LA has a vast amount of natural open space, more than 214,000 acres, including the nation’s largest municipal park – 4,014 acre Griffith Park – plus 22 miles of beaches in addition to countless parks and recreation areas. LA’s top nature reserves include the 153,095-acre Santa Monica National Recreation Area and the 55,000-acre Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.
So, what does this all mean? Well, according to the Brookings Institution, a prestigious Washington think tank, LA truly is the “Emerald City,” ranking greener than New York, more virtuous than Portland, Oregon and, yes, even better than socially-conscious San Francisco.
25 Green Facts about Los Angeles
- LA was the first city to require that city-owned buildings be built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) specifications — the internationally recognized standard for constructing environmentally friendly buildings — back in 2003.
- LA has the highest solid waste recycle rate of any large American city — 62%.
- The Los Angeles Convention Center is the largest solar-generating building in North America.
- LA’s celebrity chefs are leading the charge for sustainable food and environmentally healthful restaurant practices.
- You can shop ‘til you drop for eco-friendly products in LA. From designer shoes made from tree sap to contemporary furniture crafted from recycled materials, green is in style all over town.
- Nearly 10% of all LA's energy comes from renewable resources, including solar and wind power.
- The city’s “Native Tree Ordinance” protects all Oak, southern California Black Walnut, Western Sycamore and California Bay trees from harm.
- LA boasts the single largest fuel cell power plant at any university in the world, at the California State University Northridge (CSUN) campus in the San Fernando Valley.
- More influential green organizations have been founded in LA than in many cities, including TreePeople, Heal the Bay, American Oceans Campaign (now part of the global advocacy group Oceana) and the Wright Organic Resource Center.
