This position was adopted in 2004
OBJECTIVES:
A. Open Space and Development
1. Provision of the recommended amount of open space and recreation areas, with priority to congested areas.
2. Dedication in perpetuity of parklands with only compatible uses permitted.
3. Use of environmentally friendly surfaces, such as grass, in public places.
4. Maintenance of “Green Building” standards with emphasis on restoration and preservation.
B. Air Quality
1 Pollution control measures for port activities.
2. Reduction of pollution emissions from city-owned and contracted vehicles.
3. Reduction of fossil fuel dependency, as for example, by encouraging alternative modes of transportation.
C. Water Quality
1. Provision for a continuing supply of safe drinking water.
2. Balanced environmental, recreational, and economic use of the city’s water-based resources: its waterfront, beaches, rivers, bays, and canals.
3. Reduction of urban runoff, frequent testing of water quality, and enforcement of antipollution measures.
4. Restoration and preservation of wetlands with provision for public access.
5. Intensified efforts to reclaim, store, reuse, and desalinate water resources.
D. Energy and Conservation
1. Reduction of energy consumption through conservation in residential, public, and commercial buildings.
2. Increase in public awareness programs and incentives for conversion to sustainable energy sources.
3. Comprehensive recycling, reuse, and waste reduction for public and private entities,
4. Diversion of solid waste from landfills to less environmentally harmful disposal programs: e.g., conversion to energy.
We support the following measures to achieve these objectives:
1. Adequate funding for sustainability programs in relevant city departments
2. Appointment of a coordinator for interdepartmental implementation programs;
3. A commission representative of the entire city, adequately staffed and financed, to recommend policy;
4. Outreach to inform and involve the public in sustainable principles and practices;
5. Cooperation with regional, state, and federal regulatory agencies involved in sustainability issues;
6. Incorporation of sustainability principles in all relevant city departments' decisions;
7. Development of a sustainability element in the Long Beach General Plan
8. Education of citizens to encourage individual responsibility and to advocate for effective implementation and enforcement of sustainability procedures.