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Blueprint for a Sustainable San Francisco
by The Department of the Environment
At the Department of the Environment, we understand that the only way San Francisco will meet its climate change, zero waste and public health goals is to get as many people as possible participating in our environmental programs. In San Francisco, one of our largest and most critical audiences is the tenant community. Every day, we hear about tenants’ pride in our city’s accomplishments and their desire to help make San Francisco a better place. The city offers many low- and no-cost services for multifamily apartment buildings that can help the environment and save building owners money.
Energy
The San Francisco Energy Watch Multifamily Plus program offers San Francisco multifamily property owners new energy-efficient equipment and professional services at a greatly reduced cost. Property owners who receive electric and/or natural gas distribution service from PG&E, and who are located within the city limits, can save energy and money while reducing their impact on the environment. The program is a partnership between the city and PG&E, and is being implemented by the Department of the Environment, also known as SF Environment.
The Multifamily Plus program provides incentives for energy-efficient improvements such as boiler replacements, lighting and lighting controls, furnace replacements, pipe insulation, ceiling insulation, window replacement, vending machine controls, second-refrigerator recycling, premium efficiency pool-pump motors, high-efficiency washing machines, and high-efficiency clothes washers and dish washers. To participate, simply contact SF Environment to schedule a free, onsite energy assessment by an energy specialist. The specialist will prepare a detailed report with recommendations for equipment and building upgrades.
The deep discounts offered by the program combined with the monthly savings on utility bills after completing the upgrades generally result in a favorable return on investment. To participate, building owners can choose to obtain bids from contractors signed on to the program or can apply directly for incentives through a self-installation process. Program staff will assist owners and their contractors with applications and equipment specifications. The expert technical assistance and turnkey installation services underscore the importance the city places on taking action to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in San Francisco.
SF Environment assisted 1700 California St., a combined residential and commercial building with 21 tenants, reduce its energy expenses. About 1,273 linear fluorescent fixtures were retrofitted, 75 incandescent lamps were replaced with CFLs and 122 exit signs were replaced with LED exits. A year after the upgrades were made, the actual savings totaled over $52,000, resulting in a 97% return on investment in the first year, and 145% in the second. Savings attained from energy efficient lighting therefore went straight to the bottom line. For more information, call the SF Energy Watch hotline at 415-355-3769.
Recycling
SF Environment receives many calls from apartment tenants every day. Two of the most common questions are, “How can my building get a green cart for food scrap collection?” and “How can I get others in my building to recycle more?”
At SF Environment, we understand that while it’s essential for building managers to meet the needs of their tenants, keeping things in the building simple, clean and affordable is paramount. We offer free consultations to help apartment building owners and managers set up a green cart program for food scrap and yard trimmings collection.
We have found that up to one-third of apartment waste is compostable material, such as food scraps and soiled paper. In order to meet the City’s zero waste goals, we must get these materials out of the black waste cart and into the green compost collection cart. Adding a green cart and decreasing the black cart size or frequency of service can help apartment buildings reduce their disposal costs.
SF Environment provides many services to get buildings started on the green cart program, including instructional and promotional signage, kitchen pails and other equipment, meetings to educate residents about the program, and assistance configuring the program to the particular building, which also reduces cost.
SF Environment assisted the Community Housing Partnership, an 89-unit building located at 519 Ellis St., to implement a recycling program. In order to facilitate the process, a “comingled single stream” method (where paper, cardboard, bottles and cans can be placed in one bin) was put into action. The program had many elements of success, diverting about 14 tons of trash per year, about a 21% diversion rate.
To learn more about how SF Environment can help make the green cart program a success at your property, please call (415) 355-3747.
Another way for apartment buildings to help protect the environment and better manage disposal costs is to add additional blue recycling carts. The good news is that the days of looking for numbers on the bottoms of plastic containers are over. In addition to bottles, cans and paper, the blue cart-recycling program now accepts almost all plastics including: tubs and lids, plastic cups, clamshell and yogurt containers, plastic buckets and flowerpots, and broken plastic toys (no metal parts, batteries, circuit boards or wiring).
Plastic bags and wrap, Styrofoam and plastic labeled “compostable” are not accepted in the blue containers. Check your local supermarket for special bag recycling containers. For more information, visit SFRecycling.com.
Toxin Reduction
Household cleaning products, pesticides, paint and other home maintenance products stored in homes, basements and garages pose a health threat. Household chemicals can harm us even when we aren’t using them. Left in a home during a natural disaster, containers may break, leak or spill, exposing our home, family, pets and environment to toxic chemicals. Even without a natural disaster, leftover and unwanted household chemicals are unhealthy to keep around the home.
SF Environment can help you or your renters recycle old paint and properly dispose of old pesticides and other chemicals stored in your building. There are many leftover or unusable products that you can dispose of to make your home and building safer: oil and latex base paint, thinners and varnishes; pesticides, weed killers and other garden products; rodent poison; used motor oil and filters; automotive and household batteries; cleaning products, such as ammonia, chlorine bleach and oven cleaner; aerosol cans, such as air fresheners, spray paint and hairspray; burnt-out fluorescent lamps; mercury thermometers (we’ll exchange it for a free digital thermometer); and electronics and computer equipment
A variety of free home pick-up services are available to San Francisco residents, including tenants. Call 415-330-1300 to find out more about this toxic material pick-up service. Also, more than 100 convenient drop-off locations around the
city accept and recycle household batteries, latex paint, fluorescent bulbs, mercury thermometers, needles and sharp objects, and used motor oil and oil filters. For a list of locations, visit the EcoFinder at SF Environment.org or call 415-355-3700.
In addition, San Francisco’s toxic waste drop-off facility accepts all household toxic products. For days and hours, directions and other instructions, call 415-330-1300.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the SFAA or the SF Apartment Magazine. The Department of the Environment is San Francisco’s go-to green agency. It can be contacted at sfenvironment.org. Copyright © 2009 by Black Point Press. All rights reserved.