CitiesGoGreen - November 2008 - (Page 30)

at all County facilities. Did I mention they’ll do it free of charge?! That’s the best part. Work Green Fresno County encourages employees to rethink the way they operate within their own working environments. Not Introducing water conservation measures to a member of the only are employees Fresno County organization. encouraged to parTo make Purchase Green a reality, each ticipate in Commute department head is responsible for en- Green and required to be a part of Purchase suring that their respective employees, Green, they are asked to add environmencontractors and vendors are fully aware tal stewardship into their daily routines. and supportive of the County’s initiative Department heads must establish the to purchase environmentally preferable expectation that employees will pargoods and services. ticipate in waste reduction and recycling programs as part of their regular work procedures. In fact, employees’ efforts to implement Go Green Fresno County will be Operate Green Fresno County encom- noted in employee evaluations. Employpasses the basic operations of Fresno ees are required to recycle paper, bottles County. For instance, fleet services will and cans in supplied recycling bins. They now identify and give preference in vehi- are encouraged to utilize electronic over cle procurement to the acquisition of the print communications and are asked to most fuel efficient and lowest emission refrain from printing documents unless it vehicles available, practical and reason- is a necessity. We’re also asking employably cost competitive. New practices to ees to set the default on their printers and maximize water efficiency and conserva- copiers to make double-sided documents. tion are being implemented and water Personnel will even show a Go Green video saving methods are being applied to new during new employee orientation that inand existing facilities, fixtures, appliances cludes these new expectations. and landscaping. Believe it or not, prior to the adoption of Go Green Fresno County, most County facilities did not have any beverage re- Share Green Fresno County is the marketcycling bins in public places. This means ing and outreach component of Go Green that if I finished a soda on my way to pick Fresno County. This component is imporup a copy of my birth certificate, I had tant because it is the vehicle through nowhere to put it but the trash. Thanks which the County can provide leadership to Operate Green Fresno County, the vis- on superior environmental stewardship iting public will now be able to recycle to its citizens, businesses and employees. their bottles and cans. I believe this will The following are just a few examples of have an even bigger impact than the re- Share Green Fresno County at work: sult of recycling those specific bottles and The Kick-Off To formally introduce Go cans. I believe it will help institute a frame Green Fresno County to employees, I am of mind for County residents that they hosting a Kick-Off event where employshould recycle at home as well as at work. ees will be invited over their lunch hours It will become habit. The Local Conserva- to learn about what Go Green Fresno tion Corps met with my office and agreed County really is. It will be fun, too. Thanks to provide the recycling containers and to friends of Go Green Fresno County, we collection services for these recycling bins will be able to provide employees with a 30 free lunch and enter them in some pretty big giveaways, including two electric scooters and three bicycles! The Big Fresno Fair Fresno County is the nation’s largest agricultural producer, so The Big Fresno Fair has earned its name. This year the Fair has decided to have a Clean & Green day and has invited Go Green Fresno County to set up a booth that day and inform fairgoers how they can be green, too. Green Art Contest Share Green Fresno County will host a green art contest for all Fresno County schools. Winners from three different levels, including elementary, middle and high school, will be awarded scholarships donated by friends of Go Green Fresno County. Winning artwork will be displayed throughout the County. I’m certainly no art expert, which is why I am thankful the Fresno Arts Council has agreed to review and judge the art contest participants! Building support Once the entire program was conceptualized and on paper, I met with community groups possessing “green” expertise in different areas. They offered invaluable input and their partnership only strengthened Go Green Fresno County. I met with Tree Fresno, the local chapter of the Building Industry Association, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, the Local Conservation Corps, Pacific Gas & Electric, University of California Cooperative Extension, Fresno State University, Fresno Council of Governments and the California Attorney General’s office. I even had a local graphic designer, M.E. Graphic, donate the Go Green Fresno County logo simply because the owner is so passionate about all things green. The internal departments that also shared input on Go Green Fresno County include my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors, Public Works and Planning, General Services, Personnel, and County Counsel. A fellow Fresno County Supervisor, Judith Case, represents Fresno County on the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. I knew her expertise in air quality would be a perfect fit for the program. We co-sponsored the item and introduced it to the full Board of Supervisors together. I am thrilled to report that Go Green Fresno County passed unanimously on July 8, 2008. November 2008 http://fresnofair.com http://www.fresnoartscouncil.org/ http://www.biafm.org/ http://www.biafm.org/ http://www.valleyair.org/ http://www.valleyair.org/ http://www.fresnoeoc.org/programs/flcc.html http://www.pge.com http://www.pge.com http://cefresno.ucdavis.edu/ http://cefresno.ucdavis.edu/ http://www.csufresno.edu/ http://www.fresnocog.org/ http://www.megraphic.com/ http://www.co.fresno.ca.us/viewdocument.aspx?id=30629 http://citiesgogreen.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CitiesGoGreen - November 2008

CitiesGoGreen - November 2008 Contents In Motion Disaster Housing for $200: The Hexayurt Coming Soon: A Code-Ready Green Building Standard from ASHRAE ICMA Embraces Sustainability Fort Collins, Colorado Interview: ClimateWise, Business Smart 12-for-1 Parking: Bike Corrals Fresno County More Biking and Walking for Better Communities

CitiesGoGreen - November 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.