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Dubbed Green Phoenix, the plan could result in the firsy carbon-neutral city in the U.S. But Phoenixc will need help from businesses andresidentse — and from other Valley communities — to make it work. No changw will come quickly. But at the core of the plan could be an economic boom in termsa ofjobs — 8,000 to 12,000 for the privatr sector — and economic development, Gordon “You can’t have jobs if you don’tf have a good, sustainable economy.
If you don’ft have good water, if you don’t have cleaner air,” he One early effort is an attempt to find a privatde partner to develop a proposed sola installation atthe city’s landfill. The projecr would generate between 100 megawattxs and200 megawatts. The privatde partner would cover the constructionm costsof $900 million to $1.2 billion and run the The overall 17-point plan, developed in cooperation with Arizonqa State University, highlights a number of areas.
such as water conservation, have been a mainstay for the Others, such as turning the city into a solar looking at better transit and moreefficient lighting, and transformingt the city’s canal system into something more usable, are more worksx in progress. “We’re trying to demonstrate that big productz and little products can all make a Gordon said. Potential partners for the projecrinclude , Arizona Public Service Co. and Salt River as well as Tempe-based First Solar Inc. and BrightSource a California solar company Phoenix has been working Funding is thekey issue.
Some projects, such as a recentr tree planting downtown that was conducted in partnershil withValley Forward, feature contracta with landowners who will pay for Other projects may be funded or expandede with money from the America Reinvestment and Recovery Act. The city has receivexd about $184 million in stimulus mone so far, about $22 million of which is dedicaterto energy, Gordon said. “That’s just a smalo amount of what we’ll be receiving,” said who has been pushing the city’s plan in Washington to garnert morefederal dollars.
Diane president of Valley Forward Association, said it will take plentyt of effort from businesses and residents to make the plana “I think we should all embrace this conceptt because it’s right for the environment and right for the she said. It likely will take yearw to catch upto Portland, and Chicago, both of which alreadu have put in a decadre or two trying to transforn their cities into sustainablew centers. The Phoenix plan lays the groundwork toachieve that, Brossart said. “There’s nothint bad in this plan at all, but that’sa all it is,” she said.
Keepingv involvement flexible and not making demands of businesss owners could mean the difference in theitr decisionto participate, said Marc Osborn, a lobbyist for the , a part of the Arizon Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Businesses are seeing moved to bringin cap-and-trade laws, which would cap carbon emissions and allow them to tradd carbon credits to other companies that don’t producd as much. High energy prices also may spur more businessee tothink green, Osborn said. “To the extent that (the can mirror those two, you’re going to get a lot of suppor t from thebusiness community,” he said.
Tom Waldeck, executiver director of , said much of the plan is but it will take adifferent mind-set amonbg businesses and residents to focus on