Inspiring innovation In June, Newsom’s commencement speech to graduates at Redwood High School in Larkspur, California, stressed the need for the next generation to embrace failure as the first step toward innovation and lasting change. Most important, Newsom has carried his message about the need for innovation

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to the city’s Board of Supervisors, who voted in June to pass yet another of the mayor’s many environmental policy initiatives. The latest, the Solar Incentive Rebate Program, leads the

Newsom (left) with the city’s director of the environment, Jared Blumenfeld.

World environment day 2005

describing the problem of climate change and toward taking action, even if it involves making some mistakes along the way. “We must manifest our collective ideals,” he said. “Support those willing to change things and willing to learn from mistakes.”

the world’s CO2 emissions come from cities. So cities are the area of action. If we can figure out ways to help people change their behavior, if cities can implement new approaches for transportation and energy use, then you’re going to have a tremendous impact on this issue.”

Starting with cities Why the urgency? As Jared Blumen­ feld, director of San Francisco’s Department of the Environment, explains, we cannot separate the acceleration of climate change from the daily activities of urban centers. “As of 2005, for the first time in human history, more people live in cities than live in rural areas,” says Blumenfeld. Seventy­five percent of

It’s a message that Newsom, San Francisco’s mayor since 2004, has spread across the country. In 2005, he hosted the annual United Nations World Environment Day, on which mayors from 66 international cities signed the Urban Environmental Accords­Green Cities Declaration in San Francisco, site of the 1945 ceremony that established the

f a Since 1987, the United Nations Environ­ ment Program’s (UNEP) World Environment Day celebration has been hosted by a different city each year. The 2005 event in San Francisco, attended by 66 mayors from around the globe, was the first time the festivities were held in the U.S. Organic Bouquet, sister company of Organic Style magazine, was a sponsor nd the official florist, festooning the indoor and outdoor areas with flowers. CEO Gerald Prolman also commissioned legendary gospel singer Edwin Hawkins to compose the event’s theme song, “United Nations, Together We Can.” (Click to hear the song.) Organic Bouquet arranged a live performance of the song by a 300­person mass choir. Prolman presented the song to Mayor Gavin Newsom and UNEP executive director Klaus Toepfer, who designated it the official UNEP World Environment Day song for 2005. As part of the weeklong celebration, Organic Bouquet organized the world’s irst symposium on sustainable floral production, attended by growers, NGOs, United Nations and government officials, agricultural certifiers, retailers, and other interested parties. Veriflora®, the sustainable floral certification inspired and initiated by Organic Bouquet, was introduced at this event.