CC SR 20230207 04 - Blue City Certification
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 02/07/2023
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Consent Calendar
AGENDA TITLE:
Consideration and possible action to pursue Blue City Network certification to Healthy
Waterways and Oceans.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Direct Staff to pursue the Blue City Network certification to Healthy Waterways
and Oceans.
FISCAL IMPACT: None
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): N/A
ORIGINATED BY: Karina Bañales, Deputy City Manager
REVIEWED BY: Same as above
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. 2023 Blue City Network Overview (page A-1)
BACKGROUND:
The Blue City Network (BCN) is a free certification process for cities that evaluates their
civic, environmental initiatives relating to ocean conservation, and generates a
certification action plan to further their ongoing quest in becoming true environmental
champions. The BCN certification allows communities to track progress credibly and
transparently toward overall sustainability objectives. Participants also gain access to
proven resources and blueprints provided by top environmental nonprofits, cities, and
governmental agencies working with BCN.
The BCN is a program of Project O, a 501c3 conservation non-profit organization based
in Laguna Beach. By restoring, protecting, and sustaining the ocean and all that lives in
it, Project O ensures the well-being of humankind now and for generations to c ome
through various programs and projects, such as developing and supporting innovative
partner programs for ocean conservation and educating the next generation to protect the
ocean and make cleaning up plastic pollution a priority. Participating partners of the BCN
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RANCHO PALOS VERDES
include Oceana, Surfrider, Ocean Institute, California Coast Keeper, and other leading
ocean protection agencies.
There are currently ten certified Blue Cities, including Santa Cruz, Manhattan Beach,
Santa Monica, Malibu, Solana Beach, Imperial Beach, Hermosa Beach, Carmel by the
Sea, Chula Vista, and Alameda.
This evening, Staff seeks direction from the City Council to pursue the BCN certification.
DISCUSSION:
To become eligible, the City is required to complete an assessment. On average, the
Assessment takes approximately 12 hours or less to complete. The assessment focuses
on four Solution Areas: Waste Minimization; Climate Protection and Community
Resilience; Water Quality and Efficiency; and Healthy Ecosystems. Each Solution Area
contains 20 questions. For each question, a “yes” answer receives five points, and a “no”
answer receives 0 points. If the minimum number of points to become certified is
achieved, the City will be invited to join the BCN.
In addition, the City can earn up to 25 extra points per Solution Area under the Innovation
Category. Innovation points are reserved for cities that are implementing projects,
programs, policies, and/or other actions that honor a specific Solution Area that are not
already addressed in any of the assessment questions. Such actions deserve to be
accounted for and acknowledged as part of the overarching mission that BCN intends to
achieve.
Staff believes the City has several programs that may be eligible for innovation points. A
few examples are highlighted below for reference:
• Municipal Code Chapter 15.34 Water Efficient Landscaping is intended to promote
the design, installation, and maintenance of landscaping in a manner that
conserves regional water resources by ensuring that Landscaping Projects are not
unduly water-needy and that irrigation systems are appropria tely implemented to
minimize water waste.
• Go Green RPV – The City’s Green Building and Energy Efficiency Program is an
effort to foster greater environmental awareness and to ensure the continued
implementation of environmental-friendly practices throughout the City. The Go
Green RPV webpage is a one-stop shop with information about environmental
programs, resources and practices available to the public , including renewable
energy improvements, green building financing, permit streamlining, and rebate
incentives.
• Electronic Processing – To reduce or eliminate paper all together, Staff has moved
toward electronic processing for plan check reviews, processing payments and
expanding DocuSign to include contracts.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
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Participating in this program will recognize the City’s commitment to healthy waterways
and oceans and give the City an opportunity to collaborate with other jurisdictions to build
upon our success and identify best practices in future environmental policy initiatives.
Participants also gain access to proven resources and blueprints provided by top
environmental nonprofits, cities, and governmental agencies working with BCN.
Furthermore, the BCN certification may allow for certain consideration above other
organizations when seeking grants for environmental initiatives.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends the City Council authorize Staff to pursue the BCN certification.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to the Staff recommendation, the following alternative actions are available for
City Council’s consideration:
1. Do not pursue BNC certification.
2. Take other action, as deemed appropriate.
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PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Blue City Network (BCN) is a certification program that evaluates a city’s current
environmental initiatives and generates a certification action plan to further their ongoing
quest in becoming true champions of the environment.
Established by Project-O, a 501c3 ocean conservation organization, the Blue City certification
program provides a data-driven approach to assessing communities’ efforts toward protecting
the world’s oceans. Certification allows communities to credibly and transparently track their
progress towards sustainability objectives.
Participants gain access to proven resources and blueprints provided by our network of
nonprofit partners, Blue City certified cities, and governmental agencies. Upon certification,
participants become a part of the Blue City Network, a coalition of communities from around
the world that collaborate on programs and policies that protect the marine environment.
The intent of this program is to establish a network of communities that are willing to
implement, collaborate, and share information on jurisdictional sustainability programs.
PROGRAM PARTNERS
Our partners in this venture include some of the world’s leading ocean protection
organizations. These organizations have joined the Blue City Network to support
communities around the world in adopting best practice standards for sustainability:
California Coastkeeper Alliance, Inland Ocean Coalition, Lonely Whale, Los Angeles
Waterkeepers, Monterey Bay Aquarium-Seafood Watch, Oceana, Ocean Institute, Plastic
Pollution Coalition, and Surfrider Foundation.
ASSESSMENT
The initial part of the program involves the city’s completion of a minimum requirements
survey, followed by an Assessment form with 80 questions that review your city’s current,
ongoing, or near future environmental programs and goals. The Assessment is divided into
four Solution Area sections, each with 20 questions: Waste Minimization, Climate Protection
and Community Resilience; Water Quality and Efficiency, and Healthy Ecosystems.
www.bluecitynetwork.org 1A-1
BLUE CITY
YOUR COMMUNITY. OUR OCEAN.
Upon completion of the Assessment, and based on the initial score, we create a certification
plan. If your city has achieved the minimum points needed, they are accepted into the Blue City
Network, with an expectation for re-assessment and renewal in 5 years.
●Innovation Section (part of the Assessment)
The Innovation section is a reserved area on the Assessment for cities to include other
city projects, programs, policies, etc. that honor a specific Solution Area, yet were not
addressed in any of the Assessment questions. Such actions deserve to be accounted for
and acknowledged as part of the overarching mission that Blue City intends to achieve.
POINT SYSTEM & CERTIFICATION TIERS
For each question in the Assessment, a ‘yes’ answer receives 5 points, and a ‘no’ answer
receives 0 points. In addition, cities can earn up to 25 extra points per area under the
Innovation section for a maximum score of 125 points per Solution Area.
200-299 pts = Ocean Guardian
300-399 pts = Ocean Champion
400-499 pts = Ocean Hero
500 pts = Ocean Ambassador
QUESTIONS? PLEASE CONTACT:
Rich German, Founder, rich@project-o.org
Evelina Marchetti, Executive Director, evelina@project-o.org
Alisan Theodossiou, Chief City Liaison, ali@project-o.org
Ashley Pries, City Liaison,ashley@project-o.org
www.bluecitynetwork.org 2A-2