The City of Malibu received a 2019 Beacon Spotlight Award from the Institute for Local Government (ILG) for outstanding achievements to address climate change, promote energy innovation and create more sustainable communities.
“Protecting Malibu’s beautiful natural environment is at the heart of our community,” said Mayor Karen Farrer. “We should all be proud of this recognition of Malibu’s environmental leadership.”
ILG recognized the City of Malibu with a Gold Level Award for Sustainability Best Practices. The award was presented to Mayor Farrer at an event hosted in collaboration with the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties and the Statewide Energy Efficiency Collaborative.
To reduce its energy use, the City moved operations into a new City Hall building in 2011 that is more energy efficient. The building’s energy-saving design features include Solatube skylights, more ambient light, energy-saving window coatings, and motion-activated and timed lighting systems.
The City’s general sustainability practices include environmentally friendly purchasing, a green vehicle fleet, electric vehicle charging stations, PCH bike route and bike path improvements, and PCH bus stop improvements.
The City has also protected public open space, implemented stormwater capture systems through-out the City to protect water quality, banned single-use plastic straws and cutlery, plastic bags and polystyrene foam, installed reusable water bottle filling stations to eliminate the use of plastic water bottles, and switched to re-usable cups and cutlery in City Hall.
The City has increased the number of recycling containers in City Hall and in the community, in-stalled battery recycling containers for the public in City Hall, switched to rechargeable batteries in City Hall, and regularly holds public recycling events for electronic waste, Household Hazardous Waste (HHW), and polystyrene foam.
For more than 10 years, the Beacon Program has encouraged, supported and recognized voluntary environmental sustainability policies and programs by local governments throughout California.
This year, ILG not only honored the individual achievements of local governments to save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adopt sustainability practices, but we will also be highlighting how our cities have contributed to aggressive statewide goals to address climate change in California in a way that helps residents from all walks of life prosper and thrive.
To learn more about ILG, visit http://www.CA-ILG.org.
Submitted by Matt Myerhoff, Malibu Media Information Officer
