Regional Clean and Green Leadership Puts Sacramento on National and International Stage

PRESS RELEASE
November 1, 2007

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Barbara A. Hayes, Executive Director
SACTO
400 Capitol Mall, Ste. 2500
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 441-2144


REGIONAL CLEAN AND GREEN LEADERSHIP
PUTS SACRAMENTO AREA ON NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL STAGE

The Sacramento Region has established itself as a hub for the clean and green industry sector and is now being recognized, both nationally and internationally, for it successes and leadership in this area. Regional initiatives and accomplishments are being honored and showcased in different venues around the world.

CNBC Europe has chosen Sacramento as the U.S. location for its next broadcasted debate on the policy issue of carbon-trading. The event will take place at Sacramento State University on November 20, 2007. The region was chosen because it is the center of policy discussion in California – the state that is leading the U.S. in policies attempting to curb the progression of climate change and improve air quality, as well as stimulate renewable energy commerce. The last three debates took place in Aberdeen, Scotland on energy technology; in Brazil on the topic of biofuels; and in Berlin, Germany, regarding energy security. Participants will include specialists from the Sacramento Region and all over the globe from academia, government, policy organizations, and business.

The Sacramento Region has been invited to be a presenter at the 5th Annual POWER-GEN Renewable Energy & Fuels Conference, to be held in Las Vegas in February 2008. POWER-GEN is the premier all-renewables conference and exhibition covering the most important trends and issues impacting the industry. The Sacramento Region presentation is entitled: Successful Renewable Energy Partnerships: Sacramento’s Regional and Local Initiatives. The conference will have over 3,000 attendees from over 40 countries.

The Mahany Library and Utility Exploration Center in Roseville has been selected as a showcase participant in the 2008 iiSBE (International Initiative for Sustainable Built Environment) Sustainable Building Challenge. The LEED Silver certified building was designed by local architectural firm Williams+Paddon Architects+Planners and will be owned and operated by the City of Roseville. Energy and water conservation, resource efficient materials, healthy indoor air, and day lit spaces with access to views are key contributing elements to the building. A team from the region will be attending the 2008 iiSBE conference, to be held in Melbourne, Australia, in September 2008. The World Sustainable Building conference series, which is held every three years, brings together the world’s leading technical experts and researchers on sustainable living environments.

Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has been honored and recognized with several national awards. In January 2007, the National Resource Defense Fund (NDRC) honored PG&E for its ongoing track record of environmental leadership recognizing its efforts to advance clean energy solutions and address global warming – only the third such presentation that the NDRC has made in their history. In September, the company received the Solar Portfolio Leadership award from the national Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) at their annual conference in Long Beach, California. This is the third time in as many years that PG&E has been awarded a Solar Business Achievement award from SEPA.

SEPA also presented the Award for Partnering for Success to Lennar Corporation – Sacramento Division, together with SunPower Corporation, SMUD, Roseville Electric and Pacific Gas and Electric, recognizing the largest solar new home communities in the U.S., here in the Sacramento Region. The more than 1800 solar homes at the combined locations in the region have the capacity to generate more than 4 megawatts of electricity. Sales rates of Lennar’s SOLARplus homes have been nearly double those of comparable, non-solar homes in nearby communities.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is the recipient of the 2007 Wind Power Pioneer Award. SMUD was recognized by the Department of Energy for leadership, demonstrated success, innovation and a long history with wind power technologies. SMUD was one of 14 public power utilities from across the United States that were nominated for the award this year.

In addition, SACTO Board Chair and Managing Partner, Downey Brand Attorneys LLP, Jeff Koewler, SACTO Director and PG&E Northern California Director for Sales and Service, Steve Nichols, and SACTO Deputy Director Bob Burris just returned from a trip to Germany and the Netherlands, where they met with senior executives and board members of clean energy companies at their international headquarter locations. The mission was to share information with those companies that have operations in the Sacramento Region and may be interested in expanding or are interested in locating new facilities in the Sacramento Region.

SACTO Executive Director Barbara Hayes will lead a regional team to New York City the first week of November to meet with representatives of the national and international media, as well as with site location consultants and company representatives. The focus of the media appointments will be to tout the strength and regional assets offered by the Sacramento Area in the clean energy/green technology field.


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