Sustainable Silicon Valley
Encyclopedia
Sustainable Silicon Valley (SSV) is a collaboration of businesses, governments, and non-governmental organization
s that are identifying and addressing environmental and resource pressures in Silicon Valley
.
As its first initiative, SSV engaged prominent Valley organizations, who are the SSV Partners, to work towards a goal of reducing regional carbon dioxide
(CO2) emissions 20% below 1990 levels by 2010. The SSV approach to reaching this goal is to facilitate strategies to reduce CO2 emissions through increased energy and fuel efficiency
and through the use of renewable sources of energy.
Vision: A thriving Silicon Valley with a healthy environment, a vibrant economy and a socially equitable community.
Mission: To work with the Silicon Valley community to create a more sustainable future using an Environmental Management System
.
Geography Served: SSV Partners are in San Mateo
, Santa Clara
, northern Santa Cruz
and southern Alameda
Counties. The reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions from SSV's CO2 Initiative benefit local, regional, and global communities and cross all socioeconomic boundaries.
(EMS).
Sustainable Silicon Valley began in 2001 as a collaboration between :
Representatives from these organizations formed a team to develop a project plan and introduce it to a wider group of participants. Participants were invited from the entire Silicon Valley region, including Santa Clara and San Mateo, Northern Santa Cruz, and Southern Alameda counties.
These participants identified 35 key environmental pressures, the top six being:
Of the six highest priority environmental pressures, SSV's first focus is on reducing CO2 emissions. This compares to the Kyoto Protocol
's goal of a 5% reduction over the same period, and to Governor Schwarzenegger's call for California to reduce emissions to 2000 levels by 2010, to 1990 levels by 2020, and to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. SSV's 20% reduction target was announced publicly in April 2003, and a first group of organizations and companies (SSV Partners) officially pledged to join SSV in March 2004 to work toward reaching this ambitious goal.
SSV provides educational forums for the public and technical assistance to member organizations and serves as a clearinghouse to share best practice
s through ongoing meetings and events. Participants are also publicly recognized and applauded for their accomplishments.
SSV was designed to move beyond the traditional command-and-control model of environmental regulation
to one of collaboration and partnership. By focusing on the desired outcome, rather than compliance-driven standards, participants can choose the methods to reach that outcome that makes the most sense financially and technologically for each of them. Environmental benefits come from these outcomes, not the means used to achieve them.
and its environmental consequences in a single measure. It reflects improvement in energy efficiency
and transitions from more to less polluting fuels. CO2 is the largest contributor to human-generated greenhouse gases.
Recognizing the importance of the climate change
issue and the area's drive to remain competitive in a location with high energy costs, SSV organized a regional voluntary initiative that has a visionary target of reducing CO2 emissions by 20% below the region's 1990 levels by the year 2010. Partners in SSV choose their own baseline year and a CO2 percentage reduction goal to reach by 2010. Each pledging partner also chooses how to meet this target, whether by equipment efficiency improvements (e.g. new equipment), conserving energy (e.g. behavioral changes), increasing the use of renewable energy
sources (e.g. photovoltaic systems
), purchasing green power and/or promoting alternative commute options and supporting the purchase of low emission vehicles.
Most human-caused CO2 results from the burning of fossil fuel
s such as gasoline, diesel and natural gas
. In addition to burning fossil fuels directly in cars and appliances like home heating systems, people create CO2 emissions by using electricity, most of which in the United States is generated by burning fossil fuels. SSV pledging partners address this issue though increased energy efficiency and increased use of renewable energy sources. Pledging organizations have enjoyed impressive cost savings through their participation in SSV.
The climate change resulting from the accumulation of human-generated greenhouse gases like CO2 is one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time. The consequences of climate change are far-reaching and will affect all of us on many levels.
How does energy efficiency relate to the SSV's CO2 priority?
Renewable and other energy use, energy efficiency, and the resulting CO2 emissions, were chosen by the group as a key action opportunity, because:
Many Silicon Valley organizations had demonstrated significant energy savings, in part from the recent energy crisis, resulting in cost savings and environmental performance improvements.
Other regions and organizations (Sonoma County, the City of Toronto, various Silicon Valley businesses) had already ‘signed up' to specific CO2 emissions reductions goals. The goal selected by the group was consistent with other existing regional emissions reduction goals and represents a stretch goal for the region.
Reducing energy intensity (energy used per unit output) across the commercial, residential and transportation sectors was seen as having multiple benefits, including (but not limited to): opportunities for cost savings, success through broad participation and collaboration, reduction of the environmental impact of the region, and the demonstration of a leadership role on an issue of growing policy and economic significance.
WEST Summit, SSV’s annual meeting, goal is to catalyze a sea change in action towards long-term resiliency through distributed management of water and energy supply in Silicon Valley. Through panel discussions, special speakers and a lively exposition, this day-long event is a pivotal opportunity to build relationships among academics, local businesses, and community leaders already taking action on the important nexus between water and energy usage.
EcoCouncil
Sustainable Silicon Valley has established an EcoCouncil™ for the senior level management of our Sustaining Partners to support these endeavors. The EcoCouncil Salon is a quarterly series of evening conversations aimed at catalyzing change at the highest levels within organizations. Often taking place at a “green” home in the Valley, these intimate networking events involve intellectual conversation, fine wine, food and an opportunity to converse with other senior level management. It is a gathering where creative, catalytic conversations can happen and where leaders meet across boundaries of sector, industry and perspective, to help foment the breakthrough solutions and partnerships needed to make the transition to the low-carbon economy.
Upcoming 2011 dates: June 30, September 22 and November 17. Contact info@sustainablesv.org to request an invitation.
Sustainability Leaders Forum (SLF)
Building the capacity and effectiveness of sustainability leaders by sharing best practices and presenting expert knowledge about sustainability. Forum meetings feature peer-to-peer learning, expert instruction and opportunities to network and explore issues of common concern.
SLF schedule of meetings for 2011:
Metrics (March 11); Communications and Engagement (April 1); Peer-to-Peer (June 1); Design for Sustainability, Biomimicry (Sept. 8); Frameworks for Sustainability (Nov. 4); Annual Meeting (Jan, 27, 2012)
EcoCloud™ http://www.sustainablesv.org/ecocloud launched December 2010
EcoCloud™ is a virtual meeting place where you can work with local businesses, industry experts, academia and policy-makers to make your organization and Silicon Valley more sustainable. Drawing on the latest social networking tools, participants can collaborate, learn, plan, and make valuable connections. EcoCloud™ is intended to create a virtual industrial ecosystem that enables local leaders to work together to implement and share sustainable business practices, putting the principles of industrial ecology to work in Silicon Valley and beyond.
Smart Micro Grid for Santa Clara University
SSV helped Santa Clara University and its utility service providers launch a campus-wide smart microgrid, as the university works towards it’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2016, provides the basis for knowledge transfer among SSV partners as they also move to create their own smart micro grids – integrating smart buildings, renewable energy, storage and communications.
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s that are identifying and addressing environmental and resource pressures in Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
.
As its first initiative, SSV engaged prominent Valley organizations, who are the SSV Partners, to work towards a goal of reducing regional carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
(CO2) emissions 20% below 1990 levels by 2010. The SSV approach to reaching this goal is to facilitate strategies to reduce CO2 emissions through increased energy and fuel efficiency
Fuel efficiency
Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the efficiency of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier fuel into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device, which in turn may vary per application, and this spectrum of variance is...
and through the use of renewable sources of energy.
Vision: A thriving Silicon Valley with a healthy environment, a vibrant economy and a socially equitable community.
Mission: To work with the Silicon Valley community to create a more sustainable future using an Environmental Management System
Environmental Management System
Environmental management system refers to the management of an organization's environmental programs in a comprehensive, systematic, planned and documented manner....
.
Geography Served: SSV Partners are in San Mateo
San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco, and north of Santa Clara County. San Francisco International Airport is located at the northern end of the county, and...
, Santa Clara
Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
, northern Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...
and southern Alameda
Alameda County, California
Alameda County is a county in the U.S. state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,510,271, making it the 7th most populous county in the state...
Counties. The reduction of greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emissions from SSV's CO2 Initiative benefit local, regional, and global communities and cross all socioeconomic boundaries.
About SSV
Sustainable Silicon Valley is a multi-stakeholder collaborative initiative to produce significant environmental improvement and resource conservation in Silicon Valley through the development and implementation of a regional environmental management systemEnvironmental Management System
Environmental management system refers to the management of an organization's environmental programs in a comprehensive, systematic, planned and documented manner....
(EMS).
Sustainable Silicon Valley began in 2001 as a collaboration between :
- Business, led by the Silicon Valley Leadership GroupSilicon Valley Leadership GroupThe Silicon Valley Leadership Group, founded in 1978 by David Packard of Hewlett-Packard, represents more than 340 of Silicon Valley's most respected employers on issues, programs and campaigns that affect the economic health and quality of life in Silicon Valley, including energy, transportation,...
(SVLG) - Government, led by California Environmental Protection AgencyUnited States Environmental Protection AgencyThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
and political leaders - Non-governmental organizations, led by the Silicon Valley Environmental Partnership (SVEP)
Representatives from these organizations formed a team to develop a project plan and introduce it to a wider group of participants. Participants were invited from the entire Silicon Valley region, including Santa Clara and San Mateo, Northern Santa Cruz, and Southern Alameda counties.
These participants identified 35 key environmental pressures, the top six being:
- Use of energy from non-renewable sources measured by CO2 emissions
- Use of fresh water
- Urban sprawlUrban sprawlUrban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
- Habitat development and fragmentation
- Use of non-renewable raw materials
- Discharges of toxic chemicals to the air
Of the six highest priority environmental pressures, SSV's first focus is on reducing CO2 emissions. This compares to the Kyoto Protocol
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , aimed at fighting global warming...
's goal of a 5% reduction over the same period, and to Governor Schwarzenegger's call for California to reduce emissions to 2000 levels by 2010, to 1990 levels by 2020, and to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. SSV's 20% reduction target was announced publicly in April 2003, and a first group of organizations and companies (SSV Partners) officially pledged to join SSV in March 2004 to work toward reaching this ambitious goal.
SSV provides educational forums for the public and technical assistance to member organizations and serves as a clearinghouse to share best practice
Best practice
A best practice is a method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means, and that is used as a benchmark...
s through ongoing meetings and events. Participants are also publicly recognized and applauded for their accomplishments.
SSV was designed to move beyond the traditional command-and-control model of environmental regulation
Environmental law
Environmental law is a complex and interlocking body of treaties, conventions, statutes, regulations, and common law that operates to regulate the interaction of humanity and the natural environment, toward the purpose of reducing the impacts of human activity...
to one of collaboration and partnership. By focusing on the desired outcome, rather than compliance-driven standards, participants can choose the methods to reach that outcome that makes the most sense financially and technologically for each of them. Environmental benefits come from these outcomes, not the means used to achieve them.
Why CO2
Sustainable Silicon Valley (SSV) chose CO2 emissions as a benchmark because it encompasses both energy useEnergy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
and its environmental consequences in a single measure. It reflects improvement in energy efficiency
Efficient energy use
Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...
and transitions from more to less polluting fuels. CO2 is the largest contributor to human-generated greenhouse gases.
Recognizing the importance of the climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
issue and the area's drive to remain competitive in a location with high energy costs, SSV organized a regional voluntary initiative that has a visionary target of reducing CO2 emissions by 20% below the region's 1990 levels by the year 2010. Partners in SSV choose their own baseline year and a CO2 percentage reduction goal to reach by 2010. Each pledging partner also chooses how to meet this target, whether by equipment efficiency improvements (e.g. new equipment), conserving energy (e.g. behavioral changes), increasing the use of renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
sources (e.g. photovoltaic systems
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
), purchasing green power and/or promoting alternative commute options and supporting the purchase of low emission vehicles.
Most human-caused CO2 results from the burning of fossil fuel
Fossil fuel
Fossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years, and sometimes exceeds 650 million years...
s such as gasoline, diesel and natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
. In addition to burning fossil fuels directly in cars and appliances like home heating systems, people create CO2 emissions by using electricity, most of which in the United States is generated by burning fossil fuels. SSV pledging partners address this issue though increased energy efficiency and increased use of renewable energy sources. Pledging organizations have enjoyed impressive cost savings through their participation in SSV.
The climate change resulting from the accumulation of human-generated greenhouse gases like CO2 is one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time. The consequences of climate change are far-reaching and will affect all of us on many levels.
How does energy efficiency relate to the SSV's CO2 priority?
Renewable and other energy use, energy efficiency, and the resulting CO2 emissions, were chosen by the group as a key action opportunity, because:
Many Silicon Valley organizations had demonstrated significant energy savings, in part from the recent energy crisis, resulting in cost savings and environmental performance improvements.
Other regions and organizations (Sonoma County, the City of Toronto, various Silicon Valley businesses) had already ‘signed up' to specific CO2 emissions reductions goals. The goal selected by the group was consistent with other existing regional emissions reduction goals and represents a stretch goal for the region.
Reducing energy intensity (energy used per unit output) across the commercial, residential and transportation sectors was seen as having multiple benefits, including (but not limited to): opportunities for cost savings, success through broad participation and collaboration, reduction of the environmental impact of the region, and the demonstration of a leadership role on an issue of growing policy and economic significance.
SSV Programs
WEST Summit (Water, Energy and Smart Technology) SSV’s annual conference. Jan. 27, 2012WEST Summit, SSV’s annual meeting, goal is to catalyze a sea change in action towards long-term resiliency through distributed management of water and energy supply in Silicon Valley. Through panel discussions, special speakers and a lively exposition, this day-long event is a pivotal opportunity to build relationships among academics, local businesses, and community leaders already taking action on the important nexus between water and energy usage.
EcoCouncil
Sustainable Silicon Valley has established an EcoCouncil™ for the senior level management of our Sustaining Partners to support these endeavors. The EcoCouncil Salon is a quarterly series of evening conversations aimed at catalyzing change at the highest levels within organizations. Often taking place at a “green” home in the Valley, these intimate networking events involve intellectual conversation, fine wine, food and an opportunity to converse with other senior level management. It is a gathering where creative, catalytic conversations can happen and where leaders meet across boundaries of sector, industry and perspective, to help foment the breakthrough solutions and partnerships needed to make the transition to the low-carbon economy.
Upcoming 2011 dates: June 30, September 22 and November 17. Contact info@sustainablesv.org to request an invitation.
Sustainability Leaders Forum (SLF)
Building the capacity and effectiveness of sustainability leaders by sharing best practices and presenting expert knowledge about sustainability. Forum meetings feature peer-to-peer learning, expert instruction and opportunities to network and explore issues of common concern.
SLF schedule of meetings for 2011:
Metrics (March 11); Communications and Engagement (April 1); Peer-to-Peer (June 1); Design for Sustainability, Biomimicry (Sept. 8); Frameworks for Sustainability (Nov. 4); Annual Meeting (Jan, 27, 2012)
EcoCloud™ http://www.sustainablesv.org/ecocloud launched December 2010
EcoCloud™ is a virtual meeting place where you can work with local businesses, industry experts, academia and policy-makers to make your organization and Silicon Valley more sustainable. Drawing on the latest social networking tools, participants can collaborate, learn, plan, and make valuable connections. EcoCloud™ is intended to create a virtual industrial ecosystem that enables local leaders to work together to implement and share sustainable business practices, putting the principles of industrial ecology to work in Silicon Valley and beyond.
Smart Micro Grid for Santa Clara University
SSV helped Santa Clara University and its utility service providers launch a campus-wide smart microgrid, as the university works towards it’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2016, provides the basis for knowledge transfer among SSV partners as they also move to create their own smart micro grids – integrating smart buildings, renewable energy, storage and communications.