San Jose, California Plans for Eco-friendly Future

Showcasing a local consultant's newly refurbished building designed to produce more energy with solar power than it uses, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed launched an ambitious agenda Friday to make the city a national leader in environmentally friendly technology.

"Our 'green vision' is a road map to becoming the center of innovation in clean technology," Reed said at the Integrated Design Associates, or IDeAs, building on Foxworthy Avenue, where he was joined by council members, business leaders and Rep. Mike Honda, D-Campbell.

"Our vision is lofty, our goals are ambitious, but they can be done."

The IDeAs building is a converted bank branch billed as the nation's first "Z-squared" building, meaning it uses less energy than it generates and produces no carbon emissions. Reed said it demonstrates that his goals are achievable. IDeAs principal David Kaneda agreed.

"We're a 14-person consulting firm," Kaneda said. "If we can do it, anyone can do it."

Designing such a building was a feat of engineering. Windows had to be sized and located in such a way that they allowed enough light to reduce the need for artificial lighting without being so large they would tax the air-conditioning system.

Reed's 10-point "green vision" calls for the entire city - including residents, businesses and government agencies - to cut its energy use in half over the next 15 years even as its population is projected to grow from 954,000 to 1.2 million. He wants to

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