December 17, 2007

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg accepted the Julius B. Richmond Award from the Harvard School of Public Health last month for his “forceful public health measures against smoking, trans fats, and gun violence.”

Bloomberg is the 11th recipient of the Richmond Award, the most prestigious award given by the Harvard School of Public Health. The award is given out by the Division of Public Health Practice every year to an individual excelling in the public health arena, promoting and achieving “high standards for public health conditions.”

Bloomberg also announced in a press conference last month that the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will be environmentally “green” this year. The tree will be adorned with energy-efficient LED lights. The mayor also announced that a solar energy roof will be installed on the Rockefeller Center next year. It will be the largest private solar panel in Manhattan. These efforts are part of PlaNYC, a long-term effort to benefit NYC’s environmental and economic future.

Mayors Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles and Bob Foster of Long Beach announced a ban on “dirty diesel” trucks in the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex, the largest port complex in the country.

By October 2008, all pre-1989 trucks will be phased out and by 2012, 16,000 trucks will meet 2007 EPA emission guidelines, reducing the port’s diesel emissions from short-haul trucks by 80 percent.

Villaraigosa stated that, “Our cities have united to say: we will no longer sacrifice public health for the sake of adding a few extra pennies to the profit margin.”

Trucks that meet emission requirements will be outfitted with Radio Frequency Identification. Entry to the ports will be equipped with RFID scanning devices and trucks that do not meet the requirements will not be allowed to enter either port.

This effort is part of the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan, passed by the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach Boards of Harbor Commissioners in November 2006. The action plan aims to reduce total Los Angeles and Long Beach port emissions by 45 percent in five years.

Foster chairs the U.S. Conference of Mayors Sustainable Freight and Goods Movement Task Force; Villaraigosa chairs the USCM Poverty, Work and Opportunity Task Force.