CITY OF SAN JOSÉ
Kerrie has witnessed the remarkable incline of sustainability : “ I ' m certainly glad that being sustainable and green is viewed as cool , and I do think that is an important element of it . The public has expressed their interest and their desire , and companies have listened to them and responded accordingly . Some companies simply know it ' s the right thing to do , and by leading in that way , they naturally draw customers in . Consequently , there ' s a really interesting push and pull dynamic .”
Kerrie is wary of too much high-fiving , however , and knows that corporate awakenings , however impactful , come with a caveat . “ I think it ' s been an evolution , but we ’ re still not doing enough , fast enough ,” she insists . “ We ' ve got to apply more pressure to companies , cities , and municipalities , and then make it even cooler , so even more people believe in it for the right reasons . Not everyone ' s on board with climate change , but there are a lot more than there were 10 years ago .”
Change in perception , attitude , and approach have been exponentially increasing , even for a free-thinking city like San José . In 2011 , there was little environmental advocacy but , a decade later , that has all changed . One of San José ’ s pivotal goals , when it started Climate Smart , was to get the community to fundamentally shape that movement and , ultimately , create the sense of togetherness and solidarity which is so fundamental to sustainability .
“ I ' m proud that there are several very active , very vocal , and very influential community groups ,” she says . “ I ' m super excited that they ' re showing up to council meetings and telling me I ' m not doing enough . By demanding more , it demonstrates that we ' re getting the right folks elected , and the community feels motivated to express themselves .”
Something in the water Among the initiatives in San José , one , in particular , flows through everything – quite
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