The District Board is committed to reducing the district’s carbon emissions and recognizes that there are multiple benefits to the community including the potential for new jobs, economic development, stabilized energy costs, and reduced pressure on the grid that supplies electricity to the City.

The Wilshire Center District is a Regional Commercial Center per the City’s General Plan, and is approximately 100 acres in size. The District is bounded by 3rd Street on the north, 7th Street on the south, Hoover Street on the east and Wilton Place on the west. WCBID represents over 33 million square feet of residential, office and retail space. There is about 12 million square feet of residential space (approx 25,000 residents), 19.5 million square feet of office space (approx 75,000 workers), and 1.5 million square feet of retail space. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE WILSHIRE CENTER DISTRICT MAP (PDF)

The Cool District is a project of the Wilshire Center Business Improvement District (WCBID), which was established in 1995 to help improve the area by creating a mechanism for community input, offering increased security, attracting businesses and creating jobs. Rather than waiting for “someone else” to do something about climate change, the WCBID Board and management decided to take the lead.

The science behind global warming and climate change is in, and the majority of the world’s leading climate scientist and researchers have come to the same conclusion; we must cut our greenhouse gas emissions or face serious consequences. "If there's no action before 2012, that's too late. What we do in the next two to three years will determine our future. This is the defining moment." Rajendra Pachauri a scientist and economist who accepted the Nobel Prize on behalf of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last year.

Major shifts in temperature have occurred at a very slow rate in our planet’s history, usually changing only a few degrees over thousands of years. However, human emissions of greenhouse gases, or GHGs (caused by the burning of fossil fuel) is causing global warming to occur at a much faster rate than ever before. If scientist’s projections hold true, we are looking at an average temperature increase of our planet from 3 to 10 degrees over the course of our children’s lifetimes. This means we are running short of time to slow and reverse the buildup of GHGs in the atmosphere. Radical changes of the Earth’s weather patterns and sea levels are already threatening the health and lives of all species on our planet.

How does it happen? Solar radiation passes through the clear atmosphere. Some radiation is reflected by the Earth and atmosphere; most radiation is absorbed by the Earth’s surface and warms it. Infrared radiation is emitted from the Earth’s surface. Some of the infrared radiation passes through the atmosphere, and some is absorbed and re-emitted in all direction by greenhouse gas molecules. The effect of this is to warm the Earth’s surface and lower atmosphere.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) identifies 6 GHGs; Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous oxide (N2O), Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), Perfluorocarbons (PHCs) and Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). Our focus is on CO2, which is the most prevalent of the GHGs and remains in our atmosphere from the time of emission for over 100 years. Man-made carbon dioxide is produced by combusting fossil fuels found in gasoline, natural gas and diesel that we use to power our vehicles, equipment and stationary sources such as power plants.

We have already taken the first step – the pledge to reduce our carbon emissions by 2% per year. Now what? For the Wilshire Center Cool District Plan to be implemented, we need to know what our carbon footprint is (the amount of CO2 which our district is dispersing into the atmosphere). Step 2 of the plans calls for a Global Warming Emission Inventory to be done by a consultant hired by the WCBID. We are currently being assisted by Green & Beyond.

State and local governments are taking action. We now have the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32), which seeks to reduce GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. On December 5, 2007, the California Energy Commission unanimously adopted the California Public Utilities Commission's plan for achieving zero net energy residential buildings by 2020 and commercial buildings by 2030. Los Angeles has the Green LA Climate Action Plan, the goal of which is to reduce GHG emissions 35% below 1990 levels by 2030. The Wilshire Center Cool District Plan is in line with Mayor Villaraigosa's Climate Action Plan that seeks "to lead the nation in fighting global warming."

Climate change starts and stops with us. The Cool District Plan aims to reduce CO2 emissions 2% per year for 40 years (2010-2050). Our strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions includes encouraging buildings to become more energy efficient and take advantage of renewable energy sources, and encouraging people to make better use of our public transportation system and to make their next car purchase a green vehicle.

Why us? Here are some reasons: our government can’t do it all; we all contribute to climate change, so we should all contribute to climate protection; saving energy saves money; and safeguarding our climate safeguards our future. The Wilshire Center Cool District Plan can become a model for other Business Improvement Districts (BID), and share the lessons we learn; there are currently 37 BIDs in Los Angeles and about a thousand throughout North America.

The plan envisions by 2050 a District where residents and workers rely primary on public transit, walking and biking. Cars would run on electricity supplied by solar and wind power. Individuals and businesses have reduced their carbon footprint (CO2) by 80 percent. New and existing Wilshire Center buildings achieve net zero energy consumption through increased energy efficiency and a shift to renewable energy sources. No waste would be sent to landfills. And most of the food eaten in Wilshire Center would be produced organically and within a few hundred miles.

Measures and goals, which would be realized in stages over the next four decades, are to be part of a blueprint to be proposed by the district staff members early next year to meet the WCBID Board approved pledge to reduce Wilshire Center's greenhouse gases 80 percent by 2050.

District management stressed that community cooperation is essential and that the plan will be formulated after months of community input. The plan would be achieved by a combination of conservation efforts and the use of renewable energy, such as solar power. The district would help with such strategies as finding financial assistance to help implement energy-saving tactics.

The WCBID is excited about working with the Los Angeles AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE), which is committed to making our community a better place to live through greener design and development, smarter planning, and better public policy. Each year, COTE spearheads a community event designed to facilitate debate and discussion about the built environment. This year they are assisting the Wilshire Center Business Improvement District (WCBID) in finding solutions for the Cool District Plan. On March 15, AIA/LA COTE’s Wilshire Center Cool District Eco Charette conducted the first of three planned charrettes: the first addressed the big picture, or visioning; the second will engage Owners and City directly to develop specific strategies; and the third will focus on implementation.

“I salute the commitment, leadership and optimism that the Cool District Program represents, and I am appreciative that it will help advance the city's own goals.” Herb J. Wesson, Jr., Councilmember, 10th District

Take the pledge: the 2% solution
Take the 2% solution pledge! 2% may not sound like much, but if each American reduced emissions by just 2% over the next 40 years, the world would be a much cooler place. This Web site provides a way to stay informed, and easy tips on reducing your own greenhouse gas emissions at home, at the office, on the road, everywhere! By working with building owners and tenants in our community to reduce our global warming impact we can show others that a green change is possible.