The award is from The League of California Cities. Carson received points for its transportation master plan. The plan included more bike lanes and more transportation options.
The city reduced its energy usage by replacing more than 2,000 streetlights with LED fixtures. The LED retrofit saved the city 720,000-kilowatt hours.
Carson also instituted a plan to use recycled water in its fountains and parks. Carson's environmentally-friendly projects have gone beyond the Silver Beacon Award.
The city hosted an electric vehicle showcase. It's also replaced traditional mulch in several areas of the city with recycled rubber mulch. CalRecycle says turning tires into mulch has kept 12,000 of them out of landfills.