City of Chula Vista

Dennis Gakunga, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Chula Vista

Dennis Gakunga, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Chula Vista

In an interview with Dennis Gakunga, Chief Sustainability Officer at the City of Chula Vista, he explores the vital measures that can further promote sustainability and enhance the quality of life for future generations in Chula Vista.

As the Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Chula Vista, what are some of the key measures that can be taken to further promote sustainability and better living for its future generations?

“Chula Vista” means “beautiful view” and we are lucky to be living in such a beautiful city. The City has been leading sustainability efforts in San Diego County for two decades and was the first city in San Diego county to adopt a Climate Action Plan in 2000. Now is a really exciting time in that journey because there are so many solutions we can put in action. Some of these important solutions include:

• Increasing clean, local and affordable electricity such as new building codes that require solar on new buildings and increased electrification or new community partners such as San Diego Community Power and their efforts to get to 100% renewable electricity sooner than required by the state.

• Adopting and implementing the Zero Waste Plan with some program highlights being curbside organics collection, a Zero Waste academy, fix-it-clinics to promote repairing items, and zero waste community events.

• Transitioning to zero emission transportation through actions like the EV Community Shuttle that provides no cost rides to seniors in the southwest area of Chula Vista, efforts to adopt renewable diesel, hybrid and electric vehicles in the City fleet, and provide electric vehicle charging infrastructure for staff and public at City facilities

What is your opinion on the long-term effects of technological advances in reaching sustainability goals?

While there are many long term effects of sustainability that we have worked to achieving such as, cleaner air and water, healthier, affordable and resilient communities, there are two long term effects of our effort to reduce GHG emissions that are also very important. These are increased access to data and increased transparency in local energy procurement. As we work to update City technology more and more data is being made available to the public. Guided by our Smart Cities planning efforts this data has allowed city stakeholders increased visibility into City actions and allowed them to learn more about the community such as through the City’s energy benchmarking and reporting requirements for commercial buildings in the City and its public dashboard reporting on resource use at City Facilities. We have also seen increased transparency and public participation in energy procurement through the formation of San Diego Community Power (SDCP). While an increase in the use of renewable energy was a main reason for the formation of SDCP because it is a public entity it has to comply with public meeting requirements and now all SDCP board meetings are available for the public to attend and comment on. This allows for more active engagement between the utility and the communities it serves and that have benefits beyond sustainability.

“My advice would be that nothing effective happens in a vacuum. Successful implementation of any sustainability initiative will depend on cross-departmental and regional collaboration.”

What do you think are some of the new innovations in R&D activities for green energy that can generate long-term social and environmental benefits?

One of the City’s big push right now is to transition to zero emission technology and there is a lot of air pollution benefits that come from that. An example of this is the electric battery landscaping equipment that City staff use to maintain City hall. The new equipment releases no air pollution and is charged with 100% renewable electricity, which has a positive impact on the air quality for City staff and the community. Other zero emission technologies examples include the new electric vehicles, solar panels and batteries and energy efficiency improvements such as LED lighting that reduce energy usage.

Before your stint as Chief Sustainability Officer at the City of Chula Vista, what are some of your experiences that empowered you to gain deep expertise in promoting long-term climate change action plans, achieving zero waste stream, and increasing public awareness of the city’s environmental programs?

My experience includes serving as a department head for multiple public agencies in Texas and California, including a transportation agency. I also worked in private sector consulting with Deloitte Consulting and PWC Consulting. This allowed to get a good understanding of key strategies for organizational effectiveness which are crucial for leading sustainability initiatives and long term programs. My tenure in the transportation was also useful in helping me get a good insight on the impacts of transportation and how it relates to climate change.

On an ending note, what is your advice for other senior leaders and CXOs working to implement sustainability across different sectors?

My advice would be that nothing effective happens in a vacuum. Successful implementation of any sustainability initiative will depend on cross-departmental and regional collaboration. It was critical to reach out to a broad range of local and regional stakeholders as part of the sustainability effort because the impacts of climate change span multiple demographic groups. By reaching out to a diverse group of stakeholders, our city has been able to gain feedback from practitioners that advocate on behalf of the needs of a wide group of the city’s population.