KQED Goes Green

Making history as the only public broadcaster in the country to be carbon neutral

Green happens... at KQED! As of March 5, 2007, KQED has made environmental history as the only public broadcaster in the country to be carbon neutral. On April 21, 2007, KQED will conduct a "green" pledge day to support the station's effort to neutralize the entire year's worth of carbon emissions, as a first step to eliminating its negative climate footprint.

"The way KQED serves the community has evolved greatly over its 50 plus year history," Don Derheim, executive vice president of Northern California Public Broadcasting, said. "Being carbon neutral is another way of serving and better sharing the planet with KQED audiences, members, volunteers, and staff.

"Public media has a responsibility to distribute programs, thoughts and ideas that may not be popular or commercially viable. In the same way, our stand as the first carbon neutral broadcaster will resonate with some and may not with others. Like everything we do at KQED, being green isn't prompted by popular opinion or short-term economic viability."

KQED has established a baseline reading of its carbon emissions, by determining the amount of energy used in is daily operations, from its production vans, to its transmitter towers, to the electricity used in its building. Carbon credits of the same amount were then purchased from the Chicago Climate Exchange, to promote energy efficiencies in other companies, or to be used towards renewable energy sources like wind power and bio-gas.

In addition to going carbon neutral, KQED has implemented responsible environmental practices for several years. With a daily shuttle for employees that runs between KQED and the nearest BART station, KQED encourages the use of public transportation. A charter member of the Business Energy Coalition since 2005, KQED was recognized by PG&E and The Energy Coalition as a leader in demand response for San Francisco and California. Since 1991, the organization's direct mail notices have been printed on recycled paper -- a standard practice for KQED's mailings whenever possible. KQED's internal Green Team has led the way, partnering with Friends of the Urban Forest to plant trees around the building to provide shade in 1994, encouraging recycling throughout the KQED facility, as well as working with vendors to decrease the amount of paper being used in the building. KQED's newest generation of copiers, for instance, allows users to scan and email directly to recipients, instead of the usual duplication and distribution.

KQED seeks donations and matching challenge grants from "green" companies during this pledge day. Every member gift or company donation encourages the station to continue exploring new, environmentally friendly methods of operating. With contributions from companies such as Elephant Pharmacy in Berkeley, Worldwatch Institute, Environmental Magazine, and ReausableBags.com, KQED heralds the beginning of "green memberships" and all-green pledge gifts. Special KQED hemp/cotton shopping bags will be made available for those pledging over $40. New members will be sent the green KQED cling sticker to show their support of our environmentally-friendly public broadcasting.

KQED will continue to bring even more information, resources, examples, and products that encourage environmental responsibility to our members and audiences. Climate change and global warming are some of the topics explored on KQED through radio and television programs like QUEST, Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures, Science Friday, and Forum with Michael Krasny. From Sunday April 15, to Sunday April 22, 2007, KQED will extend its Earth Day celebration with over a week of environment-related television and radio programming. For more details, please visit www.kqed.org/earthweek. For more information on reducing and offsetting carbon emissions and purchasing carbon credits, visit Bay Area nonprofit DriveNeutral.

KQED Goes Solar

SolarCity to install solar power system at KQED's San Francisco headquarters

Just in time for Earth Day 2008, KQED was proud to announce a new step in its ongoing efforts to offset its carbon footprint - the station has teamed with local company SolarCity to install solar panels at the broadcasting center and to bring solar power to KQED members across the Bay Area. SolarCity will donate one million dollar's worth of equipment, support and monitoring to KQED, and offered KQED members incentives to go solar themselves during KQED's second annual "green" pledge day on April 19.

During green pledge, new members were able to opt in to lease or buy solar power at a discount for their homes. SolarCity recently announced its unique leasing program, which offers homeowners an affordable way to go solar without significant upfront costs. SolarCity also made a donation to KQED each time a member signs up. KQED will track the amount of energy generated by solar power for the station and its members using SolarCity's services as they work together to reduce their collective carbon footprint.

Last year, KQED made environmental history as the first public broadcaster in the country to become carbon neutral. KQED continues to work with the local non-profit organization LiveNeutral to measure its greenhouse emissions and reduce its carbon footprint. LiveNeutral is a community enterprise of the San Francisco-based Presidio School of Management that works with both individuals and organizations to take action on climate change. LiveNeutral is a member of the Chicago Climate Exchange, North America's only, and the world's first, greenhouse gas emissions registry, reduction and trading system.

Environmental Initiatives

KQED is committed to operating in an environmentally responsible manner. In our Facility Operation and our Building Design we have attempted, where cost effective, to use materials and technology that reduce our energy usage and reduce the amount of waste produced.

KQED has worked with the San Francisco Green Ribbon Panel, an Environmental Education Program for businesses in The San Francisco Bay Area.

Facility Operation: Recycling
KQED's Recycling Program includes Paper (white and mixed), cans, bottles, newspapers, and magazines. Each month, KQED receives a refund for all Paper that is collected. This refund in turn is directed towards the disposal cost of our Non-Recyclable Waste. Each month we receive a count of how many trees have been saved as a result of our Paper Recycling Program. Our first year, KQED Staff saved a total of 73 trees!

Building Design

Friends of the Urban Forest
Friends of the Urban Forest is a nonprofit organization committed to the belief that street trees are a critical element in the urban environment. Our urban forest satisfies a basic desire to live among growing things that nurture and inspire us. Future generations will benefit from the trees we plant today.

Friends of the Urban Forest emerged as a group of dedicated tree planters to fill the gap created in the early 1980's by the curtailment of public funds. FUF provides a unique community service by working in partnership with neighbors, community groups, and the business community to improve and care for the environment by planting street trees. FUF's program includes providing financial, technical, and practical assistance in tree planting and maintenance, public education, and tree advocacy.

What is the Green City Project?
The Green City Volunteer Network: The Volunteer Network is a database which lists over 370 Bay Area groups working on any and every aspect of urban sustainability. The Network serves as a free over-the-phone volunteer and information referral service where we "matchmake" over 150 volunteers a month with groups according to interest and location. We are also glad to make information referrals - to the media, groups within the Network, and individuals - just to let people know "who is doing what where." For your own referral, call Maggie at (415) 285-6556.

Education + Action: E + A connects educators from Volunteer Network groups to Bay Area K-12 classrooms. Teachers who want supplementary hands-on curricula on alternative transportation, composting, watersheds, bioregionalism, native plants, native wildlife & their habitat, renewable energy, and more can call Simon at (415) 285-6556. He'll arrange for an informative, entertaining presentation and a hands-on "service learning" project on or around school grounds.

Green City Calendar: The Calendar is the way for Bay Area residents to find out what workdays and special programs the Volunteer Network groups are sponsoring. The Newsletter section of the Calendar explores current urban sustainability vocabulary and lets you know who is putting the words into action. We are now publishing 5,000 copies of the Calendar every other month.

Neighborhood Workshop/Workdays: Green City co-sponsors monthly hands-on and educational workdays with a variety of organizations on a range of topics at project sites throughout the Bay Area. Recent collaborators have included: San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, SLUG (San Francisco league of Urban Gardeners), Greenbelt Alliance, and Mission Creek Conservancy. Green City Project also collaborates annually with the Mission Economic and Cultural Association (MECA) to put on the Earth Block/Ciudad Verde component of San Francisco's GIANT two-day multicultural street fair and parade, Carnival.

For more information, check out Planet Drum.

KQED Wins Green Award

The San Francisco Business Times awards KQED its award for "Green Non-profit."
Read the complete article (PDF)