Tuesday, June 26, 2007

The San Diego North Economic Development Council said it is in the process of compiling a regional "green" directory linking consumers to environmentally friendly products and resources in an effort to bolster their presence in San Diego.

Dubbed the Environmental -- Clean -- Green Index, the directory of more than 400 San Diego companies will point consumers to places where they can properly dispose of harmful chemicals and other materials, help them find architects or builders involved in green design techniques and identify places where they can go for renewable energy products, such as solar panels.

The directory could become available in the next month or two, depending on when the council finds enough sponsorship support, said Gary Knight, president and CEO of San Diego North EDC.

“Right now we’ve been collecting the data, but we’re hoping to get people to step up and get this published,” he said.

Knight said it’s the council’s job to make known San Diego’s presence in the fields of renewable energies and clean technologies.

According to a 2004 report by Environmental Entrepreneurs and the Natural Resources Defense Council, venture capital investments in California's clean technology industry could seed as many as 114,000 jobs statewide through 2010.

“If each city is doing their own thing it’s disjointed and appears much smaller,” he said. “Instead of each group spending similar dollars for similar goals, we need to have a summit.”

Last week, Knight met with leaders of the city of San Diego’s business development department to discuss its initiative. He said he hoped to involve local cities, chambers of commerce and economic development departments.

“We’re going to be faced with some stringent air quality regulations and water regulations,” Knight said. “We don’t want to drive our businesses out of California, because we want to be more environmentally conscious.”

In recent weeks, stricter environmental regulations, such as more stringent stormwater runoff and sewage treatment rules, have been passed down to local municipalities.

Last week, Carlsbad forecasted it would spend about $2.15 million on new stormwater regulations in the coming fiscal year.

And statewide initiatives also are on the horizon.

In September 2006, the California legislature passed AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which aims to reduce the state’s manmade greenhouse gas emissions back to 1990 emission levels by 2020. It is being touted as the nation’s most ambitious global warming solutions law.

Compliance costs associated with reducing the amount of air and water pollution have caused some businesses to reconsider remaining in, or locating to, California. Business development and retention programs countywide work to stifle the tendency, but Knight said more can be done.

He said the directory, which will also link users to state and local resources, will promote the local economy and encourage companies involved in initiatives, such as biomass, to locate to San Diego.