Riverside has taken the forefront in the clean fuel/clean air movement by participating in joint efforts with regional agencies, such as the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC), the Northwest Riverside County Clean Cities Coalition, the Gas Company, and various local environmental interest groups.

In 1997, the City was designated a Clean City by the Department of Energy, making it one of 82 cities and 4,700 stakeholders dedicated to reducing dependence on imported oil, improving local air quality, and stimulating local economies by increasing the use of alternative clean fuel vehicles. In 2002, the City Council declared commitment to making Riverside a "Model Clean Air City". The City receives funds (AB 2766) from vehicle registration fees to help implement clean air projects. In January 2004, the city celebrated the opening of one of the State's largest public access alternative fuel stations.

The city also sponsor projects that reduce road dust and vehicle idle times, as well as engage in public education to encourage alternate forms of transportation, e.g., alternate fuel vehicles (AFVs), public transit, bicycling, walking, and ridesharing. As an addition to the new alternative fuel compressed natural gas (CNG) station, the city was invited by AQMD to participate in a Hydrogen Corridor project, which will place a hydrogen station at the new public access facility. As part of this future project, hydrogen fueled vehicles will be added to the city's fleet as stimuli to the development of a hydrogen fuel infrastructure.

Smaller, albeit significant, nods to the environmental cause, include:

• Natural light for the recently opened Casa Blanca Family Learning Center.
• Proposed solar heating for Orange Terrace Library and Community Center
• Drought tolerant planting for demonstration garden at the Casa Blanca Family Learning Center
• The Riverside Municipal Museum's Partner Against Air Pollution project

Alternative forms of energy are no longer a technology of the future. The need is now, and Riverside is at the forefront of this journey.