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have signed up to date to take advantage of the low or no cost improvements available for all different types of businesses. Mr. Smith discussed updates relative to the Climate Action Plan. AB 32 requires a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. There has been considerable discussion on whether or not AB 32 is good for the economy and figures put out by the state do show that a transition to a green economy provides actually benefits greater than those reported by others. Consultant selection concludes this month and the CAP campaign will kick off shortly after with outreach on land use, renewable energy, energy efficiency, green building, water conservation, and waste reduction. Included in the plan is a greenhouse gas reduction initiative that leverages all rebates available through PG &E. The City has also participated in a sustainability group organized by Hunter Lovens, a leading authority on sustainable development. Together with the University of California San Francisco Medical Center and other Bay Area businesses, the group has spent the last 7 months training with her on sustainable practices. Through this program, the City has accessed new, interactive software capable of analyzing the costs benefits of specific retrofits on specific applications. The goal of the group is to begin the education process through which the City can lead the way in setting a sustainable example for the entire community. He reported on the creation of informal green economy group comprised of various disciplines. with the vision of being the catalyst for the change in habits on all levels of the new Tri- Valley sustainable economy. The group has designated a subcommittee to work with local vendors on AB 11, which kicks off this summer. Vice -Mayor Thorne said he would like to forward this information to the state's Environmental Quality Committee and the National League of Cities, both of which he sits on. He said many could learn from what is taking place here in Pleasanton and he would also like to work on developing two way communications with both. Mayor Hosterman said Mr. Smith and his staff put together a fantastic 14- minute video on what is being done at the Operations Service Center. She shared it with members of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and it was wildly successful. The video will be shared in several U.S. locations this year and many will be able to learn from the City's progressive actions. She thanked him for the staff report and for his efforts and said she believes the City is moving forward very quickly and will be very close to the goals of AB 32 well before the deadline. Councilmember Cook- Kallio said Mr. Smith and his staff have accomplished a tremendous amount of work in a relatively short time and are to be commended. Mayor Hosterman extended her thanks to the Committee on Energy and the Environment as well as the informal group started by Councilmember Sullivan. Councilmember Sullivan reiterated thanks to Mr. Smith, City staff, and the committee. He said they struggled with these concepts for several years but have accelerated tremendously in this past year and are far beyond the efforts of others to date. He is incredibly excited by the sustainability group surrounding the world renowned Hunter Lovins. He said many in the Bay Area have made great strides in energy policy but are having difficulty in actually affecting that change. The green economy is modeled after the work of Dan Jones and the Apollo Alliance and is centered on bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders to discuss the environment, the economy, and energy. He said many good ideas have come from these meetings and he looks forward to taking this to the next level. City Council Minutes Page 9 of 10 May 4, 2010