Sustainability

The Port strives to be truly sustainable and has dedicated staff to bring an environmental awareness to all Port activities. 

Some city storm drains at the Port flow directly into the bay. The Port has a program to make sure those drains prevent debris from going into bay waters. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission also has a storm water program (PUC Stormwater Program). 

Additional Information:

Program Contact: 

The Port is a steward of the waterfront and uses local and national programs to manage resources. 

The Port responds to natural hazards in the bay, such as oil spills. Employees train to respond to spills and have equipment ready to deploy when it's needed.

Water conservation is important to the health of the waterfront. The Port has a task force that ensures water use is efficient and wise. Port facilities use water conserving fixtures and have native and drought-tolerant plants.  

The Port has a Sewer System Management Plan. 

Program Contacts:

The Port uses the City's clean renewable power. Many waterfront buildings also generate solar power: 

  • Pier 1 
  • Pier 15 (The Exploratorium) 
  • Pier 96 
  • Oracle Park 
  • EcoCenter at Heron's Head Park 

At Pier 27 and Pier 70, shoreside power is available for large ships at berth or drydock. Shoreside power connects ships to electricity and cuts down on their engine emissions. 

Program Contacts:

San Francisco is a transit-first city. More than 75% of Port employees commute to work using public transit, biking or walking. 

The Port follows the city mandate (Citywide EV Roadmap) to buy electric vehicles for business use. The mandate requires all new City-owned cars to be zero emission by 2030. 

Program Contacts: 

The unprecedented challenge of climate change is global, without boundaries and with the broadest of implications. Changes in temperature, precipitation and ocean acidity are placing stresses on ecosystems of all scales. Sea level rise is well-documented and we at the Port understand this with special clarity through our unique role in maintaining the Northern Seawall — a three-mile wall of protective infastructure that runs from Fisherman's Wharf to Mission Creek. It demands our very best effort to manage the greenhouse gas emissions, to secure capital for infastructure and to develop alternative strategies to managing our finger piers and development overall. 

The Port maintains a climate action plan. These plans establish baseline carbon emissions and identify opportunities to reduce these emissions. The Port was named the City's first Climate Champion for its efforts to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Program Contacts: 

Restoring natural habitats is important to the health and quality of our waterfront. The Port is home to vital wildlife and plants. Our coastal wetlands can lessen flood impacts to nearby buildings and communities. The Port continues to take care of these areas and make them available to the public. 

Most of the waterfront is backfill from the 1850s. The Port cleans up and contains areas where hazards are detected in the ground. These areas are called brownfields.

BROWNFIELDS - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines brownfields as “real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant."  Like many waterfronts around the San Francisco Bay area and the nation, most of San Francisco’s eastern waterfront and virtually all of the Port’s shoreline is comprised of fill that was placed in the bay beginning around the 1850s to create new land. 

 

The Port encourages biking, walking or public transit to get around the waterfront. 

The Port follows the Citywide EV Roadmap to use more electric vehicles. The mandate requires all new City-owned cars to be zero emission by 2030. Port trucks and heavy-duty vehicles use renewable diesel. 

A solar powered electric vehicle charger is available for public use at the corner of Bryant Street and the Embarcadero. 

Program Contact:

The Port manages hundreds of buildings. Our facilities vary in age, and many buildings are historic. We try to update facilities with the latest technology and green materials.  

The Port had two certified green buildings. The James R. Herman Cruise Terminal at Pier 27 is LEED Gold certified. The EcoCenter at Heron's Head Park is San Francisco's first LEED Platinum certified building. LEED certification is the most widely used rating system for green buildings. 

Program Contact:

The Port's advisory committees are open to the public. Each group meets to discuss and hear updates about what is happening in that region.   

Environmental classes and volunteer opportunities at Heron’s Head Park are run through the San Francisco Recreation & Park Department. 

  • Second Saturday Community Stewardship - Volunteers plant and weed the wild areas of the park. Every second Saturday of each month, 9 am to 12 pm. 
  • Greenagers Program - Youth stewardship and leadership program for San Francisco teenagers.