As well as these firsts, St. Petersburg features some of Florida’s most pristine beaches, parks and preserves, which include areas to hike, paddle, picnic and bike—St. Petersburg is also one of the most "pedestrian and bicycle friendly" cities in the country, including direct access to the Pinellas Trail, a 34 mile dedicated recreational trail. And with over 360 days of sunshine each year, you can take advantage of St. Petersburg’s beautiful natural setting nearly every day!
The city also hosts several, well attended green events and seminars, and is home to some industry leading green businesses. Throughout the year downtown St. Pete hosts the nationally acclaimed Saturday Morning Market, a place teaming with excitement for its local vendors, entertainment and social gathering spots. St. Pete is also home to the Pinellas Living Green Expo, a green lifestyle and building expo, the U.S. Green Building Council’s Florida Gulf Coast Chapter’s Smart Sustainable Tampa Bay conference, and many other green and sustainable events and expos.
St. Petersburg is home to numerous environmentally-focused non-profit and research based organizations, as well becoming a hub for green businesses in Tampa Bay. Areas of expertise are as widespread as; green and LEED building consultants, rainwater harvesting, native landscaping and sustainable kitchens and countertops, as well as environmental research and development institutes.
A directory of St Petersburg and Tampa Bay based green businesses cab be found on the Pinellas Living Green’s ‘Certified Green Listings’ website: www.pinellaslivinggreen.org/green.
Green/LEED Buildings
Homes: As well as having the first LEED-GOLD certified home, St. Petersburg boasts many green dwellings that have been designed to be healthier, more energy and resource efficient, safer and sustainable. Some of these have been through the efforts of individual’s and others through consultation with REAL building, a St. Pete based residential and commercial green building consultant. Along with single-family homes, St. Pete also has a recently certified ‘Green Flats’ project.
Commercial: Alongside the world’s first LEED certified Dunkin-Donuts and the multi-family Green Flats, St. Pete is seeing a growing number of green and LEED certified commercial buildings. The University of South Florida will soon open its LEED certified Science and Technology building, and the City will also open its Water Resources Administration building in 2010. Visitors will also find numerous designated green lodgings and hotels, certified under the Florida Green Lodging Program.
St. Petersburg’s green initiatives
St. Petersburg is the first city in the state of Florida to receive the Florida Green Building Council’s (FGBC) ‘Green City’ certification, leading the way for other municipalities in terms of sustainable city management practices and other sustainable initiatives that improve the lives and welfare of it’s citizens. Water conservation and water recycling are key components to St. Pete’s sustainability plan and in fact, the city’s water reclamation infrastructure is one of the largest in the country. In May of 2008 St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker signed an Executive Order that established policies to begin the city’s Green Initiatives. This order set the city’s ‘green’ standards for its operations including; reporting emissions activity and reductions, promoting lease agreements with Energy Star certified properties, using the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards for all new city owned/occupied buildings, and other energy efficiency/sustainability policies to help propel St. Petersburg to being a ‘greener’ place to live, work and play. Visit: www.stpete.org/green The city’s comprehensive recycling programs, ‘green’ energy providers, it’s ever-popular Saturday Morning Market and thriving ‘green’ businesses, help the city’s residents lead a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.
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