Silicon Valley Leadership Group to Receive CLCV Environmental Award

On June 9th, CLCV will honor the Silicon Valley Leadership Group with our Environmental Leadership Award.

The Leadership Group is a public policy business trade organization founded in 1977 by HP co-founder David Packard. SInce then, the organization has played an important role in shaping the Silicon Valley and in crafting regional, state, and federal solutions to improve the area’s economy.

The Leadership Group represents more than 400 of Silicon Valley’s most respected employers on issues, programs, and campaigns that affect the economic health and quality of life in Silicon Valley, including energy, transportation, education, housing, health care, tax policies, economic vitality, and the environment.

The Leadership Group’s top environmental priorities are corporate sustainability, water infrastructure, and climate change. They helped strengthen state renewable energy policy by advocating to lift the cap on the number of households that can sell energy back from rooftop solar panels, and make the 33% target for the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard a floor.

The Leadership Group also led the successful coalition effort to restore $4 million annually to affordable housing in the County of Santa Clara, in addition to a $14 million one-time allocation in 2013. In addition, they led the successful ballot measure campaign to fund a 16-mile Santa Clara County BART extension from Fremont to San Jose. The extension is currently under construction, ahead of schedule, and under budget.

Collectively, Leadership Group members provide nearly one of every three private sector jobs in Silicon Valley; they contribute more than $3 trillion to the worldwide economy.

In California’s long history of enacting innovative environmental policies, the Silicon Valley region has frequently served as a standard-bearer in the quest to develop the programs and technologies necessary to help surmount our most pressing environmental challenges. CLCV is proud to award Silicon Valley Leadership Group our annual Environmental Leadership Award for its work at this critical intersection of innovation and policy, helping foster solutions that benefit the region, state and nation.