Why Some Cities Go Green Faster Than Others
The librarians at the San Mateo Public Library were literally in the dark when they decided to go green. Property owners in San Mateo County had just passed a general bond obligation contributing $35 million for a new library building, topped off by the State of California with a $20 million grant.
“We had several public meetings asking our citizens: What do you want in your new public library?” a senior library management analyst recalled. It was the late ‘90s, when California utility PG&E was experiencing rolling black outs, and a teacher who was starting a sustainability studies program raised her hand during one of those meetings. “[She] said: ‘Why can’t we build a sustainable building?’ It was like a light bulb went off.”