Global warming is real. The City of West Hollywood is looking to inspire local residents and business to take steps to Go Green with the launch of Summer of Sustainability. As temperatures, utility, and gas prices rise, the City’s Long Range Planning Division, which oversees Environmental Programs, is getting the word out about three unique time-limited opportunities that promote efficiency, environmental stewardship, and cost-savings:
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Landscape Transformation Rebate Program;
Southern California Edison Electric Vehicle Charge Up Rebate Program;
Go Solar West Hollywood
“Our Summer of Sustainability will help community members in West Hollywood with tools and resources to make greener choices about things that help make summer great,” said City of West Hollywood Mayor John J. Duran. “We’re going to help people turn sunlight into energy and we’re going to create more water-friendly residential landscapes. One of the City of West Hollywood’s core values is Responsibility for the Environment and I’m incredibly proud of our City’s dedication to programs that promote sustainability and environmentalism.”
The Turf Removal Rebate Program is back and now called the Landscape Transformation Program. Residents and businesses can get a rebate of $1 per square foot to remove living turf and replace it with a water wise landscape.
The Landscape Transformation Program includes new rules with a rebate maximum of 1,500 square feet of turf removed for residents and 10,000 square feet for businesses. Rules also require a landscape plan, a watershed approach, efficient irrigation, a certain number of water saving plants and mulch coverage. Please note that synthetic turf is prohibited.
In addition, homeowners must remove turf from their front yard. If the front lawn was previously transformed, residents are eligible to receive a rebate for removing turf from their side or backyard. The program commenced in July and funds should be available for the next two years.
The City of West Hollywood recommends using low-water use plants and installing an efficient irrigation system such as drip or MP rotators. Any residential project greater than 5,000 square feet or nonresidential project greater than 1,000 square feet must comply with the City’s Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO). For water efficient plant lists and landscape design resources please review these online guides:
CA Department of Water Resources: https://water.ca.gov/Water-Basics/Conservation-Tips/Plant-and-Landscape-Guide
LADWP Low-water Plant List: http://www.ladwp.cafriendlylandscaping.com/plants.php
Bewaterwise.com California-Friendly Garden resources: http://www.bewaterwise.com/Gardensoft/tips_08.html
Beverly Hills Saves (for West Hollywood residents served by Beverly Hills Water): www.bhsaves.org
For details on the Landscape Transformation Program rebate and garden inspiration please visit the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Residential Rebates site at http://www.socalwatersmart.com/ . For more information on water conservation in the City of West Hollywood please visit www.weho.org or contact Sami Taylor, Assistant Sustainability Planner, at [email protected].
The City of West Hollywood is celebrating the Summer of Sustainability by helping property owners install solar systems with free technical assistance and access to reliable online quotes. Go Solar West Hollywood is a City-sponsored program that has partnered with EnergySage, an online solar marketplace that was developed with funding and support from the US Department of Energy. This free service will help you learn about and shop for a solar energy system with absolutely no obligation to make a purchase in the end. To participate in this great City-sponsored program, simply visit our new website www.gosolarwesthollywood.org.
For more information about Go Solar West Hollywood please visit www.gosolarwesthollywood.org or constant Robyn Eason, Senior Sustainability Planner, at [email protected].
The City of West Hollywood is encouraging residents and businesses to go electric! Electric vehicles are an important strategy for climate action and air quality improvement. As such, California has made electric vehicle (EV) adoption a central piece to meeting the climate goals established by SB 32 in 2016 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. The State’s 2016 Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Plan calls for 1.5 million ZEVs on the road by 2025.
As a forward-thinking City, West Hollywood adopted a local ordinance for EV charging readiness in certain new construction projects. It has also waived the electric and building permitting fees associated with EV charging station (EVCS) installation. The City is also working on making public EVCS more accessible throughout the City by offering free 2 hour parking for EVs charging in municipal garages and ensuring that tenants have the right to install charging stations in rent-stabilized buildings. For more information about EV charging in West Hollywood, visit the new EV Charge Up West Hollywood website at: https://www.weho.org/city-government/city-departments/planning-and-development-services/building-and-safety/ev-charge-up-west-hollywood.
Southern California Edison has relaunched its Charge Ready program that provides rebates and incentives to property owners who install EV chargers. The program helps nonresidential customers plan, deploy, and install EV charging stations. Qualified properties include locations where cars are parked for four hours or more such as multi-unit dwellings and workplaces. Visit www.on.sce.com/chargeready to enroll your property in the program today!
For information on the following topics: Conserve SoCal; Solar 101; Property Assessed Clean Energy Financing; Green Building Program; Trash & Recycling; Plastic Bag Ban; Plug-In Electric Vehicles; Fats, Oils and Grease Info; The Environment and You; Construction and Development Recycling Plans; South Coast Air Quality Management District; Water Conservation; and, the California Building Energy Benchmarking Program, please visit https://www.weho.org/community/gogreen.
