This desert town with summer temperatures well into the 100’s—and electricity bills into the thousands—is making major headway on its goal of reducing energy consumption by 30 percent (or 215 million watts) before 2011.  It’s the most ambitious such program in the entire state and could prove to be the model for electricity savings across California and the country.

In order to reach this goal, Palm Desert has gone on to rewrite state law, extended millions in loans (to the tune of $10 million) to help residents install solar panels and high-efficiency air-conditioning units, built a Walmart that runs on solar energy, and has been named by the Natural Resources Defense Council as one of nine cities on the leading edge of energy efficiency.

A fringe benefit of Palm Desert’s eco-friendly ways has been new jobs: the city’s list of solar-panel contractors has swelled to 22—up from three just a year ago.

On the back of the Energy Independence Program, greenlighted when Gov. Schwarzenegger signed AB 811 in July , the city’s Office of Energy Management rolled out a list of forward-thinking, energy-saving initiatives. Here are some examples of what City of Palm Desert has done to reduce its environmental footprint:

• Give cash incentives to residents and businesses that make energy-saving improvements (new A/C units, window insulation, painted roofs, efficient pool pumps, awnings, etc.)
• Employ energy auditors who will go to residents’ homes—for free—and give suggestions on how to save energy and money
• Passed a law requiring all new construction to surpass state energy requirements by 10 to 15 percent
• Banned drive-through restaurants
• Waived permit fees on the installation of photo-voltaic solar systems in homes and businesses
• Added zero-emission cars and Segways to its municipal fleet
• Declared electric golf carts street-legal
• Give out free LED holiday lights
• Built a LEED-certified visitor center (the only one in the United States) and LEED-certified community center
• The public golf course is one of the country’s first environmentally sound course when it opened 10 years ago

Now, if only, my city of Fremont California, reads this post and takes  cue.