by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
For the past few years, City Council and several City departments have taken steps to do business in a more environmentally – and ultimately taxpayer – friendly manner.
From eliminating wasted paper to installing more efficient machinery, the measures have resulted in making the most efficient use of natural resources and taxpayer money.
Mayor John Peyton has taken the philosophy a step further, signing Executive Order 2008-03, a document established as the official “sustainability policy” for all City departments.
The term “sustainability” is defined in the order as “an initiative aimed at enhancing responsible management of energy, recyclables and waste materials ensuring the protection of natural resources resulting in a positive economic impact throughout the City of Jacksonville.”
Peyton also designated Derek Igou the City’s “Sustainability Officer” and charged him with supervising the program. Igou also serves as the City’s deputy director of the Environmental and Compliance Department and said he’ll be aided in the sustainability effort by his colleagues.
“All of the City’s departmental deputy directors have been tasked to identify possible sustainability options and share those ideas with each other,” said Igou. “It’s all part of the mayor’s ‘better, faster, cheaper’ philosophy and a way to centralize how we look at energy use.”
The foundation of the executive order revolves around requiring all new facilities and improvements to existing facilities to conform with the U. S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, providing the proposal is proven to be economically feasible using a cost/benefit analysis.
The City’s Fleet program is being overhauled to eliminate waste and make the best use of vehicles and resources.
All departments will utilize recycling services and pursue integrated waste management policies including purchasing paper products made from recycled materials whenever possible.
Construction and renovation projects will utilize recycled materials whenever possible and all unused materials will be recycled when the job is complete.
The City will demonstrate wise water use in all facilities, buildings and parks. When plumbing fixtures must be replaced, the new units will be chosen on the basis of minimum water requirement and parks will be planted with varieties that require minimum watering other that rainfall.
The Department of Public Works has been directed to develop a new “Green Cleaning Policy” for all City-managed building maintenance programs and for contracted maintenance services.
One part of the idea is making many small changes that when combined can total a substantial positive impact on the environment and on the City’s bottom line. One example is how the lights in the atrium at City Hall are powered.
There are 16 lamps in the top of the octagonal skylight, illuminated 24 hours a day – but they are not using electricity purchased from JEA.
Solar panels on the roof of City Hall funnel electricity into an electronic system that feeds the power generated into the building’s electrical system. Igou said the amount of electricity generated by the panels is equivalent to the number of kilowatt hours that would have to be purchased to keep the bulbs burning.
Another green program, in place sine June 2006, has also been a success on more than one front, said City Council Director Cheryl Brown.
When the 2008-11 Council took office, the legislative branch went virtually “paperless.” Council members were issued laptop computers that provided all the documents they need including ordinances, memos and even records of public meetings.
Brown said that while there has not been a formal audit of how much paper has been saved by not having to produce hundreds of sets of every document required for the Council business,“I know we have saved thousands of reams of paper,” she said.
Council members aren’t the only ones involved in the paperless culture. Constituents are also reaping the benefits of the green program.
“Before we put everything on the City’s Web site, if a citizen wanted a copy of a document, they would have to drive their car to City Hall, go to Legislative Services and request the document,” said Brown. “Then a clerk would have to find the document and make a copy ... Then the constituent would get back in their car and go home.”
It’s a much simpler and streamlined process now.
“Now, if anyone wants a copy of a document, they can log on at home and view it, so they don’t even have to print it if they don’t want to,” she said. “Going paperless has not only allowed us to streamline our process, it also helps us achieve maximum transparency in government.”
Igou is already seeing the benefits.
“Doing things like this is having a tremendous positive impact,” he Igou.
Soon, he said, the City will begin a pilot program to test solar-powered parking meters.
“That would mean we wouldn’t have to replace the 9-volt batteries the current meters use, which would not only save money in the long run, it would also reduce environmental waste.”
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