On April 22, 1970, millions of Americans from every corner of our country came together to demand basic protections to preserve our planet for future generations. This first Earth Day helped transform the ways we interact with the world around us, and changed how we as a society view our impact on our environment. Just as the people who came together on Earth Day in 1970 embraced their responsibility to protect our planet, today we continue to do the same.

The City of San José has prided itself as a green leader in Silicon Valley. Not only are we continuing to proactively reduce our carbon footprint, but many of the successful companies that have thrived here rely on the continued commitment San José has shown to using clean and renewable energy.

As a City, we are committed to creating a sustainable and successful Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program that would allow San José to pool the electric load of residents and businesses to purchase renewable energy on their behalf. Our local plastic bag ordinance was the model for the State of California plastic bag reduction regulation approved by the voters of California this past November, and in 2015, the City of San José was selected to pilot the implementation of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals to ensure a more sustainable and prosperous society in an age of growing climate change.  

Yet, regardless of the progress we have accomplished locally, each of us have a role to play. Everyone must do their part, and as long as we unite to protect the one planet we have, we can leave it in better shape for future generations.