We hold ourselves to high standards at SDG&E – not just in serving our customers, but also in how we impact the economy, the environment and society. We strive to lead by example and are working to not only reduce the environmental footprint of own operations, but also protect our region’s biodiversity. In our 2021 Sustainability Strategy Update, we share some of the progress we’ve made to date and new goals to make where and how we work more efficient.
Setting New Goals for our Facilities & Fleet
Our sustainability strategy extends to the office buildings and facilities where we work. While we’ve taken steps to significantly reduce, reuse and recycle in our workplace, we want to do more. This year, we announced that we will seek to achieve zero net energy for all of our owned facilities by 2030. This means that our facilities will only consume as much energy as we can generate on-site through renewable sources.
In addition to achieving zero net energy, by 2030, SDG&E aims to
- Divert 100% of facilities-related waste from landfills by reducing, reusing, recycling and recovering materials
- Reduce facilities freshwater use by 50% from our 2010 baseline
- Enable green miles by installing approximately 2,000 on-site EV charge points
- Earn U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (USGBC LEED®) certifications for all new construction
SDG&E is also helping to tackle our regional single largest source of GHG emissions by transforming our own fleet. By 2035, five years ahead of our original target, SDG&E expects to operate a 100% Zero-Emission fleet. A cleaner, decarbonized fleet benefits our communities, too, as EVs are quieter and do not produce tailpipe pollution.
Deploying Nature-Based Solutions
San Diego is a hub of biodiversity and SDG&E is committed to protecting our region by avoiding or minimizing any impact from our business activities on the region’s ecosystems. One of the innovative ways we do this is through nature-based solutions, which apply the wisdom of the natural world to solve challenges.
Fighting Wildfires with Goats
To help prevent wildfires, SDG&E released over 200 goats earlier this year to help clear brush and other vegetation-ignition sources around electric infrastructure. The pilot program allows the goats to do what they do best – graze on grasses – and in the process helped us keep corridors open, prevent the spread of invasive weeds and promote the growth of native vegetation.
Protecting Biodiversity with a Seedbank
Native plants are important to the success of habitat restoration efforts. However, it can be difficult to source local, native plant seeds in our region. To address this challenge, SDG&E helped develop the Clover Flats Seedbank in southeastern San Diego County to grow native plants for seeding, harvesting, sorting and storage.
Read about these initiatives and more by visiting sdge.com/sustainability.