>> we thought we wouldd< take ts weekly video out on the road. we are here at recology at the recycling center. if you ever wondered where your recyclables go, and this new mandate for composting, the new challenges and mandates around recycling, what we are trying to achieve -- it all starts right here. we just marked an important milestone in our city. i would argue important this nationn francisco has now achieved a 77% diversion rate, the highest in america. no big city can lay claim to diverting that much of their waste, and that is why that composting requirement was so important. this is why our efforts to

consumption and distribution and the like of plastic water bottles is so important. it is because we want to reduce that waste going into the landfill. we want to reduce the burden on our environment. we want to create jobs. the folks on the line behind me and above me, those are folks that have employment because of these programs. we have added over 118 people in the last couple of years to the roles of the employed in these green collar jobs because of the recycling and composting programs. we actually created economic stimulus by building facilities like this and putting people to work to do that job. ball the folks out here in the hard hats are also supported by people in the office is doing the processing, doing accounting, doing the bookkeeping, so there is a multiple in terms of jobs that are created because of programs like we have established. it was error, we were less than 50%.

when i first w6urw@8yyixorwakñwe were roughly 35% effective, which was pretty impressive. it was higher than almost any other big city in this country, but we had an= reaching 50%, and they said it could not be done. we said we would reach 70%, and i was so proud when we broke 72%, and here we are with a goal of 75% by 2010, and not only did we achieve that. as i just region, we are at 77%. on our way -- ahead of schedule in fact, to be at 0 waste by 2020. there is no city that i know of anywhere in the world that could ever even imagine within the next number of years to be at zero ways. this is achievable because think about this -- even though we are at 77%, the remaining trash that

comes here that ends up in a landfill -- already, we have identified 2/3 of it that could easily be diverted if folks would do more composting at home and do more recycling at home and use these bins you see behind me. i do not want this to become a psa for our recycling efforts, although that is always good, and remember, it is the kids teaching the adults, which is always good. but this is good for the environment, good for the economy, and a san francisco can do this, cities across california and cities across america can do this. i will remind you of the great line by michelangelo, who said that the biggest risk is not that we aim to hawaii and miss but that we aim to low and --. it would have been easy for us to have a goal of 50% recycling rate by 2020. a lot of states, a lot of cities across the state, that will be tow%8x4ç:vw1qs8mna ++%uq

when you do that, you get people to organize that quality of imagination, where people in the private sector and public sector, using the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit coming up with new ideas and attitudes that may seem untoward or a little controversial or extreme at first, but suddenly, when you peel it back and look back two or three years, you go, "my gosh, that makes so much since." if you make a few mistakes in the process, but ultimately, you create a goal that is accomplished that becomes an example for other people and other cities to achieve with similar goals and accomplish similar efforts. we are really proud of our collective effort in san francisco and the people in a city that have stepped up. they mocked us a bit. i even was a little concerned about the composting requirement

at first, but now i'm doing it. other folks are doing it, and it is really exciting to achieve these extraordinary goals. green collar jobs. the new economy. this is our future. this is real. it is happening now, and it could be happening everywhere else, not just in the great city and county of san francisco. >> i think it ae's public and private property. i'm against graffiti. >> who can get it out the most who can be noticed the most. >> i i've seen seniors doing graffiti. >> the city is art, other people who have their names

tag -- >> [inaudible] our unit there are 2 sections we are doing one is abating and others are notice of violation to private property. all the utility boxes in public right-of-way we abate. >> we abate calls that come within 48 hours. >> we are a small group in g f graffiti. we don't have enough help. >> i have a group in town down and china town and the north tunnel. [inaudible] the graffiti we abate everything is coming up to the areas now. >> i'm willing to take it on. i think -- >> you are telling me you are

ready for this? >> i think so. >> okay. >> there you go. >> all right. >> all right. >> ready to do it. let's go. >> want to get the gray signses this over here and the garbage can and normally we don't do private property since it's on the corridor route you can come with me we will use black. >> we had a lot of changes in the graffiti unit. we do private property if someone moved we remove it and send it to the attorney's office and they take appropriate action. >> damage their property there. it's important to write the color in case they want to say what part of our house you abated the graffiti on. >> using your safety glasses

the gloves. >> you got it. >> you know some places we gashi, people appreciate that. you know, a lot of timeses they say, thank you. >> the time where it's visible. a lot of people put it on the ground. >> i like when tourists come and say, you do this for your city and you get paid for that? >> we use the [inaudible] for the holes and the retaining

walls. [inaudible]. white on the fire hydrants. fire box red for the fire boxes. our brown for the pg and e poles. >> we are not painters we do our best. >> i'm assuming it has to do with gang activity. >> if it's territorial i mind. >> in case it's gang related and they are marking our territory i would like to paint it over. >> anything with numbers like x iv or x 13 west side mob and the bay view those are gang related.

with gang related or profanity we will abait it as soon as possible. >> i consider it an art. there are circles of people that form around it whether or not they should ruin public property. >> this is art work i'm for it. unless it's on someone's property and they don't want it there. judge kids with silver paint expressing their ego needs doesn't belong on our property. >> graffiti is when you don't have permission to write anything on their property. >> eighth street is part of your regular rout? >> yes. >> everyday. >> eighth street. divisidero street. irving street. every block they going through they paint 3 or 4 streets in the block the poles the utility

boxes, mailbox. >> thank you. >> okay. >> put the drop cloth. come on around. >> there you go. force for we have to remember we are not painters we abate graffiti. we are abaters not painters. get that out of the way and keep moving. >> how many of these do you do a day? how many poles we do a day? >> yeah. >> depends on the location.

may be 20. >> do you like working with the team? >> yes because i'm a people person. i like being outside and interacting with the public and i like the response we get especially from the good job we do in the community. >> goodbye.

>> if you hear strange sounds, we will be hearing strange sounds all the time. this is part of our new installation called "what is missing." i am the executive director of the academy. people in san francisco are very fortunate to have a truly remarkable public arts pro gram that makes projects like this one possible. we open this building one year ago. since then, about 2.3 million visitors have come through the california academy of arts and sciences. that is ok. my original goal was to speak alcatraz. don't tell anyone, of course. i think that we did it. it is a brilliant year.

if we get a real rush, we could hit 3 million by the anniversary. we would like to have a last minute push. we are fortunate enough to have two public artworks by mai ling. the first is on the west terrace where the land meets the sea. mai is a dedicated environmentalist and this is consistent with who she is as a person. we are quite have this book and did by her works. this is an extension of all that is in between it and it encourages people to think about the world and their responsibility to it. the academy is all about two questions, how did we get here and the challenge of sustainability?

i suggest that there are no more important questions for our time and all that you see around here deals with those issues. we will hear from maya in a few minutes. i would like to think many people who made this possible. first the members of the art advisory committee, bill wilson and mary [inaudible] and the arts commissioner. the golden gate music conkers advisory committee. -- concourse advisory committee. the former curator of the deyoung museum. can you imagine? this is fantastic. the academy scientists who work during the early design phase of

this installation included [inaudible] carol tang, brian fisher, jack dunn blocker, [inaudible] i also want to acknowledge my predecessor who played such a seminal role in the design of the academy. he is now at the university of colorado. the director of the exhibit development who insured that the installation went off without a hitch just as he ensured that the entire academy moved to

howard street and then moved back without one lost fish. of course, the arts commission in the city of san francisco. it is my pleasure to introduce this senior adviser to mayor gabonese som - -gavin newsom. >> i am here representing the mayor. he is anticipating the birth of his child which should come to any minute now. on behalf of the mayor, welcome to this dedication of the sculpture. the mayor early in his career realize the transforming power of public arts. it starts a discourse.

it challenges us as citizens. what is missing is the expression of what people in san francisco and the mayor are trying to achieve. we are trying to be the greatest city possible. our art should reflect our times and values. composting, water conservation, bicycling, plastic bags, plastic bottles, we are mocked sometimes for how we lead and today we are the been on public art. 90% of our big fish are gone. 1/3 of all species are missing. what is yet to be determined is that this is a memorial for us to listen. this will be spoken to millions

of children. thank you for your gift. you have already exceeded our expectations. i would like to give you the president of the arts commission. >> thank you. on behalf of the city family and all of our elected officials and especially the arts commission, it is on honor to be here and to mark this incredible vacation. -- occasion.

with this addition to the city's civic collection, san francisco will become home not only to this last public memorial but also the artist's first multimedia work. if you have not had a chance to get up close, please do so as a very exciting and innovative art work. i would like to thank the academy of sciences for being such a wonderful partner in this project with us and for welcoming not only the artist but the arts commission. some of us grew up in these avenues and it is a very joyous occasion to come back and rekindle our love in this new

incredible facility. what could be a better home for these two artworks, these two pieces, then this incredible building? we now have to two amazing pieces by a world class -- one of the greatest artists working in the world today. this is perhaps one of the best masterpieces in the world. this project is the result of an ordinance which is providing capital construction projects and the city dedicates 2% to the development of public art. although the academy of sciences is a not-for-profit

institution, this is on public land after all. the san francisco arts commission worked tirelessly to applying the arts in richmond fund and then we got a little bit of help along the way. -- enrichment fund and then we got a little bit of help along the way. finally, i think that we should take a moment to not only and knowledge and celebrate the brilliance of the artists but also the hard work and the tenacity of the many people who helped make this happen. greg mentioned a few of them, i would like to make a mention in particular, the director of public arts for the city and county of san francisco who shepherded the project from its inception to this day with a lot of help from my former colleagues on the arts commissioner.

the former chair of the public art committee as well as in other former commissioner who contributed their expertise to the project and helped to guide it to success. we would not be here today without their dedication and tenacity. we'll be joined by the dean of academic affairs at the san francisco art institute. i want to thank her and welcome her to the microphone. thank you. [applause] >> thank you for coming. it is a distinct pleasure and honor to have been lucky enough to have been there for the very beginning of this project and

the selection phase. sometimes, we don't get to see things all of the way through so this will be special to me. particularly, it was a special and extraordinary and creative opportunity to work with the artist. one of the excitemenexciting tho watch the credit process unfold and also to be a part of it sometimes. -- watched the creative process unfold. they want to aspire to work as a part of their career. sometimes, with public art, we focus so much on the environment in which we take place.

the constraints under which it takes place, it can be outdoors, it can be allowed, it has to be approachable and accessible. sometimes things can become so overwhelming, i was laughing at a press conference when maya was concerned about the cooling system. sometimes we lose sight of what is so extraordinary about public art when it works so well. when she came to us for the initial proposal, she said she wanted to do two pieces. we thought that was great. we thought it would be complicated. what happened is that she created two pieces that are not only beautiful but necessary to one another. that is what makes this work so extraordinary to me. on the other side of the building where the land lease the city, this asks us to think

about what we cannot see because it is beneath the surface. to think about this is kind of imagine tiff. when she began to conceptualize this piece, she was absolutely consistent that it had some sort of sensory, tactile relationship to the people looking at it. to how the world touches you and how it involves you and makes you a part of it. we have a piece on the other side of the plaza that says this is where we are today, this is the contour of where we need to surface. then we have a piece on this side of the building that says that we're working from here to the entire rest of the world. everything we do as individuals as we stand here in front of this piece and think about the choices that we make and think about whether we use that plastic bottle or that top, has impliti