nation in providing rebates and tax incentives to private households and businesses seeking to install solar technology.

By many measures, San Francisco

is one of the greenest cities in the U.S., if not the world. Newsom ticks off the programs and statistics that have earned the city its leadership role (see the sidebar below).

“These programs are easy,” Newsom emphasizes. “I tell people that so far, we’re just working the margins.”

One bold program Newsom is considering would be to replace

payroll taxes on local businesses with a carbon-based tax. “Why not trade a tax on something we want— jobs—for something we don’t want—pollution? There are still

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business. You’ve got to be able to validate your results, to see what’s working and what isn’t.”

recycling San Francisco recycles 70 percent of its garbage, keeping disposable waste out of local landfills where it would otherwise create methane—an especially potent greenhouse gas. “No other city comes close,” says Newsom, referring to the national average rate of 32 percent municipal recycling.

< Green buildings San Francisco’s ambitious Green Building Ordinance requires Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards of energy efficiency, water conservation, and other measures set forth by the U.S. Green Building Council for all new commercial buildings over 5,000 square feet and residential buildings over 75 feet high, as well as remodeling projects larger than 25,000 square feet. (At left, the new federal building at 7th and Mission Streets complies with LEED green building standards.)

fleet—buses, ambulances, fire engines, police cars, garbage trucks, and other service vehicles—run on either electricity or biodiesel. “We want to incorporate plug-in hybrids and higher quality biofuels. Our goal is to forgo gasoline entirely and have a 100 percent zero-emission fleet by 2020,” says Newsom. “We’ve got fire chiefs and city officials from around the country coming to us to ask how it works.”

innovations Newsom recently announced a $1 million pilot program to turn brown grease from restaurants into biodiesel fuel. The mayor is also promoting a pilot program to tap into the bay’s tidal power near the Golden Gate Bridge. Recently, he began forming a residential wind power task force to look at urban wind energy possibilities in the city. And San Francisco was the first city in the nation to ban non-biodegradable plastic checkout bags at large supermarkets and chain pharmacies.

low-emission fleet More than 65 percent of the city’s municipal

energy audits “How can you reduce your carbon footprint if you don’t know what it is?” the mayor asks, underscoring the importance of third-party verification in the fight to stop climate change. “We registered San Francisco’s carbon footprint with the California Climate Action Registry, the gold standard of climate accounting. And any citizen can dial 311 and get someone from our office to come out and do an energy audit on their home or business. Or go online to sf.solarmap.org to find out the solar potential of your home or

For a list of San Francisco’s environmental programs, visit sfenvironment.org.