Dec 2 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Kevin Smith San Gabriel Valley Tribune, West Covina, Calif.


Impact, leadership, ingenuity … Those are some of the words that were used Tuesday to describe four local cities that have taken energy efficiency to heart.

The event was the San Gabriel Valley Energy Wise Partnership's first annual Energy Efficiency Awards Luncheon, held at the Pacific Palms Resort in Industry.

The partnership, a collaboration between the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments and Southern California Edison, aims to bring energy savings to the Valley through innovative public education and energy efficiency programs.

On Tuesday, Alhambra received the Energy Savings Impact Award for a Large City.

"Alhambra has been one of the cities that is really a role model," said Marissa Castro-Salvati, region manager for Southern California Edison.

By completing a variety of retrofit projects including lighting and equipment upgrades, the city was able to achieve 974,611 kilowatt hours of energy savings, the partnership noted.

"They had a lot of upgrades to their air conditioning, and their Police Department has done that as well," Castro-Salvati said. "The city received over $97,000 in rebates."

San Marino earned the Energy Savings Impact Award for a Small City, with 481,101 kilowatt hours in energy savings.

"It's a meaningful award," Mayor Eugene Sun said. "It's for energy efficiency ... and for the green Earth."

El Monte snagged the Ingenuity Award.

"Talk about a city that thinks out of the box," Castro-Salvati said. "They had nearly 500,000 kilowatt hours of energy savings. They replaced their illuminated street signs with reflective ones and that's a huge savings."

El Monte also installed two "smart pump" control systems in community pools at a zero net cost. Those innovative projects have encouraged other area cities to undertake similar efforts, the partnership said.

Councilwoman Emily Ishigaki put El Monte's green efforts in simple -- yet effective -- terms.

"I just want to tell you, El Monte rocks!" she said.

Rene Bobadilla, El Monte's interim city manager, said his city received $1.1 million in federal stimulus dollars to put toward energy-efficient projects.

Claremont earned the Green Leadership Award for its "outstanding commitment to improving the environment across all sectors, including energy efficiency, particularly through its efforts related to the Sustainable Claremont Initiative."

kevin.smith@sgvn.com

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