Remarks from Public Works Agency Director Raul Godinez, II at the April 28, 2005 premiere of "Doin' the Green Thing", a 10-part environmental television series produced by the Public Works Agency and KTOP-TV 10.

Good evening everyone, and thank you all very much for coming out to our gala premiere of our environmental series "Doin the Green Thing". The timing couldn't have been better for this premiere. The City of Oakland has just been named one of the top 10 green cities in this country by the Green Guide. We're very proud of this designation because the Oakland Public Works Agency, in collaboration with the Mayor's Office and others, has taken leadership on a wide range of environmental issues, and we believe this designation was earned in large part on the strength of what we do in the Public Works Agency. This series just reinforces the City of Oakland's role as one of the leaders advancing the "Green Revolution" across our country.

I'm personally very excited about the premiere of this series for a couple of reasons. First, I've wanted to get into show business for some time; the industry throws really great parties, and it is also a powerful medium to communicate-to tell the stories that need to be told. Instead, I ended up working in sewers for Public Works. However, with this series we've found a way to get Public Works into show business. The second reason is that a lot of the challenges we face in Public Works involve changing human behavior-from discouraging traffic speeding in our neighborhoods to promoting pedestrian safety, from discouraging littering to encouraging community cleanups and stewardships, from discouraging illicit discharges to promoting clean water practices and creek stewardships, from avoiding wasteful energy practices to promoting investment in renewable energy and conservation projects, from reducing our garbage waste to promoting increased recycling/re-use practices, and the list goes on.

When we talk about changing human behavior, what we're really talking about is ushering-in a culture change. In this case, we are going from a culture of disregard for the impacts of our actions towards a culture of caring for our environment and our future. We want people to know that there are things they can do in their everyday lives to improve the quality of life for all of us. This 10-part series was developed as a tool to educate residents, business owners, and visitors about what each person can do to improve the environment. It will be aired on KTOP and made available to teachers, students and community organizations so they can spread the news. It is our hope that "Doin the Green Thing" will increase public awareness and involvement which is crucial to ushering culture change.

Finally, it is my hope you will enjoy tonight's montage premiere of "Doin the Green Thing".