CitiesGoGreen -September 2008 - (Page 16) Arlington’s Metro line, combined with appropriate policies, resulted in highly desirable dense development. other words, just because a topic makes front page news doesn’t mean it will remain a priority forever; it takes intentional institutionalization of effort at all levels of local government to bring about real change. Arlington County, with its diversity of departments and functions, needed to think about consumption Fresh AIRE levels and energy leaks from a holistic perspective that crossed One of the county’s more innovative moves has been the Fresh departmental lines. Hiring an energy manager to coordinate ac- AIRE (Arlington Initiative to Reduce Emissions) campaign, tivities between agencies was a demonstration of commitment to this process, Fisette notes, helping to influence people both inside and outside Proving their commitment to the Fresh AIRE program, the county has the government. Having a “point person” created a dedicated stream of revenue from a tax on residential on staff also emphasized that energy efficiency was a priority for the county. energy use. The tax generates around $1.5 million per year, which Award-winning programs The officials and staff of Arlington County have many successes to show for their hard work. Arlington was the first local government on the East Coast to buy hybrid-electric vehicles, and now more than 40 percent of the county’s fleet runs on alternative fuels. The county co-owns a waste-to-energy facility with the city of Alexandria that generates energy for more than 20,000 homes. To foster healthy building practices they have introduced a bonus density incentive encouraging private builders to build to LEED certification, and the county has an internal policy requiring that every public building be Silver LEED certified. In recognition of these and other programs, the county was awarded the EPA’s first National Award for General Excellence in Smart Growth in 2002. has been used to expand the Fresh AIRE team. Interview with John Morrill Energy Manager for Arlington County, Virginia retrofits, answering questions from colleagues about future energy costs, and working with staff who help with energy outreach in the private sector. John Morrill is a recipient of the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s 2008 Climate Protection Award. The prestigious award recognizes exceptional leadership, outstanding innovation, personal dedication and technical achievement in climate protection. What is the purpose of your job? My fundamental role is to achieve a steady reduction in energy consumption through employee education and improvements in our equipment and operations. What department do you work under in the county? I work in the Department of Environmental Services, which includes Transportation, Utilities, Environmental Policy, Engineering and Capital Projects. What is your background? I was on the staff of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy for 15 years, a nonprofit group based in Washington, DC that does technical and policy studies. I was excited when the position for energy manager was created in Arlington County, because it offers the opportunity to effect change at a more local level. Are people in the general public aware What are some of the practical steps that your position exists? Is it a high you are taking to achieve your aims? profile job? The thrust of our climate program is To begin with my job was not high to lead by example as a county and to profile, but our Fresh AIRE campaign encourage the private sector to do the has given me more exposure. Once the word got out that the county had an My fundamental role is to achieve a steady reduction energy manager in energy consumption, and this can be done through on staff I began doing more outemployee education and improvements in our equipment reach. I like sharing and operations. possibilities and research with both the private sector same. We are striving to create more and with environmental groups who ask ‘before’ and ‘after’ examples through our for my involvement. Over the years our own buildings, so the public can see that staff has grown and now I don’t work we are dedicated to sound management alone. ourselves. One of the areas that we are focusing Can you paint a picture of what your on is lighting, as the county pays utildaily activities include? ity bills for approximately 1.5 million I spend my days reviewing energy square feet of buildings. We are currently consumption in buildings, looking for retrofitting our buildings, which should anomalies or savings, reviewing proposbe completed by the end of 2009. We are als for new energy saving equipment or September 2008 16 .com http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/arlington.htm http://www.arlingtonva.us/Portals/Topics/Climate.aspx http://www.arlingtonva.us/Portals/Topics/Climate.aspx http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/Communications/PressReleases/63348.aspx http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/Communications/PressReleases/63348.aspx
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