Economy
It's Not Easy Being Green Czar
Matt Petersen is L.A.'s first chief sustainability officer, charged with drafting an ambitious plan for a city grappling with drought.
Matt Petersen, the first Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Los Angeles, has been dealt a tough hand.
He likes to start presentations by reminding his audience that L.A. has the worst air quality of any region in the United States. "We still are defined as a community by traffic, and, of course, made fun of on Saturday Night Live because of it," he says. The city experiences more extreme heat days every year, and with them, record energy use and an increased risk of wildfires. The possibility of an earthquake looms over every major planning decision.