San Diego Is Now A Climate Action, ‘2030 District’

San Diego has become the latest city to become a “2030 District,” a designation for an urban area where the private sector and local building industry leaders commit to sustainability in conjunction with economic growth. The goal is to achieve a 50% reduction in energy, water and transportation emissions by 2030.

On the heels of the city adopting a Climate Action Plan, San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer joined this week with Cleantech San Diego, Measurabl and local business leaders to announce the creation of the new district.

San Diego joins a network of 15 other 2030 Districts across North America. “The City of San Diego has already made great strides in its landmark Climate Action Plan, but to achieve our goals, the city can’t do it alone,” Faulconer said. “It takes the commitment of private and public industry leaders to protect our environment and improve the quality of life for our children and grandchildren.”

“As a proven leader in climate policy, clean tech innovation and sustainable business practices, San Diego’s entry into the 2030 Districts network of similarly focused regions across the continent will add tremendous value to our collective efforts,” 2030 Districts network liaison Dave Low said.

The nonprofit organization Cleantech San Diego will manage San Diego’s 2030 District as part of its Smart Cities San Diego initiative, which has facilitated the deployment of technologies that save energy and water at city and Port of San Diego facilities, as well as the City of Chula Vista, the San Diego International Airport and Petco Park. Cleantech San Diego also is working to engage the local startup community in developing a clean tech economy and attracting investment.

“Cleantech San Diego is proud to add support of San Diego’s 2030 District to our regional efforts to promote private-public partnerships that benefit both the economy and the environment,” Cleantech San Diego president/CEO Jason Anderson said. 

Local business leaders are lending their support to the 2030 District, including real estate investment trust Alexandria Real Estate Equities, multinational corporations Intuit and DNV GL, local sustainability consultancy Verdani Partners and the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.

“As San Diego’s preeminent developer and operator of science and technology campuses at the forefront of innovative workplace design and efficiency, Alexandria is committed to sustainable building practices and reducing greenhouse gas pollution from our portfolio,” Alexandria executive vice president and San Diego market director Dan Ryan said. “We are proud to be the first real estate company to join the San Diego 2030 District, and we look forward to working with the mayor’s office, Cleantech San Diego and other business leaders to support San Diego’s urban sustainability initiative.”

San Diego software startup Measurabl will provide the software to support the 2030 District. The company’s software is already being utilized in more than 3.5B SF of institutional real estate.

“Measurabl was born in San Diego. Many individuals on our team were educated at UC San Diego,” Measurabl founder and CEO Matt Ellis said. “To now apply our software at home and advance the smart cities revolution in San Diego is a dream come true.”