Mill Valley: Doing its green civic duty

Just flew out to the San Francisco Bay area today for a quick turnaround business trip. Left New Jersey in a soft white blanket that is probably puddle gray by now, so it was shocked to see just how green the Bay is from the air. It's a most unusual color.

I used to live here, so I get nostalgic and drive around whenever fate brings me this way. On Tuesday morning, I'll be driving through Mill Valley on my way back to the airport. Lo and behold, I discover that the town is the topic of the latest "Green Enterprise" video from ZDNet's own Dan Farber.

From solar speed monitors and stoplights with LEDs to phasing out energy-hogging appliances to installing motion detectors to trigger the lights in restrooms and public spaces, Mill Valley is a green city in action. The city's Green Council also is trying to encourage its citizens to do the same, by being one of the easiest places in the country to get permits for building solar power installations.

See for yourself!