped with a virtual option to help residents evaluate their existing electric panel to plan for adding electric equipment like heat pumps for water and space heating, induction cooking and EV charging. The Home Efficiency Genie has since been replaced by the free energy advisor phone consultation. 

Electric Vehicles 

  • The California Clean Fuel Rewards Program, partially funded by CPAU’s and other agencies’ Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) funds, launched November 17 and provides a $1,500 rebate for new EV purchases at participating dealerships.
  • The City completed large EV charger projects at six sites: Ellen Fletcher Middle School, Gunn High School, Green Middle School, SAP, Bryant Street Garage, and Cowper / Webster Garage. The EV charger projects at the three schools utilized the City's EV charger rebate program. The city installed 186 Level 2 ports and 7 DC Fast Charger ports, for a total of 193 new ports.City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) promoted its regional EV charger rebate program available to workplaces. The program, CALeVIP (California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project) launched in December and is expected to result in approximately 200 new workplace EV chargers and 10 publicly available direct current (DC) fast chargers over the next 2 years. 
  • The City continues to incorporate electric vehicles whenever possible into the refuse service fleet. In 2020, three additional electric vehicles were acquired, including a wash truck used for commercial bin and cart wash services, a flatbed truck used for the newly expanded Clean Up Day program and for containers deliveries, and a rear loader truck that is used for the Clean Up Day program. Electrification of the refuse fleet reduces fuel usage, reduces greenhouse gas emission, and reduces noise during operation while supporting the S/CAP goals. 

Mobility 

  • In January, the Office of Transportation took delivery of a new Yuba Spicy Curry e-bike. The long-tail cargo bike is used in lieu of a city pool car and carries supplies needed for bike rodeos, public engagement events, and site visits. In addition, it is available for all City staff to use and can serve a critical role in encouraging more City Staff to embrace getting around town by bike.
  • In June, the Office of Transportation staff forwarded, and the City Council approved, new California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) thresholds that use Vehicle Miles of Travel (VMT) to determine the environmental impact of development. These thresholds will require development to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the amount of driving generated by the development.   
  • Also in June, in addition to approving funding for the Palo Alto Transportation Management Association (TMA), City Council expanded the scope of the TMA’s publicly-funded programs from Downtown to the California Avenue business district. TMA programs support transit subsidies for low-income essential workers and provide ridesharing discounts for those working in the two business districts. Helping essential workers reduce single occupancy driving to Palo Alto reduces local greenhouse gas emissions.
  • City Council amended regulations in the Palo Alto Municipal Code for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs) to promote the production of these housing unit types within the City. These unit types assist the community in meeting Housing Element goals and the City’s assigned regional target to provide more housing. (Ordinance 5507, Effective Date 11-26-2020).
  • City Council amended regulations in the Palo Alto Municipal Code to support transportation modes that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The amendments facilitate electric vehicle supply equipment (ESVE) installation and allow for eight additional bicycle parking spaces to replace one required vehicle parking space. (Ordinance 5504, Effective Date 9-24-2020) 

Water 

  • As a result of the historic 2019 partnership agreement with Valley Water and the City of Mountain View, Palo Alto secured funding to begin design of a salt removal facility at the Regional Water Quality Control Plant. The new infrastructure will improve the quality of recycled water produced at the plant and enable its expanded use for irrigation and industrial processes in both Palo Alto and Mountain View. 

Climate Adaptation and Sea Level Rise 

  • The City commenced work on a Sea Level Rise (SLR) Vulnerability Assessment, which will identify hazards and risks from sea level rise and rising shallow groundwater, as well as a Sea Level Rise Adaptation Plan to coordinate internal and regional SLR planning, project funding and public outreach.
  • In September, the City held a public webinar with Valley Water about local and regional sea level rise adaptation and planning projects that will benefit Palo Alto.
  • In partnership with the nonprofit Grassroots Ecology, the City held two public webinars about sea level rise: the first discussed the value of saltmarsh habitat and the second discussed king tides and sea level rise. 

Natural Environment 

  • A model project was installed on East Meadow Circle that paired tree planting with green infrastructure. The project was initiated during a minor architectural permit review because the applicant wanted to satisfy tree replacement requirements off-site. A condition was negotiated to allow the applicant to pay for tree planting in the right-of-way. Utilization of the applicant’s backflow preventer and water meter was also negotiated in conjunction with planning for implementation. Staff excavated substandard soil, installed soil cells under the sidewalk to create root corridors and water storage, cut curbs for inlets into biofiltration soil, applied biochar (stable carbon), and installed trees. This project added 35 new trees in South Palo Alto, capture and storage for storm water, trained staff, and forged a valuable partnership with a corporate landowner.
  • Finalized a new Integrated Pest Management Policy(PDF, 303KB) which helps Palo alto continue its work of minimizing both the amount and toxicity of pesticides that are used on Palo Alto property. 
  • The City launched a Southgate Beautification and Re-Greening Pilot Project with the local nonprofit Grassroots Ecology to maintain and update the bioretention areas for better performance. Improvements include amending existing soil to assist with drainage and plant health, replacing rocks with mulch, and exchanging current plants with native and drought-tolerant species. 

Zero Waste 

  • In June, established a new Compost Giveaway Station at the Eleanor Pardee Community Garden (851 Center Road. Driveway to Garden is on Center Road near Martin Street) for residents to pick up free compost for their gardens. The location provided 504 cubic yards of compost to the Palo Alto community in 2020. 
  • A new Deconstruction Ordinance went into effect in July requiring all building permit applications submitted to remove the entire building to carefully deconstruct by material types and salvage for reuse instead of demolishing the building with heavy machinery. In 2020, 15 residential projects and 1 commercial project applied for the deconstruction permit. Staff is working closely with the project managers, contractors, and reuse organization to monitor the implementation of this ordinance to increase reuse and recycling of the building materials. 

2019

Climate Adaptation and Awareness 

  • Palo Alto reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions an estimated 38.2 percent* from 1990 levels, despite a population increase of 23.6 percent during that same time period. This equates to 7 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MT CO2e) per Palo Alto resident in 2019 compared to 14 MT CO2e per Palo Alto resident in 1990. The California Air Resources Board 2017 Scoping Plan Update recommends local government goals of 6 MT C02e per capita by 2030. (*In order to comply with the latest GHG inventory methodology, additional emissions sources were added to the 2019 GHG inventory that were not included previously. For a more direct comparison to 1990 levels, if we exclude these additional emissions sources the 2019 GHG reductions would be 41.2% or 6.7 MT CO2e per Palo Alto resident.) 
  • For the second year in a row, the City of Palo Alto received an A score for reporting on our climate-related data to the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project). Palo Alto joins only 43 other cities - out of over 800 cities who report to the CDP - in the Leadership Scoring band for demonstrating best practice standards across adaptation and mitigation, setting ambitious but realistic goals and making progress towards achieving those goals, and for having strategic, holistic plans in place to ensure the actions being taken will reduce climate impacts and vulnerabilities of the citizens, businesses and organizations residing in our city.
  • Palo Alto City Council accepted the 2019-2020 Sustainability Work Plan(PDF, 195KB) to guide the City on sustainability initiatives through 2020. 

Energy 

  • The City of Palo Alto Utilities won the Smart Energy Provider Award in recognition of its energy efficiency, distributed generation, and environmental initiatives that support a goal of delivering low-cost, quality, safe, and reliable electric service. This is the first year the American Public Power Association has awarded this designation to public power utilities.
  • On November 4, Palo Alto City Council adopted changes to Palo Alto’s Reach Codes, advancing an all electric requirement for new residential and commercial construction.
  • In September, the City partnered with Hewlett Packard to complete one of the City’s largest solar array projects(PDF, 162KB). Located on HP’s headquarters, the project uses 3,372 solar panels that are projected to generate 2,355 megawatt hours of energy, enough electricity to power 263 average Palo Alto homes for a year. The system is also expected to offset 1,700 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
  • The City of Palo Alto’s Regional Water Quality Control Plant (RWQCP) replaced the City facility with the largest energy use - the sewage sludge incinerators - with a more environmentally-friendly Sludge Dewatering and Truck Loadout Facility. The updated treatment process will reduce climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 15,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year– this approximates the carbon dioxide emissions of 3,000 passenger cars. The replacement technologies dewater the sludge and send it to farming areas to produce agricultural soil supplements.
  • City of Palo Alto Utilities received the 2019 National Energy Innovator Award for its Home Efficiency Genie program. 

Water 

  • Palo Alto Council approved a historic Partnership Agreement with the Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) that provides Valley Water an option to acquire about half of the treated wastewater produced by the Regional Water Quality Control Plant (RWQCP). The new agreement also funds a salt removal facility in Palo Alto which will allow increased use of recycled water from the RWQCP.
  • Palo Alto, in collaboration with the Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water), developed a Northwest County Recycled Water Strategic Plan to identify the best potable and non-potable options for water reuse in the Regional Water Quality Control Plant (RWQCP) service area. 

Natural Environment 

  • Palo Alto City Council approved the Urban Forest Plan Second Edition. Record tree planting and pruning contributed to increase the value of benefits produced by 36,000 public trees to nearly $18 million annually.
  • Palo Alto City Council Adopted a Sea Level Rise Adaptation Policy, which recognizes that the best way to avoid long-term impacts from sea level rise is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

Climate Adaptation and Sea Level Rise 

  • City of Palo Alto prepared a final Draft Green Stormwater Infrastructure Plan outlining how it will incorporate Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) features into its urban landscape over several decades. 
  • City of Palo Alto Utilities was recognized with the Tree Line USA Award by the National Arbor Day Foundation for the fifth year in a row. 
  • City of Palo Alto Public Works launched a new, first of its kind, Mobile Department Operations Center. The "MDOC" brings an entirely off-the-grid, solar-powered mobile office to the City's fleet to assist public safety efforts in the event of a disaster.

Zero Waste 

  • The City of Palo Alto’s Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Program expanded its HHW Reuse Zone to divert waste of gently used products. Last year the HHW Station was able to divert over 5,000 pounds of materials with just a small pair of storage cabinets. The expanded HHW Reuse Zone now includes a larger shed to increase storage capacity for reusable materials such as paint, motor oil, and cleaning products.
  • As part of an ongoing effort to reduce waste in Palo Alto, City Council approved a Deconstruction Ordinance which will ban contractors from demolishing entire buildings by July 2020. The goal is for building materials to be reused or recycled, so workers will have to disassemble structures instead of wrecking buildings. Two of the largest components of landfill waste are food waste and construction and demolition (C&D) related materials. C&D materials represent more than 40% of Palo Alto debris that gets disposed in landfills.
  • Palo Alto City Council approved one of the region's strictest restrictions on plastics by banning plastic straw banning plastic straws, produce and meat bags, utensils, and other single-use plastic foodware items that bypass the recycling sorting process. Patient rooms at hospitals and clinics are exempt from the policy. 

2018

Climate Action and Awareness 

  • Palo Alto reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions an estimated 36 percent from 1990 levels, despite a population increase of 20.4 percent during that same time period.
  • City Municipal Operations reduced GHG emissions 65.8 percent from 2005 levels.
  • City of Palo Alto submits climate data reports to the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) annually. Following the 2018 reporting cycle, the City earned an A score, achieving the Leadership scoring band, which indicates that Palo Alto demonstrates best practice standards across adaptation and mitigation, has set ambitious but realistic goals and made progress towards achieving those goals, and has strategic, holistic plans in place to ensure actions will reduce climate impacts and vulnerabilities of the citizens, businesses and organizations residing in the city. 

Energy 

  • Preliminary numbers for FY 18 show that reported Electric Efficiency savings was 5,957 MWh, or 0.63 percent of the City’s total electric use. This is equivalent to the total power used by 946 California homes in a year. The reported FY 18 Gas Efficiency savings was 251,718 therms, or 0.97 percent of the City’s total gas use. The avoided GHG emissions from the gas efficiency savings is equivalent to taking 290 passenger vehicles off the road for a year.
  • City of Palo Alto announced a Microgrid Partnership with VMware. This campus-level microgrid aimed to be a test bed for combining renewable energy with energy storage to provide power when the electric grid goes down. The project would help support the City’s emergency response efforts by providing charging for emergency vehicles and a communications hub during disaster response.
  • City of Palo Utilities was recognized by the American Public Power Association (APPA) as a Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) “Diamond” level – the highest honor - for proficiency, sound business practices, and a utility-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity, system improvement, energy efficiency and workforce development. 

Mobility 

  • Single occupancy vehicle commute trips to downtown Palo Alto continued a downward trend, with drive alone trips reduced 8 percent, transit ridership increased 9 percent, and rideshares increased 4 percent from 2015.
  • Passed an Anti-Idling Ordinance, which requires drivers to shut off their engines after two or three minutes if they are not in active traffic. Enforcement of the ordinance is centered on community education about the health and environmental impacts caused by vehicle idling. 

Electric Vehicles 

  • Achieved EV penetration of 6% of vehicles owned, and 29% of new vehicle purchases. 

Water 

  • Environmental improvement renovations at the new Palo Alto Baylands Golf Course reduced irrigated turf grass by 40 percent (53 acres) and most of the golf course is now watered with 100 percent recycled water.   

Natural Environment 

  • Record tree planting and pruning contributed to increase the value of benefits produced by 36,000 public trees to nearly $18 million annually.
  • City of Palo received the Voice of the People (VOP) Award from the National Research Center and International City/County Management Association (ICMA) for Excellence in Natural Environment.
  • City of Palo Alto Utilities was recognized with the Tree Line USA award by the National Arbor Day Foundation for the fourth year in a row. 

Zero Waste 

  • Palo Alto City Council accepted the 2018 Zero Waste Plan, which contains new programs and initiatives needed to meet the City’s sustainability and zero waste goals of 80% reduction of greenhouse gases by 2030 and 95% diversion of materials from landfills by the same year, as well as new California state law. Enforcement of on-site separation was established in 2018 to move to zero waste in landfills.
  • Updated the Paper Reduction And Procurement of Environmentally Preferable Paper Products Policy(PDF, 229KB), which seeks to reduce the amount of paper the City uses, and to then maximize the recycled-content of paper that is purchased. 

2017

Climate Action and Awareness

  • Palo Alto reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions an estimated 35.3 percent in 2017 from the 1990 baseline.
  • Palo Alto City Council accepted a 2018-2020 Sustainability Implementation Plan, which outlines proposed measures in four areas that could reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions to about 54 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.   
  • Palo Alto was recognized as the first city in California to achieve a Platinum Level Beacon Award – the highest level possible - for its efforts and leadership in addressing climate. 
  • Regional Water Quality Control Plant total GHG emissions were 4% below 2016 emissions and 71% below 1990 emissions.   
  • Worked with the not-for-profit Empowerment Institute to engage 88 households in the CoolBlock beta program – adding 45 new households to this neighbor-to-neighbor collaborative program for GHG reduction.
  • Palo Alto received the Green California Summit Leadership Award for Sustainable Communities.

Energy

  • City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) is the first carbon neutral utility for both electricity and natural gas in the world, having provided 100% carbon neutral electricity since 2013 and 100% carbon neutral natural gas since July 1, 2017.
  • As part of the San Jose Metropolitan Area, received the top ranking for Mid-Sized Cities for the 2017 Energy Star Top Cities Rankings for the most Energy Star Buildings in 2016.

Mobility

Electric Vehicles

  • Achieved EV penetration of 5% of vehicles owned, and 29% of new vehicle purchases.

Water

  • Produced 223 million gallons of recycled water at the Regional Water Quality Control Plant (RWQCP), a two percent increase from 2016.

Zero Waste

  • Continued to reduce the amount of material going into landfills, with a waste diversion rate of 82 percent, compared to 80 percent in 2016 (and 63 percent in 2015).
  • Implemented two sustainability ordinances related to green building – the new Green Building Ordinance and the new Energy Reach Code

2016

Climate Action and Awareness

  • Palo Alto City Council adopted a goal of 80 percent greenhouse gas reduction by 2030, calculated utilizing the 1990 baseline - 20 years ahead of the State of California’s 80 percent by 2050 target. Council also adopted the draft Sustainability/Climate Action Plan (S/CAP) Framework, including its Guiding Principles, Decision Criteria, and Design Principles as the road map for development of subsequent S/CAP Implementation Plans (SIPs).
  • City and community GHG emissions declined an estimated 37% below 1990 levels. 
  • Reduced Regional Water Quality Control Plant GHG emissions by more than 60% since 1990.
  • Palo Alto’s Cool Block program  – a pilot program of the Cool City Challenge –brought together 43 households within 12 neighborhood blocks who worked together on 1208 actions that eliminated 611,066 pounds of CO2 emissions-- an average 7.1 tons of CO2 per household.
  • In January, the City held a community summit that brought together more than 500 residents who worked on the challenges of water, energy, and transportation. Their ideas fed into the draft Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (S/CAP).

Energy

  • City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) will be one of the first carbon neutral utilities for both electricity and natural gas in the US, having added a City Council-approved Carbon Neutral Natural Gas Plan in 2016.
  • Increased the City’s Renewable Portfolio Standard from 26.0% in 2015 to 40.2%.
  • As part of the San Jose Metropolitan Area, received the top ranking for Mid-Sized Cities for the 2016 Energy Star Top Cities Rankings for the most Energy Star Buildings in 2015.

Electric Vehicles

  • Achieved EV penetration for 4.5% of vehicles owned, and 15% of new vehicle purchases.

Mobility

  • Won a $1 million federal “mobility sandbox” grant to work with 30 other regional agencies and employers on pilot programs using commuter trip reduction software, a multimodal trip planning app and workplace parking rebates to reduce single-occupant vehicle driving from 75 percent to 50 percent.
  • Achieved 44% bicycle mode share for Palo Alto high schools.

Water

  • Reduced potable water use by approximately 25% from 2015 to 2016.

Natural Environment

  • Award-winning green purchasing program has “greened” several performance criteria for structural and landscaping pest control, custodial and office supplies, and computers. The City has reduced the use of single-use plastics (bottled water, plastic bags, plastic packaging), reduced the toxicity and amount of pesticides used, and virtually eliminated products that contain mercury and dioxins.
  • In August 2016, the City of Palo Alto became the 15th municipality in the US and Canada to receive accreditation from the Society of Municipal Arborists, the highest recognition for municipal urban forestry programs.

Zero Waste

  • Achieved waste diversion rate of 80%, up from a 63% diversion rate in 2005.
  • Met Bay Area Municipal Regional Permit 60% trash reduction guideline, but also met the 70% trash reduction requirement one year ahead of schedule by reducing trash 84% by July 2016.

2015

  • City of Palo Alto Utilities launched PaloAltoGreen Gas, a gas offset program that pairs Green-e® Climate certified carbon offsets with customers’ natural gas use. PaloAltoGreen Gas was the first Green-e Climate certified gas offset program offered by a municipal-level utility, and the first-ever Green-e Climate certified gas offset program offered to residential customers by a municipal utility. The City continues to offset gas emissions.
  • City and community GHG emissions declined an estimated 36% below 1990 levels. 
  • City natural gas emissions dropped 37% since 2014.
  • Per capita water consumption dropped nearly 33% since 2005.
  • Achieved a Renewable Portfolio Standard of 26%.
  • Reduced the potable water use in parks and open space areas by 35% (based on 2013 base year).
  • Established a “default to green” policy for City procurement.
  • Established an “EV first” policy for City fleet.

2014

  • The City hosted an interactive “ideas expo” to invite ideas from the community to help advance the City’s sustainability goals.
  • City and community GHG emissions declined an estimated 35% below 1990 levels. 

2013

  • Palo Alto became the first city in America to have a 100 percent carbon-neutral electricity supply with the adoption of the Carbon Neutral Electricity Plan.
  • City and Community combined GHG emissions declined an estimated 29% below 2005 levels.
  • Community GHG emissions declined an estimated 41% below 1990 levels.
  • Total water consumption declined 9% from 2007 to 2013.

2012

  • The City reduced municipal GHG emissions an estimated 53% below 2005 levels, far exceeding City Council’s goal to reduce these emissions by 20% by 2012.
  • City and Community combined GHG emissions declined an estimated 22% below 2005 levels, exceeding the Council goal of 15% reduction below 2005 levels by 2020.
  • Community GHG emissions declined an estimated 28% below 1990 levels.
  • The Department of Energy and EPA awarded the City of Palo Alto the Green Power Leadership Club for demonstrating exemplary environmental stewardship.

2011

2010

  • The City reduced municipal emissions 12% below the 2005 baseline.
  • City Council set a target of reducing municipal emissions by 20% below the 2005 baseline by 2012.
  • Palo Alto’s Green Purchasing Program received the Green California Summit and Exposition Award for Leadership in Green Purchasing.

2009

  • Electric supply from renewable resources reached 19%, up from 17% in 2008.
  • City Council approved an electric efficiency financing program for small businesses.
  • The City started a commercial compostable collection program. 
  • The City launched an employee bike share program.

2008

  • City Council approved an Environmentally Preferred Purchasing Policy (Adopted as part of the 2007 Climate Action Plan).

2007

  • Palo Alto adopted the Climate Protection Plan(PDF, 968KB) - one of the first municipal climate action plans in the U.S. – which set a short-term goal of reducing municipal GHGs 5% from 2005 levels by 2009 and a long-term goal of reducing City and Community GHGs 15% from 2005 levels by 2020.

2006

2005

  • City Council approved a Zero Waste Policy.

2003

  • The City launched the PaloAltoGreen program, which became the nation's top-ranked voluntary renewable energy program until it was suspended in 2013.

Earth Day Reports

Each year from 2010 to 2023, the City shared an annual Earth Day Report highlighting its sustainability and climate work from the past year. These reports have since been replaced by our S/CAP Progress Reports.

Earth Day Reports

 

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