CitiesGoGreen - October 2008 - (Page 26) of your long-term streetlights. We can find many projplans? ects that are cost beneficial, and so we Yes, we have been haven’t really had to look at things that following that maybe aren’t as cost effective yet. discussion very I think you have to establish a track closely. When we record, first, of bringing good projects to first developed our the decision-makers. Once you do that, biodiesel program, then you can start having a dialogue, we felt that using somewhere down the road, about doing locally grown soyother things that maybe aren’t as cost beans to produce effective but have a much bigger impact our fuel was a real environmentally. win. Obviously as we go further and What advice do you have for a city or start to see other county considering hiring somebody into a position like yours? One of four raingardens funded by the Arkansas Forestry Commission. ramifications, it becomes someThe most important thing is that you hire thing that we need to take another look someone who is truly interested in susat. We are between fleet directors at the tainability issues. That kind of goes withYou calculated that the carbon footmoment, but when our new fleet direcout saying, but to give you an example, print in 2006 for City Hall, including tor comes in, we’re going to need to take my background is in civil engineering, your fleet and employee commuting, a good look at that and ask ourselves, is but the energy side of this job really fits was 30,000 tons of greenhouse gases that our best option right now? Is it betmore with something like mechanical with an expected growth rate of 8% ter than conventional diesel? What are engineering. So I’m learning some of per year. Do you expect to see a rethe emissions factors, and what are the the ropes as I go, but because I do have duction in 2007? impacts on food? It’s a difficult discusa technical background and because I do, because we had such a reduction in sion and a difficult problem to address. sustainability issues are something that our utility costs. And, with the increase You just have to feel your way through it I’m really passionate about, I can figure in fuel costs, we’ve also been looking at and take things one step at a time, and these things out. our no-idling policy and trying to raise when you see a negative, then obviously People skills are also very important in awareness on the use of our city fleet as you change course and try to correct it. a position like mine. I’m from Northwest well, because the cost issue is huge. That Arkansas originally, and I think that helps, translates into less driving, which will Some of the things you’ve been doing, because it means the city staff can relate also add to that reduction. I’ve got the like using more efficient thermostats to me a little better. That’s important 2007 data, but I haven’t completed the and turning off lights, computers and because, as you mentioned, I don’t have analysis of it at this point. copiers are pretty easy to implement a budget, so I have to go to each of these and show a quick cost savings. What members and talk to them about these Are you trying to tackle the carbon happens when those easier things initiatives. You can’t go in with the atfootprint of Fayetteville as a whole, are done and you move into a phase titude that your project is something that and if so, how are you approaching where things aren’t quite so easy to “must” be done. You have to present a that with the citizens? implement and the cost savings isn’t solid project and be able to talk to them We’re looking to 2009 to really ramp that quite so immediate? about the importance and the benefits of up. I’ve been in discussions with some With education-based initiatives like the doing it. Getting that across is a major islocal groups and we will be organizing ones you’ve mentioned, there’s little or sue, and if you can’t relate to people and a working group from different sectors no cost and the savings are great. Then work with them through some of these within the city to come together and you need to start looking at where you issues, you’ll have a hard time being suchash out what we need to do to reduce are going to invest, and we really do have cessful. our carbon footprint as a city. a lot of potential to make good investTo date, I feel I’ve done a pretty good ments. One of the things we’re looking at job communicating with city staff. That Fayetteville’s city vehicle fleet is parclosely right now is LED lighting for our doesn’t mean I’ve been completely tially powered by biodiesel, isn’t it? Yes, it is. About 50% of our fleet is diesel, Energy Performance Contracting enables building owners to use future energy and all of those vehicles are running on savings to pay for up-front costs of energy-saving projects, eliminating the need to B20 or B50 biodiesel. dip into capital budgets. Some people are beginning to question how sustainable biodiesel is in terms of the rise in food prices that we’re seeing and the land needed to produce crops for biodiesel. Are you considering that aspect at all in terms 26 The Energy Services Coalition (ESC) is a national nonprofit organization composed of experts working to increase energy efficiency and building upgrades through energy savings performance contracting. Visit their website www. energyservicescoalition.org for information about performance contracting, including sample contracts. October 2008 http://www.energyservicescoalition.org/ http://www.energyservicescoalition.org/ http://citiesgogreen.com
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