Malibu Honored With Senator’s First Sustainable City Award

Source: Topanga Messenger

The City of Malibu is the first recipient of Senator Fran Pavley’s new “Sustainable City” Award in recognition of its policies and practices that protect and preserve the environment.

The “Sustainable City” Award helps define Malibu’s leadership role in creating a cleaner environment for nearly 13,000 residents and 15 million visitors who explore Malibu’s mountains and shores annually,” Malibu Mayor Laura Rosenthal said. “We thank Senator Pavley for recognizing the City of Malibu and for selecting the City as the first recipient of this prestigious award.”

Award-winning Legacy Park, the focal point of the City’s more than $50 million pledge to improving ocean water quality, is one of the most ambitious and innovative stormwater and urban runoff projects in California. The 15-acre park improves water quality by capturing, filtering, and treating stormwater runoff to remove bacteria, nutrients and other pollutants. It saves potable water by using the treated stormwater for irrigation.

The City’s ongoing commitment to improving ocean water quality is also evident through its Clean Bay Restaurant Certification Program, which recognizes restaurants that exceed local stormwater regulations to reduce water pollution.

To improve energy efficiency, the City has adopted higher building Energy Efficiency Standards than required by the California Building Codes, and offers three new free-access electric vehicle charging stations in the heart of its Civic Center. Malibu earned LEED certification for its newly opened City Hall and for the renovated Malibu Public Library, which will reopen in April 2012.

In 2008, the City was among the first to adopt a ban on plastic bags, a decision that has significantly reduced pollution and protected wildlife. For information: www.malibucity.org or (310) 456-2489.