Los Angeles names first chief sustainability officer

Los Angeles has named its first chief sustainability officer.

Mayor Eric Garcetti announced on Tuesday that Matt Petersen, chief executive officer of Global Green USA, will take the position.

“I am proud to have him lead my citywide effort to make every neighborhood healthier, create green jobs, and hold every city department responsible for cleaner air and water,” Garcetti said in a statement.

Since 1994, Petersen has led Santa Monica-based Global Green USA. It is the American affiliate of Green Cross International, founded by former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev to “foster a global value shift toward a sustainable and secure future.”

Garcetti campaigned on some sustainability issues prior to being elected, including a goal to create 20,000 new “green-collar” jobs.

Garcetti and Petersen have collaborated since 2001 when Garcetti was a member of the Los Angeles City Council. During that time, Petersen helped develop the city’s green building ordinance in 2008.

Garcetti recently asked city general managers to outline ways they will make their departments more environmentally-friendly, and said he will review that information when deciding whether to re-hire them.