Riverside Public Utilities’ commitment to supporting the development of solar energy within the city extends beyond the rebates and other programs designed to foster the creation of rooftop solar projects on homes and businesses.

The utility also is a major contributor to a new research center at UC Riverside that is designed to spur the creation of the next generation of solar technology and make solar energy more of a reality around the region and the world.

The Southern California Research Initiative for Solar Energy (SC-RISE) held a kick-off event recently that was attended by Mayor Ron Loveridge and several members of the RPU staff. The city contingent also met prior to the kick-off event with about 50 UCR researchers, students, industry leaders and business people to share information about how SC-RISE can help transform the solar energy industry.

The city’s utility provided a $100,000 seed grant to help create SC-RISE and is working with key personnel from the research facility to further the development of the center, which is based within the Bourns College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT).

“This is really an exciting moment, the beginning of a major research center,” Mayor Loveridge told the group that met prior to the kick-off event. “Thank you for being part of the seminal meeting of what is going to be a world-class center.”

SC-RISE will combine research, prototyping and applications, and education, training and demonstration uses, according to Dr. Matthew Barth, who is Director of CE-CERT and will lead the SC-RISE effort. The facility will work closely with utilities, unions and trade organizations, alternative energy developers and other academic institutions, including Tohoku University in Riverside’s Sister City of Sendai, Japan, Barth said.

“It is music to our ears to be working in a city that has such a forward-thinking view on renewable energy,” Dr. Barth said.

Riverside Public Utilities already is seeing an increase in the amount of solar installations around the city, with homeowners and business owners buoyed by tax incentives and rebates offered by the city and other government agencies.

“I think we are going to look back in a few years and see where this year ended up being a game-changer,” said Mike Bacich, the utility’s customer relations/marketing manager and sustainability officer for the city.

Mayor Ron Loveridge encouraged other cities around the region to follow Riverside’s lead in going green during a recent appearance at the Inaugural Energy Summit in Ontario hosted by the Inland Empire Economic Partnership.

While serving as moderator for the Energy, Economics and the Environment panel at the summit, Mayor Loveridge noted how Riverside has completed or is in the progress of completing 34 of the 38 goals included in the city’s Green Action Plan; will get 50 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2013 and has planted 100,000 trees in the past decade.

Riverside also is California’s first Emerald City, as chosen by the state Department of Conservation, and recently accepted the California Green Community Challenge from the Entertainment Media Association, an environmental group based in Hollywood.

“We are setting some remarkable goals for others to follow,” Mayor Loveridge said before leading a panel that included representatives from the utilities, government and private industry. “Bottom line, Riverside, like many cities, is committed to serious goals, and we are taking steps to meet them.”

Riverside’s accomplishments were applauded by panel member Barry R. Sedlik, chairman of the California Green Collar Jobs Council

“Those kinds of things don’t just happen,” Sedlik said. “They take leadership.”

Riverside is one of 10 cities in Southern California to accept the “California Green Community Challenge” from an environmental group made up of Hollywood entertainment heavyweights. Mayor Ron Loveridge accepted the challenge from the Environmental Media Association (EMA) at a recent event at Sony Studios in Los Angeles. He was introduced by actress Daryl Hannah, who got her big break in the film “Splash” playing a woman who turns out to be a mermaid. The EMA is urging the 10 cities to take steps necessary by 2012 to preserve the environment through the creation of “Green Community Action Plans” that address issues such as energy efficiency, water management, green building, air quality, waste management and transportation. The 10 cities will serve as “thought leaders” for other cities to emulate, according to the EMA, which uses its stature in the entertainment industry to advocate for a better environment. The group was founded in 1989 by studio executive Alan Horn and his wife, Cindy, and Lyn and Norman Lear, who produced such famous television sitcoms as “All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons,” “Maude” and “Sanford and Son.” The effort dovetails nicely with Riverside’s existing “Emerald City” program, in which it is working to reach many of the same kinds of goals through a cooperative agreement with the state Department of Conservation, Mayor Loveridge said. He said that the Emerald City program “gives us a real head start” on the Green Community Challenge. “The EMA is challenging 10 cities, and we are going to rise to that challenge,” Mayor Loveridge said. “Southern California is going to be a model for the rest of the country in how to become a ‘green’ place, and Riverside will be a leader in that.” The only other city in the Inland Empire that is participating in the program? Redlands.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Riverside Public Utilities (RPU) received a prominent award at the Inland Empire’s 2009 Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Polaris Awards in San Bernardino last night. The Polaris Awards is an annual gala program recognizing the Inland Empire’s most accomplished public relations professionals. RPU won the Capella Award for Achievement in Public Relations (Special Event Category). The special event was the 2009 opening of the John W. North Water Treatment Plant in Grand Terrace, a 10-million gallon-a-day membrane treatment facility that made the city virtually independent of outside water importation. “It is a tremendous honor to receive the Capella Award for our efforts to keep our customers informed,” RPU General Manager David Wright said. In addition, RPU took home three PRSA Honorable Mentions for other campaigns to inform customers about water and power conservation programs.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Riverside’s green sustainability plans are now on a global stage. The International Awards for Liveable Communities (LivCom) has selected the city of Riverside as a finalist in the 2009 LivCom Environmentally Sustainable Project Awards. The winners will be announced at the five-day LivCom conference at Pilsen in the Czech Republic. The conference begins Thursday. The nomination was for Riverside’s program: “Green Action Plan – A Sustainable Community.” Pittsburgh is the only other American city to be a finalist. “The city is becoming internationally recognized for our Green Action Plan,” said Mayor Ron Loveridge. “It shows we’re on the right track as a model of sustainability. And, after the conference, I believe our plan and our best practices will be used by other cities.” In August, judges looked at applications from across the globe and selected Riverside as a finalist. Others nominees include: Broadland, England; Chrudim, Czech Republic; Gold Coast City, Australia; Lviv, Ukraine; Odense, Denmark; Pittsburgh; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Schwalm-Eder-Kreis, Germany; Tatra District, Poland; Tulln an der Donau, Austria; and Yokohama, Japan. At the finals delegates will meet to exchange knowledge and best practice ideas during two days of presentations by colleagues from towns and cities from around the globe. LivCom is a United Nations-sponsored group which rewards environmental achievement. The awards were launched in 1997 and are the world’s only awards competition focusing on best practices for the management of the local environment. The objective of LivCom is to improve the quality of life through the creation of “liveable communities” and to encourage developers to have the same environmental objectives as the communities. For more information on the LivCom awards, visit http://www.livcomawards.com

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Riverside residents may never celebrate Public Power Week as zealously as…well, Groundhog Day.

But to customer-owned Riverside Public Utilities, the Oct. 6-10 occasion is an ideal chance to let residents know about their own utility company.

“No one marks it on their calendar, but those in the power business know when it’s coming,” said Christine Spahr, customer service manager.  “It’s also an ideal way to celebrate National Customer Service Week, the same week.  Our customers are the owners of the utility, so excellence in customer service is extremely important at RPU.”

Riverside is one of 2,000 local public utilities across the nation that annually celebrates Public Power Week, according to the American Public Power Association.  There are approximately 107,000 metered power customers in the City of Riverside.

Customers who go during the week of Oct. 5 – 9 to Utilities Plaza, 3460 Orange Street, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., or to the Customer Resource Center, 3025 Madison Street, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., will receive a green shopping bag and a RPU Owner’s Manual.  The manual is a recent RPU publication that outlines the most-requested information about the utility – from how to read the meter to rebate programs.

“The owner’s manual is an easy-to-read reference for the owners of RPU — our customers,” said Dave Wright, general manager of RPU.  “It’s a lot of fun to read and answers frequently asked questions from customers including: information about water and electric rates, better service reliability and conservation rebate programs designed to save them water, energy and money.

“Everywhere I go I see our green shopping bag,” he continued.  “It’s durable, easy to store, holds a lot and it’s free.  Best of all, it conserves our natural resources unlike plastic or paper bags.  Why would you not have one?”

According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually.   An estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to make that many bags.  The petroleum in 14 plastic bags is enough to power a car for a mile.

That was the message at a recent event in Riverside’s White Park, where dozens of senior citizens took a stand for the environment and against global warming.

The event, entitled “Mount Rubidoux Manor – Seniors Giving the Gift of Green,” was hosted by residents of Mount Rubidoux Manor with help from Riverside Public Utilities. The event on Saturday, Sept. 26, featured exhibits, seminars, informational booths, food and entertainment.

Organizers emphasized that, while the green movement holds great promise among young people, older Americans bring a historical perspective to how our world has changed during the past 50 years. And they are naturally concerned about what sort of world they are leaving for their descendants.

“Seniors have a tender heart for their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren who are going to inherit the world we leave behind,” said Wally Longshore, the Mount Rubidoux Manor resident who led the organizational effort.

“The idea that their progeny are going to be in an ecological crisis in 20 to 30 years is very upsetting to them, especially if you think you could have done something about it.”

Longshore and other Mount Rubidoux Manor residents decided last year to start doing something about the problem of global warming. They began holding organizational meetings and spreading the word about sustainability through the senior housing area in downtown Riverside. And they started planning their inaugural event.

All that work paid off Saturday. Dozens of senior citizens walked through the park clad in green T-shirts, listening to speakers on environmental topics, browsing at the informational booths and exchanging ideas for improving the local environment.

Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge said he was encouraged by the number of people who turned out for the event despite the triple-digit heat.

“People initially misread the green movement, which really does include seniors,” Mayor Loveridge said. “It’s a question of being a steward of the world.”

City Councilman Mike Gardner agreed.

“To me, the most encouraging thing is the level of involvement,” Gardner said. “So many of the residents have really thrown themselves into it. They really enjoy the challenge of organizing.”

Representatives from Riverside Public Utilities worked with organizers to produce the event. They also taped their popular radio program, “The Green Power Report,” live from the event.

The City of Arts and Innovation has ventured once more into the green zone, passing several initiatives last night that drew the praise of the California Department of Conservation. “Riverside is greener than green; it’s emerald,” said Bridgett Luther, the director of the department. The director was in Riverside yesterday to urge the city council to accept an updated local Green Action Plan, which was revised to accommodate the city’s designation as an Emerald City. Riverside was the first city in California chosen as an Emerald City, a state pilot program to help municipal governments become greener through “hands-on” technical and financial assistance. As a result of this unique partnership, 2007 city green goals were expanded to be even more ambitious. For instance, Riverside is striving to install 20 megawatts of photovoltaic installations within the city; reduce citywide waste by 75 percent per capita; and reduce water usage by 20 percent. All by 2020. “We wanted to stretch it to the limit,” Luther said. “We didn’t want easy. We wanted to push the envelope.” However, she noted that goals are not mandates. The results will help determine if such ambitious aims can be attained with aid from Sacramento. The city also pitched in a new logo for the state project, designed by Serena Eddlemon of Riverside Public Utilities. The council’s accepted the updates on the city’s plan Tuesday night, but didn’t stop there. It also approved two other items: Granting $100,000 to the University of California, Riverside, for the establishment of a solar research project; and subsidizing Riverside Transit Agency bus passes to sell at discount prices to Riverside residents to promote public transportation. Local alternative-energy property owners had much to cheer about as well. The council voted to approve the new Energy High Efficiency Loan Program (E-HELP), which offers loans to property owners for renewable-energy and energy-saving improvements. The loans can then be paid off as a special assessment on their property tax. Borrowers have up to 20 years to pay off the loan. “The exciting reports and important actions taken at Tuesday’s City Council meeting indicate that our goals for a green Riverside are coming to fruition, and rapidly so,” said Mayor Ron Loveridge. “We are making good things happen in public transit, solar energy, energy efficiency and a whole host of other green initiatives.”

 At this Tuesday’s council meeting (Sept. 22^nd at 6:30 p.m.), we have another historic evening planned. First, we will be presenting our updates to the Green Action Plan.  Director Bridgett Luther, from the State of California’s Dept. of Conservation, will be there to provide an update on the states working with the City of Riverside. We also will be presenting the official logo of the Emerald City Program, which was designed by our own graphic artist.

 Then the real business of the new action plan begins with the approval of an Energy High Efficiency Loan Program, which is our version of the AB-811 program many of you have been following. The Riverside version is unique and we believe will be the new model for the state and the nation because of its focus on energy efficiency first.

 Our long anticipated partnership with UCR for a California Research Initiative for Solar Energy will begin with the passage of an energy innovation grant to begin funding.

 Finally Mayor Loveridge and the Transportation Committee will be recommending a pass sale agreement with the RTA, which will subsidize a bus pass program for Riverside Residents.

 It’s a very full evening and we hope to see you all there to show one and all that Riverside is still committed to sustainable and green initiatives, now more than ever.  

 If you have any questions or need more information, please give me a call. See you tomorrow!