SDG&E Celebrates Earth Month: A Legacy of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability

04/03/2024

As April arrives, so does Earth Month, a pivotal time dedicated to celebrating and advocating for environmental awareness and sustainability. It's a time when communities worldwide come together to reflect on the significance of our planet and the urgent need to protect its resources. It provides a platform for individuals, organizations, and governments to take action, raise awareness, and implement meaningful change towards a more sustainable and resilient planet.

At SDG&E, we're proud of our role in environmental stewardship. With a longstanding commitment to sustainability and the communities we serve, we've translated words into meaningful actions. Our Sustainability Timeline showcases the initiatives and innovations our colleagues have undertaken to promote a greener future for our region. Join us this Earth Month as we continue to lead by example and work towards a more sustainable world.

Take a look below at SDG&E's Sustainability Timeline to see how our colleagues have turned these words into meaningful actions! 

SDG&E Sustainability Timeline

1. 1920s: SDG&E creates a state-of-the-art lab to support environmental testing. That lab still functions to this day. 

2. 1969: SDG&E deploys a demonstration electric and took a liquified natural gas "smog cutter" car on a cross-country tour from Washington, DC. 

3. 1972: Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is founded when SDG&E and others coordinate to expand energy research and development, including a partnership to understand how to create a favorable fish environment near company power plants​ 

4. 1973: SDG&E markets energy efficiency programs to customers and cuts company energy usage by 54% by following conservation tips like reducing lighting and moderating heating and cooling 

5. 1975: SDG&E starts a three-year program on solar research, studying solar-powered homes, solar collection systems and mass marketing for solar power.  

6. 1990: Company marketing campaigns promote conservation, clean energy and environmental restoration

7. 2000: SDG&E began building an industry-leading wildfire safety program 

8. 2010: SDG&E investments in renewable energy, transmission infrastructure, and rooftop solar delivered cleaner power to customers  

9. 2020: SDG&E publishes its first Sustainability Strategy, "Building A Better Future"

10. 2023: San Diego Gas & Electric and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service complete a comprehensive update to a 1995 habitat conservation plan that addresses operations and maintenance across the utility's 2.8-million-acre service area in Southern California

11. 2024: SDG&E continues to collaborate to decarbonize the transportation sector, pilot cleaner fuels such as hydrogen, and invest in microgrids and energy storage.