how a city should go green

8/6/2019 How a City Should GO GREEN

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How a City shouldGO GREEN???


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SUMMARY

The development of this document falls under several ideals at the

center of the mission of the City: delivering the most effective andresponsible public services possible, addressing the Citys role in the

reduction of the carbon footprint, and seeking ways to reduce the

costs associated with the delivery of City services. In perspective, one

must look at not only where the City is today, but also where it has

been, and more importantly, where it is going in terms of the

environmental impact of the operations of the City government.

This study addresses the past, current, and future as it relates to the

operations and processes for the local City government. Ideally,

this report becomes a foundation for planning and budgeting, as

well as a culture of discipline for all City employees. The study

reveals how a City can reduce the consumption of energy and use of

disposable goods, as well as ways to reduce the budget allocations

for delivering City services. The report will also exploreopportunities the City can employ to reduce the carbon footprint left

for future generations.

This study begins with a discussion about the Green philosophy,

including the four cases for going green. After which the study is

divided into six (6) broad categories:

Green Facilities

Green Processes

Green Vehicles

Green Codes and Development


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Improving Utility Structures

Public and Employee Education and Information

So its time to GO GREEN.................!!!


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CASE FOR GOING GREEN

Going green at home and work is more than a social or culturalmovement spreading throughout the World. Scientific research and

time-proven practices demonstrate successes in the green approach.

Certainly, the case for going green is made in every publication, on

most products purchased today, and in much of the advertising

available, but there exists four compelling reasons a City should

pursue a greener approach to delivering the city government services.

The reasons for going green fall under four broad categories:

Reducing the Ecological Footprint of the City

Reduction in the Consumption of Natural Resources

Providing a Healthier and More Productive Workplace and

Community

Reduction in the Expenses Associated With Operating the Local

Government

Reducing the Ecological Footprint

When greater volumes of waste are generated, and when this waste is

increasingly ecologically hazardous, the greater the occupied space

necessary in local landfills. When a landfill becomes land-full,

taxpayers are forced to fund new landfills. Old landfills (ones

that have reached capacity) must be continually monitored for

environmentally damaging releases, such as methane gas emissions

and polluted water runoff. When less waste is thrown away,

landfills last longer, and cost less in taxes to operate both full

landfills and new or operating landfills. The three Rs of the Go

Green! Initiatives are Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.


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Throwing away

items that could be recycled diminishes energy, water and natural

resources that could be saved by recycling.

Did you know: For every ton of paper that is recycled, the following issaved: 7,000 gallons of water; 380 gallons of oil; and enough electricity to

power an average house for six months.

Reduction in the Consumption of Natural Resources

The world has a fixed amount of natural resources - some of which

are already depleted. As population growth greatly strains finite

resources, fewer resources are available. If future generations are tomaintain the same standard of living enjoyed today, steps must be

taken to preserve the foundation of that standard of living. Efforts

are commonly made to save for college educations, orthodontia,


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and weddings, but saving clean air, water, fuel sources and soil for

future generations is less often considered.

Providing a Healthier and More Productive Workplace andCommunity

Building a Green Community offers a wide array of benefits for

building developers, investors, residents and the environment,

leading to healthier homes and communities, lower energy and

water costs, and a protected environment. Communities that seek

greener approaches to community contribute to:

Healthier Homes and Communities Healthier Homes andCommunities

Lower Energy and Water Costs

A Stronger Environment

More Sustainable Cities for Our Future

Reduction in the Expenses Associated With Operating the Local

GovernmentThe eco-friendly movement has quickly made its way to the

mainstream business world. Companies, large and small, are going

green and the benefits that are being realized are similar to that of

governmental agencies.


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The five categories for the Go Green! Philosophy Section are:

1. Water Consumption Reduction opportunities to reduce the

amount of water used or wasted in the Citys facilities.

2. Energy Consumption Reduction opportunities to reduce the

amount of energy consumed by operating the City facilities and

surrounding areas.

3.Landscaping and Outdoor Areas opportunities to reduce the

amount of water used and the maintenance needs of thevegetation on City property.

4. Fixtures and Furnishings opportunities to reduce the

environmental impact of facility furnishings and decor,

including building materials and paint.

5. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

certification and Energy Audits seek opportunities to certify

City facilities under the LEED program and perform energy

audits.


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PROPOSALS

Category:Water Harvesting Retention Ponds

Proposal: Construct an irrigation system for the sports park, with a retention pond serving as

the water supply.

Cost Savings: Based upon storage capability and delivery system, but savings on water cost

alone help to fund the project.

Benefit: This proposal includes developing an irrigation delivery system for both phases of the

sports park that uses a retention pond for the irrigation source. One-inch of rainfall over one

acre yields over one million gallons\ of runoff. Retention ponds can be utilized as a storage and

delivery system to irrigate broad areas.

Obstacles: Start-up costs are high, especially for existing facilities. Would need to constructpond, install drainage system, distribution system, distribution pump, and sprinkler/irrigation

heads. Irrigation system is predicted to pay for itself within the life of the system.

Is the Proposal an Idea the City Should Do? Any City should consider this opportunity as a

means to water ball fields and park lands. This irrigation system uses no treated (potable) water

for irrigation of open areas. An additional opportunity for this proposal includes the current

plans for a storm water detention pond at the new phase of the Sports Park as part of the

Master Storm Water Drain plan.

Is the Proposal an Idea the City Can Do? This proposal would be easiest to accomplish in the

newest phase of the Sports Park and in future development where land irrigation would be

beneficial and land area exists for both the storage pond and the system pump facility.


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PROPOSALS

Category:Water Harvesting Rain Barrels

Proposal: Utilize Rain Barrels to collect rain for landscaping irrigation

Cost Savings: Based upon storage capability and delivery system, irrigation with rain stored in

barrels directly reduces, or eliminates, potable water use, thus reducing or eliminating water

bills for irrigation. Rain barrels require no routine maintenance, so start-up costs alone are

calculated.

Benefit: One-inch of rainfall over 1000 sq. ft. yields 600 gallons of runoff. Rain Barrels can be

utilized as a storage and delivery system to irrigate around facilities and smaller areas as

necessary, thus reducing or eliminating purchasing water for irrigation.

Obstacles: Costs are based upon the sophistication of the delivery system from the storagesystem. Manual systems are relatively inexpensive.


means to water lawns and flowerbeds with raw water in place of the current method of using

treated/potable water. Rain Barrels would function similar to the detention pond irrigation

system, replacing the use of treated water with untreated water for irrigation.

Is the Proposal an Idea the City Can Do? This proposal would be relatively easy to accomplish

and could assist in watering the landscaping around existing and future buildings and facilities.


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PROPOSALS

Category: Energy Star Appliances

Proposal: Purchase Energy Star appliances for all City facilities

Cost Savings: Up-Front costs, long-term savings

Benefit: Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the

U.S. Department ofEnergy, aiming to help citizens save money and protect the environment

through energy efficient products and practices. Cooking in the average U.S. home uses enough

energy to generate half a ton of greenhouse gases a year. Every gallon of water boiled produces

one pound of emissions. There is no standard energy rating for cooking appliances, but bear in

mind that a conventional oven will produce a third more greenhouse gas emissions than a

convection one, an electric stove produces double the emissions of a gas or microwave oven,

and bigger appliances are less efficient than smaller ones. Implementing a policy indicating that

the City will only purchase appliances with an energy star label will reduce energy consumptionand electricity bills.

Obstacles: There is reported to be a greater up-front cost, but several reports indicate realized

savings in the first year of installation. Energy Star appliances do not require the maintenance

like other appliances, but parts are predicted to be more expensive.


means to reduce the energy consumed by appliances in the workplace. Some of the

applications include employee break rooms and fire station kitchens.

Is the Proposal an Idea the City Can Do? This proposal would be relatively easy to accomplish,

and could begin with purchasing Energy Star appliances as appliance replacements are

necessary, in addition to purchasing Energy Star appliances for all new facilities.


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PROPOSALS

Category: Strategic Tree Planting

Proposal: Seek opportunities to plant shade trees near city facilities

Cost Savings: Reduction in summer cooling costs and extends life of facility components

affected by direct Ultraviolet light.

Benefit: Strategic tree planting provides shade on City facilities, thus reducing the heat effect of

the sun. In turn, a reduction in cooling costs and Ultraviolet light degradation is realized.

Obstacles: Upfront costs associated with planting trees as well as on-going maintenance and

watering costs. Trees also can cause damage during storm events.

Is the Proposal an Idea the City Should Do? Any City should consider this opportunity as ameans to reduce the energy consumption on City facilities. In conjunction with the water

conservation proposals, this proposal would benefit the City through reduced utility bills from

cooling in the summer, as well as a more global benefit of carbon dioxide reduction.

Is the Proposal an Idea the City Can Do? This proposal would be relatively easy to accomplish,

and would be beneficial where planting trees is possible. The benefit would not be immediate

due to time it takes the tree to grow to shield a facility, but eventually a benefit would be

realized by future generations.


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PROPOSALS

Category: LED Street Lights

Proposal: Retrofit the existing Street Light heads with LED type heads.

Cost Savings: Potential energy savings up to 80% versus high pressure sodium and mercury

vapor lamps. Lamp lifespan increase of 3 to 6 times (estimated 13 years in typical street light

applications) and there is a reduction in maintenance and labor costs. The estimated payback

period is less than 5 years.

Benefit: - High lumen output, up to 8 times more brightness.

Reduced maintenance and labor costs

Tremendous energy savings up to 80% over conventional lamp types.

Long lamp lifespan; 50,000 hours.

High color index; closer to natural daylight, no ultraviolet light and no yellowing. Superior light dispersion and uniform pattern, reducing dark patches and light loss

between street lights.

No glare or strobe effect, reducing visual fatigue for drives and pedestrians.

Light pollution reduction; no upward light and reduced ground reflection.

Instant startup, no time delay to reach optimum brightness levels.

Reduced energy footprint.

Obstacles:

LED street light technology is in the early stages of development, there are no high

wattage (400+) replacements currently available and the high temperature climate

effect is unproven on LED fixtures.

With the technology currently in the early stages, the initial cost of implementation

would be high until demand is increased and development, manufacturing and

competition reduce the cost. The current estimated cost range is $800 to $1,200 per

fixture excluding installation.

No specific funding source has been identified for implementation.


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City staff is not currently qualified or equipped to install the fixtures. The installation

service would need to be contracted.

Is the Proposal and Idea Something the City Should Do? Any City should consider conducting a

pilot program to evaluate various brands of LED retrofit heads. Possibly selecting 2 to 3

manufacturers and installing 8 heads from each manufacturer at two intersections each. Thisapproach will provide necessary information to assist the city in selecting the correct lighting

color, spread and fixture for various intersection requirements such as camera or loop

detection. It would provide actual cost savings analysis information and assist in obtaining the

goal of cost reduction and becoming more energy efficient.


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PROPOSALS

Category: Recycled Building Materials

Proposal: Using Recycled Industrial Building Materials during construction projects, to the

extent possible.

Cost Savings: Use of local recycled materials saves on cost of virgin material processing,

transportation, and environmental impact of the virgin process.

Benefit: The use of recycled building materials reduces the need for virgin building materials.

Often, blocks, bricks, and other materials can be used in building projects. The re-use of these

materials significantly reduces the environmental issues caused by the industrial process of

creating building materials from virgin products.

Obstacles: Finding sufficient stock of the materials needed to ensure consistency in the building

process. For example, if cobblestones from an old road are to be used for a building veneer, thenumber of available stones would have to be incorporated with brick areas to complete the

veneer project, if the total need cannot be met with the cobblestones.


means to reduce the costs associated with building facilities and to reduce the environmental

impact of the construction process. Although the cost savings may not be significant, and

sometimes using recycled materials is greater than virgin materials, the reduction in the

ecological impact is significant.

Is the Proposal an Idea the City Can Do? This proposal would be possible for future facilityconstruction. A number of recycled materials could be used for the project, including blocks,

bricks, and materials that are made from recycled materials, such as carpet backing made from

recycled tires.


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PROPOSALS

Category: Paperless Meetings

Proposal: Purchase laptop computers for all Directors and Deputy Directors, and those who

regularly attend meetings for the City.

Cost Savings: There is an array of savings opportunities included in the reduction of paper used

at meetings. Among the savings opportunities are reduced storage needs, increased speed of

critical communication, reduction in document handling, reduction in the use of copy paper,

staples, and copy toner, and the reduction in the annual service contract for printers

Benefit: Significant savings in the use of paper and paper-related supplies. Also includes the

ancillary benefit of having the members of the Citys Leadership Team working at their desks, or

abroad on a computer that synchronizes with the Citys storage servers. The City would need to

purchase laptop computers for governing body, board members, and key staff personnel;

purchase software to function just like a paper packet, including internet and remote access;and purchase necessary scanners for all departments that generate packet material for the

governing body. The documents are then scanned or received by outside agencies and

departments. Part of the process is to train the governing body and other individuals on

fundamentals such as hook up; access the electronic packet; getting around within the packet.

Some of the examples of paperless include eliminating hard copy time sheets via SunGard

system, eliminating hard copy invoices via SunGard system, and paperless meetings.

Obstacles: The start-up costs associated with purchasing laptops, software and scanners,

training, online service space/domain/registration, and consideration would have to be given to

altering work processes.

Is the Proposal an Idea the City Should Do? The prospect also allows the governing body access

to packets while at meetings, access to agenda packets move around documents using

hypertext linking (easier than flipping through stacks of paper); inserting comments into the

document (easier than writing on margins); high-light important text; allows for information

sharing with citizens to become fully informed and empowered to make their views heard; and

allows citizens opportunity to see additionalexplanatory documentation that most neverget to


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see. Additionally, the prospect of saving taxpayer money, serving the environment in a more

friendly way, and reducing the landfill contribution are part of this proposal.

Is the Proposal an Idea the City can do? Many of the City staff possess and utilize a laptop

computer. Therefore, initial integration would be possible with limited investment. Full

implementation would require additional purchases, but is likewise feasible. Various softwareprograms would also prove beneficial in utilizing electronic documents in meetings.


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PROPOSALS

Category:Office Recycling Containers

Proposal:Purchase and distribute sufficient numbers of Office Recycling Containers

Cost Savings:Reduce waste and generate more revenue for recycling paper

Benefit: The city currently uses Abitibi at the recycle center for paper. All paperproducts that are placed in the recycle bins in the main copy room at City Hall are thentaken to an Abitibi bin at the recycle center. The City receives funds from Abitibimonthly.

Obstacles:Cost associated with providing office paper recycling receptacles

Isthe Proposalan IdeatheCity Should Do?City employees should be encouragedto place any recyclable paper in recycle bins and not in the trash can. Any confidential

or sensitive documents should continue to be shredded. Small individual recyclecontainers located at each desk (shown below) would be helpful in getting employeesinterested in recycling.

Is the Proposal an Idea the City Can Do? The City would save the cost of thereceptacles through increased revenue for the sale of recycled paper. The benefit wouldalso be in the reduced waste generated for the landfill and the eco-friendly image.


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In conclusion, there have been several ideas identified that will have

the potential to reduce the ecological footprint of the City, as well

as potentially offer ways to reduce the costs associated with

delivering City government services. Ideally, this report will serve as

a starting point, as new ideas will be discovered by all of the Citystaff. Additional research and investigation will continue to provide

ideas that should be identified, measured, and incorporated into the

Citys planning processes.


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