LA: Off coal by 2020?

LA's mayor's about to announce that all of LA will be off coal by 2020. A press conference will start soon!

Okay, sorry. That blurb from my Blackberry was more appropriate for a Twitter Post, but I was at JETRO's (Japan External Trade Organization) Greening the City event in downtown LA this afternoon when one of the mayor's deputy announced the plan to get LA completely off coal by 2020.

It is about time.  You would think that a city that basks in sunshine and has several outstanding universities would be a leader in solar and other energy technologies.  While the LADWP has been polluting LA's suburbs with its Intermountain Coal Plant, the utility until resisted any move towards allowing residents to install solar on their homes.  Of course that was not brought up today, but while Antonio Villaraigosa's deputies gushed about how much LA was doing, Japan has taken a lot of action over the past 35 or so years.

True, Japan is a small country with limited resources, so it behooved them to wean themselves off of oil rather than be subjected to oil price spikes and globalpolitical turmoil.  But the Japanese have done it, and have even embarassed the Europeans in the race for energy efficiency and cutting-edge technologies.

Japan is having its problems with huge public debt and a sclerotic bureaucracy, but its people are making impressive gains and are leading with impressive sustainability programs, which I look forward to sharing over the next several weeks.

So expect more from Brazil, Japan, and of course, Korea, in the months ahead!  They can give Angelinos some pretty good lessons . . .