Reaching for the Sun:
City of Lancaster wins prestigious Energy Globe Award
A few days before”World Environment Day”, the City of Lancaster was presented with the Energy Globe Award for the US by Austrian Trade Commissioner Rudolf Thaler.
Each year, the Energy Globe Award, today’s most prominent award for sustainability, selects winners from more than 800 projects in 105 countries. Founded in 2000, by Austrian Wolfgang Neumann, the Energy Globe Award has been labeled the Oscar of the sustainability movement.
“We’re honored to accept this prestigious international award,” said Mayor R. Rex Parris. “The City of Lancaster has made substantial progress towards our goal of becoming the alternative energy capital of the world, yet we couldn’t have done it without our partners, such as KB Home and Solar City.
“Amongst all the projects submitted from the United States, the City of Lancaster‘s endeavors shone the brightest,” said Thaler. “This forward-thinking city (…) is taking advantage of the abundant opportunities for solar energy present in this particular portion of Southern California’s High-Desert region.”
According to the selection committee, the City of Lancaster’s submission, “Leading the Way in Public and Private Partnership for the Development of Alternative Energy Projects,” has demonstrated that local government can be instrumental in furthering formidable energy conservation issues. With its “Home of the Future” project conducted in conjunction with KB Home and China-based BYD, Lancaster has provided the citizens of Lancaster affordable energy-efficient homes in record time.
This project was complemented by the affordable solar financing program “Solar Lancaster,” which provided homeowners unique incentives resulting in an average 30% reduction of energy consumption. Lancaster enjoys more than 325 days of sunshine per year, making it the ideal place to pioneer new solar energy technologies. –gw/ps
For more information visit www.energyglobe.info
Photo:
Dr. Rudolf Thaler congratulates Mayor Rex Parris (f.l.t.r.)