>> the city of san jose a is striving to be an environmental leader. we will is hoe -- show you ways to improve the environmental. and what can happen if we don't find solutions to issues we are facing today. >> you're watching equal time exploreering new issues each week giving equal points of view. i'm your host journalism school

director bob rucker. what's it mean to go green. here's a student who strives to be a living example of environmental consciousness and speaks to the mayor who is spear heading the city's green initiative. the bay area -- from family members to service groups -- environmental issues are deeply root. i'm really addicted to lime green products. i got this as a gift from a friend. recycled material. >> she is a student at san jose a city college -- an english major. >> when i ask someone do you want to help me recycle something their initial reaction is -- you want me to

recycle bottles -- no -- you can plant a gaden, you can stop cutting trees. you can do a lot of things to be green. >> the jnv8mb2ñgeneration of yo adults have grown up appreciating the planet. >> putting money in a green project i think is what san jose's main goal should be. >> the innovation capitol of the world san jose has opportunity to do things no other city can do. >> we are surrounded by innovation. >> the latest plan green vision -- it is mapping what he calls the clean innovation center of the world. >> we want to reduce energy consums by 50% we want clean resources -- we want to most

importantly facilitate the creation of 25,000 clean facility jobs. >> some goals are moving more quickly than others. >> we established metrics -- a 15 year plan with difficult but not impossible goal. >> divine destinyerting trash from landfills is already 43% complete where having new streetlights -- only 27% goal complete. as the 10th largest city in the u.s., san jose can serve as an urban example. >> if we're going to succeed at immediating our environmental challenges we have to do it in the urban cities. >> dr. lien chairs the environmental studies at san jose state. she says this is a huge

challenge now and in the future as 80% of the population live in urban settings. a challenge i believe urban sustain ability try to bring the foot print of our activities into the foot print of the urban center. >> why there are many environmental problems, they say the city can do more on other front. >> i don't see enough focus on habitats and species. we are not the only ones here on the planet -- humans -- there's lots of other jobs -- we need to integrate natural habitats and the species that live here. >> the garden here on campus encourages students to get out of the classroom. >> these gardens help connect people with food -- reducing

their foot print by eating right here. >> it is sustainable agriculture. they are able to gain -l knowledge through hands on learning. >> if we don't do anything about these issues, our urban environments and every where will be unlivable. >> when we come back we will show how the community can use alternative means of transportation to help sustain the environment. >> welcome back.

we have seen what can be done for the environment on a personal level and on city wide level. coordinated efforts are key. samantha shows us how the campus and bay area connection are kicking in to make california cleaner. >> students can take public transportation for free and many do. >> our primary goal is to get students aware of the issues we face not only here on campus but as a society. >> associated students director also suggests students use bicycle. >> we have a bike walk all throughout the campus. >> the organization is looking into developing a vacant lot and transforming it into a garden. >> the goal is to bring the community together.

not only for teaching purposes, but get students involved to see how food grows. >> he says the university is working on installing bike lanes on campus to prevent pedestrian bike collision. >> we feel students are really catching on to being green and realizing they need another thing besides a car. effort is under way for regional centers to connect and have a strategy to -- for sustain ability. 6city borders. >> city councilmember serves south san jose and is part of the bay area government. the group has come up with plan

bay area linking guide lines to gas reduction goals. >> it is it being done for our begun -e great grandchildren to make sure we are preparing for their life and quality of life. >> he says unfortunately in the past development sprawled without a thought about transportation connection. >> we know now we will have millions of more people living here over the next decade but we have to prepare for it today. we can't wait. it requires regional planning. >> he says elected officials need to think about the impact reggianal planning has on the quality of life. >> we are doing it so mistakes from the past are not repeated and in terms of planning what impact it has on the residents and wild life. a big reason people come here is it is beautiful and we want it to stay that way.

>> welcome back to this edition of equal time. our focus today is the green vision for san jose. let's meet our guests. >> hi i'm lyn, chair of the environmental studies at san jose state and my specialty is urban wild life. >> i'm osh -- i serve as bay area air quality management district and board member for caltrans and i have a unique interest in the environment. >> i'm paul landon -- student here at the environmental student get. >> hello my name is selma -- student at san jose city college and my main focus is helping the environment and changing it so we can have a belter future. >> i'm a journalism major --

samantha. >> are people clear on what is expected of the public. >> i think the public needs to be a partner, no doubt about it, in terms of achieving green vision goals. 10 goals were set in 2007 ranging from job creation, to water conservation to planting trees. i think the public has responded well to it. i think the government -- the city side, we need to continue to appreciate that response. i think it is always a two way street and through the recession it has been challenging to achieve some of the goals -- but now we have a unique opportunity to push the green vision as far as we can. >> we certainly have young people hoping jobs come out of this. >> yes, very much. the future for people in my department -- the environmental studies department -- we look towards the government

especially in what we're doing and what we can do. through green vision we are looking at revamping businesses and other things to better suit the sustainable needs of the city and reduce energy and carbon output. >> you %$gí0' are trying to ex this to today's students help them understand the responsibilities involved. >> the responsibilities are huge because the environmental challenges facing us today are enormous and one of the largest of course is climate change. the city's green vision has a number of proactive measures to try to reduce greenhouse gases go nothing the environment, which is really terrific. that is one of the primary things we need to do if we are to have a sustainable society in the future. i applaud the city for that. i think there's other thing that's could be in the plan that i feel from a habitats at

that time, wild life specialist -- it is not just san jose a lot of cities struggle with happen at that time species. >> we will get into the economics as well but samantha why did you want to do this show. >> i just that you living in san jose -- the bay area in general -- it is very green. people are very focused on preserving the environment and sod -- and so i felt a lot of viewers wanted to know how it is possible so i wanted to find experts who know about it canada have a discussion on what it means to have a green environment. what is green vision. >> you told me before the show this is distinction about the urban environment that is different -- what were you suggesting. >> i was talking to lyn sean

told me a little bit about urban sustain ability -- can you talk more about what you know. >> i would like to mention that but i would like to turn it over to -- a student who is getting and in an urban environment -- she has challenges. >> thank you. i'm glad to be on the show. thanks for inviting me. as a student being in the environment it is sort of hard to adapt to it. there are certain types of elements that i can adapt to easily and other things that are more difficult to adapt to. so, for the classes i take right now, i focus on what my major is but i try to branch out more so i can reach to other students that are just my

col -- colleagues that i zoo on a regular basis or i try to keep it family based so it is more intimate. >> talk about in terms of urban. >> i take the bus and light rail -- five days a week maybe up to 7 days a week. so from the time it take ms -- me to wake up and go to school and go to a job -- i wake up at 6:00 in the morning and take public transportation until maybe 7:00 at night. the process just to go home -- it hurts my mind. it is challenging. it is. and i don't have a lot of money. i'm a poor college student so i can't necessarily afford to buy my self a nice running car so

that's why i use public transportation or walk every where. i don't like to bum rides -- i like to get stuff done my way -- if it is not done my way or it is doesn't benefit %óapr environment -- so it is a positive outlook. my mother taught me well. i'm not only doing the things i'm doing for my self. it is for the environment. i would hope i would be able to live until my 90s or 100s be in the book of world records just for being a good person not necessarily to gain anything out of it. i'm not trying to be famous -- i'm just trying to educate people. >> lyn this is the sort of thing you are trying to get students to think about. >> absolutely. so one of the best things we can do -- what can we do to

have a greener city and a greener environment, one thing is to take public transportation -- that's one of the best things you can do. i know the city is working hard to get people around in an efficient way. it is a challenge for the city. another challenge i find for city's is to incorporate habitats for species. to think about other organisms on the planet. it does agriculture actually benefit cities in the urban environment to include natural habitats such as streams and how to include wild life into our cities. one benefit would be -- cities have a heat effect -- they are warmer in the surrounding non

city environment. if you have more natural areas, that can help reduce the heat in the city. >> that's interesting. you never think about it in terms of animals. the other day two doves were sitting on a fence -- it is a cultural positive thing -- it is a beautiful thing. did you spend how the environment effects other creatures not just human. >> yes we went over the master draft for the campus and we are looking toward getting -- i forgot the word -- native on campus. so what we have done through a couple organization -- ert, and as -- getting gardens on campus. weigh planted behind tower hall

a native landscape and also around asl there's native landscape. winn see the benefits -- the humming birds and natural insects -- and bees coming to poll nate the flowers, it is beautiful. >> students care about this. >> i would agree -- yeah. when you are at school stressed out, £qeú9mrunning from class class -- it is nice to see the garden and the beautiful birds -- it is a really refreshing and it feels like you are part of the environment, like you are not at school. >> so stop and smell the roses -- it is calming in a stressful moment. how do we afford all this. >> the reality is how can we afford not to do it. at the end of the day, what do we love living in this place -- what's so great about

california -- it really is the environment. the columbus bridge in silicone valley is still a place people appreciate the environment and it is great to see the next generation of leadership talking about the gardens and wild life. this is something that is /lú?e+hmusic to my ears, certainly the professor as well because we juan the to make sure they are doing it for the right reasons, not just to get credits -- but because they realize this is their world they are inheriting. it is challenging. san jose is very different -- if it is older urban environment built more densely hundred years ago and it has really built out over the last 50 years and it built up in a strong fashion and many of us for

mistakes made the past, including transit for the entire county. it is very challenging. we can only do it if people public ttívz-- choice of public transportation. it takes time and stressful -- the behavior changes of the new generation -- they have to change. >> my generation said we will have to be different but we didn't turn out well. some of us do. i enjoy the freedom of having my car and your generation is not going to stop buying cars, i don't think so. >> it is always nice to bike. i mean, i live about ten minutes away driving but i

thought about getting a bike -- even just a cheap bike on craigs list -- that helps -- it is a great way to exercise. i've been interested in that -- it is a good solution. >> is it me or is it hard getting the public understand, to have a message resident nate -- about the value and importance of green energy -- never seems to take hold as clearly as garbage is on thursday and this is done that day -- how do we do that. >> well, one of the main ways to do it better is to price it right. right now, for instance, we may not want to hear this -- gasoline is too cheap -- it is just too easy to fill up. >> don't change the channel please. >> the price of gasoline does not include the cost to the environmental testimony is not including the price we're going to pay from global climate change. it is not including the price

that we pay for ozone in the atmosphere and bad air days. if gas was more expensive people would drive less -- they would find other ways to get around or not drive as much. that is one of the ways that people respond to. >> i grew up in the midwest -- longed to live in california, got here and wanted to drive all over. they want to get around -- they want to use their cars -- as well as buss -- but it is changing behavioral patterns. it is not an easy thing to >p÷e >> i do think ultimately we won't have much of a choice. we can't keep on having more thankfully we are seeing more and more electrical cars which will be helpful in terms of our

carbon foot print but we do need people riding their bikes. it has a dual impact of health benefits as well as the benefit to the environment. so every opportunity to kill two birds with one stone -- that might not be a good way to put it -- i appreciate the mention of the habitats -- the area i represent. i have been very protective of keeping that free of development because of the habitats because it is the a land from san cruise mountains -- there's certain birds -- what i love the most when i learn more and more about this is there are so many students involved in making sure it is appreciated. if you want things like to be appreciated we have to get out of our cars. i think it is hard to make that

connection, like picking up garbage on thursday, it is much harder and takes more effort. doing the right thing is often times the more difficult choice, even when it comes to eating -- either a fast food or have a garden and eat fresh, which is also good for the environment. so thing e=rethat's are good f ourselvesen ted it to be good for the environment and good for the long term goals we have. it can only be done by the individuals who make up the community. >> i have ipad, tablet, i use them if i get lost. there is a been fit. we are switching here on campus, we are twitching to new technology where we can incorporate text books with course materials to bring it altogether so you can read it

on your tablets and you won't have to carry all the books. you will see the benefit of having this technology. >> you're talking to younger people. in other words, high school is good, grammar school is good -- to get the word out younger is important because they carry the message the rest of their lives. >> and they carry it to their parents. we have an incredible recycling society -- no one gets away with not recycling, if you don't recycle -- it's like -- what planet are you from. chicago does. more and more cities around the u.s. are getting it but we in california really get it. one of the reasons is that kids got that message over the last 20 years and they told their parents -- you can't do that.

the parents are like, okay, so i got to do that. and so getting to kids -- they get that message right away and i think one of the things happening -- i hope to see at the spreading up through the generations, is the school gardening that is going on there's a tremendous number of teaching gardens in elementary schools where students are learning to grow their food and i'm sure they are telling their we need to eat organic and grow our oh -- own food. that's a great thing to do whether you are in an apartment or a house. >> the lady at the white house coming. i want to thank you all for being here today. we can do these things we just need to take time and learn. thank you for joining us and we

hope you come back for another edition of equal time

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