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Pyramid Power:
Earth Day at the Zig
The iconic Ziggurat
building, centerpiece of California’s Earth Day celebration on April 18,
is going for
LEED certification as an energy-efficient green building. “As of this
week, we took the first step to earn LEED certification for the “Zig” by
formally registering the building with the US Green Building Council,”
said Will Bush, interim director of the
Department of General Services, and host of its Earth Day event.
DGS is headquartered at the pyramid-shaped Zig building, and according to
Bush, General Services is the lead state agency implementing the
Governor’s Green Building Initiative, which directs the state to reduce
energy use in state-owned buildings by 20 percent by 2015. “As of today,”
he announced, “nine executive branch buildings are LEED certified. Here
at the Zig we are overseeing the LEED certification process for 85 new and
renovated buildings and 8 existing buildings.” In addition, the state is
working to green those buildings leased by the state, such as the
Ziggurat.
The Earth Day event attracted almost 1,000 visitors. Nearly 50
environmental exhibits displayed products and services inside the
building’s atrium and along the River Walk promenade adjacent to the Tower
Bridge. Forums on green building and green purchasing took place in the
afternoon.
Rosario Marin, Governor Schwarzenegger’s Secretary of State and Consumer
Services and head of the
Green Team invited government workers, the business community and the
public alike to the event, “to see all the exciting, innovative things
state government is doing to keep our planet green,” promising that “we’ll
show you what individual Californians can do to make every day Earth Day.”
Other speakers included
West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon, Adam Grzybicki, director
of legislative affairs for
AT&T, representatives from the
California Integrated Waste Management Board and the
Department of Motor Vehicles.
Participants were encouraged to ride bikes to the event with free valet
bike parking available. A highlight was the giant car crusher that
demolished a few old cars to demonstrate the
$1,000 incentive which the state pays citizens to crush their “gross
polluters” and remove them from California’s roadways. On display were
several hybrid and other green technology vehicles, an electronic waste
recycling station, recycling of household recyclables by
Goodwill Industries. Free compact fluorescent bulbs were given out by
PG&E, in exchange for recipients taking the US EPA ENERGY STAR
“Change a Light, Change the World”
pledge.
“People were very receptive,” said Trudy Harris, special events
coordinator for Green Technology, which exhibited at the event. “Everybody
was talking about green, green, green. The Tahoe Conservatory brought
trees to plant, and it was great to see hundreds of people walking around
with baby pine trees in their bags or sticking out of their back pockets.”
For photos, press
release and list of exhibitors go to:
http://www.workinggreen.dgs.ca.gov/New/EarthDay.htm
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