Photo courtesy of the Port of Long Beach.
The 10th anniversary of the Port of Long Beach’s (POLB) Green Port Policy was celebrated Monday evening by the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners.
Today’s Commissioners unanimously reaffirmed their commitment to the Green Port Policy, according to the POLB release, and honored six former commissioners for setting the Green Port Policy in motion in 2005. Former Commissioners Mario Cordero, James C. Hankla, John Calhoun, Doris Topsy-Elvord, John Hancock and Dr. Mike Walter were given proclamations in gratitude for their work.
“Protecting the environment is one of the great challenges of the 21st century, and the biggest success of our Green Port Policy is yet to come as we see our programs being adopted at ports around the world – and our industry free of emissions and completely sustainable,” said Harbor Commission President Doug Drummond in a statement.
The Green Port Policy was adopted on January 31, 2005 and while the motion was an aggressive, landmark decision geared toward building a cleaner port and surrounding city and region, Slangerup’s “Energy Island,” as mentioned in the conclusion of the State of the Port address promises to pioneer an even greener operation.
As the POLB continues to use and explore zero-emission technologies, more advanced solutions will be required for its increasing reliance on electricity. Ideally, according to Slangerup, “Energy Island” will enable the port to self-generate power in an effort to provide energy security, not just for its own operations, but for critical city operations, as well.
According to the release, Long Beach was named the world’s “Best Green Seaport” in 2014 by its customers in Asia, while air and water quality have dramatically improved since the policy was adopted. The POLB has been recognized as a major leader in environmental stewardship among other seaports worldwide, meanwhile, “the world’s greenest terminal” remains under construction in an effort to spearhead the development of advanced technologies for an even cleaner, greener port that what we know today.