Rethinking Government’s Role in Sustainability Catawba County Rethinking Government’s Role in Sustainability

Dewey Harris, Assistant County ManagerDewey Harris, Assistant County Manager Jacky Eubanks, Planning and Parks DirectorJacky Eubanks, Planning and Parks Director Barry Edwards, P.E., Utilities and Engineering DirectorBarry Edwards, P.E., Utilities and Engineering Director Terry Bledsoe, Chief Information OfficerTerry Bledsoe, Chief Information Officer Kelly Groves, Environment and Natural Resources Agent, NC Cooperative Extension and and Executive Director, Executive Director, Keep Catawba County Beautiful Keep Catawba County Beautiful Green Initiatives Team

Green Initiatives Unifour Early Action Compact (UEAC) A partnership for change Catawba County – Green Initiative Strategies –4-legged stool (4-E’s) Education Environment Energy Economic Development

Unifour Early Action Compact (2004) (Federal/State/Regional Partnership) The Tool Box – 14 strategies 1)Public/private partnership 8)Implement smart growth principles 2)Enhanced ozone awareness9)Bicycle/pedestrian plan 3)Clean cities program evaluation 10) Ozone action days 4)City/County energy plan11)Enhance MPO/RPO efforts 5)Air quality coordination/local contact 12)Flexible work and commute pattern 6)Local clean air policy/stakeholder group13)Transit/ridership programs 7)Expanded landscape standards 14) Improve transportation planning

Green Initiatives Planning & Parks Education – EAC Strategies #1, 2, 5 and 10: –Parks Outreach to secondary schools/classroom instruction College field laboratories/demonstrations E-newsletter Tours Hosting regional events, such as birding, geocaching

Green Initiatives Planning & Parks Environment – EAC Strategies 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, and 14 –UDO features Open space standards with flexibility for design Developing LEED and green credits for open space and development design Enhanced landscaping standards with flexibility –Green space planning Parks Master Plan Carolina Thread Trail Lake Norman Bicycle Route Plan

Green Initiatives Planning & Parks Energy – EAC Strategies #4, 9, 11, 12, 13 and 14 – Transportation Planning Comprehensive transportation plan Regional transit linkage facilities – Bridgewater project Regional corridor planning and studies – Hwy. 150 Regional multi-modal plans – CTT and Lake Norman Bicycle Plan –Recycling/Reuse at Parks Picnic tables Low energy appliances

Green Initiatives Planning & Parks Economic Development – EAC Strategies #1 and 8 –Planning and UDO features Home-based businesses – more flexibility Smart-growth principles – coordinated developments Strategic development of infrastructure Promotion of mixed-use planned developments/ development agreement Master Planning for the Eco-Complex

Regional EcoComplex and Resource Recovery Facility Regional EcoComplex and Resource Recovery Facility The Integration of Synergetic Relationships that Build a Greater Community

A new way of thinking about the management of by-products (recycling and reduction) Planning Engineering Economic Development Leadership Structure

The DESIGN and GOAL of the Catawba County EcoComplex is to provide a conduit for developing and moving “Green” science and products from the lab to the real world while developing a system that will recover all useable products and by-products from a group of public and private partners who are located in a close knit defined area, the EcoComplex. The DESIGN and GOAL of the Catawba County EcoComplex is to provide a conduit for developing and moving “Green” science and products from the lab to the real world while developing a system that will recover all useable products and by-products from a group of public and private partners who are located in a close knit defined area, the EcoComplex. The EcoComplex will also promote Catawba County and the Region as a center for “Green” innovation and enterprise in the areas of energy, agriculture, and the environment.

Blackburn Resource Recovery Facility Landfill Gas-to-Energy Facility Gregory Wood Products Pallet One

Biosolids (Sludge) Management Facility Bio-Energy Facility – Boiler/Gasifier System Turf Grass Research Recycling Plastic Pelletization

Eco-Complex and Resource Recovery Facility Components Components identified and in negotiations or grant procurement development : - Algae Research - Brick and Pottery Manufacturing - Compost and Soil Amendment Processing Facility - Greenhouse Operations - Organic Waste Management Facility (Food, Grease, and Agricultural wastes) - Bio-fuel Research - Ceramic and Employing Recycled Glass

Air Quality Benefits derived from theAir Quality Benefits derived from the Blackburn Landfill Gas-to-Energy ProjectBlackburn Landfill Gas-to-Energy Project 3 megawatt capacity3 megawatt capacity What’s Catawba County’s impact? Equivalent to… Removing annual greenhouse gas emissions from 23,469 passenger vehicles Removing CO2 emissions from burning 669 railcars worth of coal

Catawba County EcoComplex Eco = Economics and Ecology or Industrial Ecological System The Catawba County EcoComplex is a system that is based on the fact that an individual component in a system is best utilized in the context of its relationship with other components and with other systems, rather than in isolation. Thus, any government, jurisdiction, or private group can build an EcoComplex, an Industrial Ecological System.

GreenIT & everything else

The Count Little Things……

Empower the Workforce… Unbounding Tools Mobilization Wireless Connectivity Online –Applications –Expense Reporting –Benefit Enrollment –Time Reporting –Documents

Reduce Downtime… …Mobilize Mobile Field Inspection Building Food and Lodging Well and Septic Inspectors: Mobile Field Tools for Home Health Services School Nurses Geographic Scheduling Maintenance Work Order System Mobile Field Based Reporting for Law Enforcement Teleconferencing /Webinars

Best Practices and Shared Resources… …Virtual Technology/SAN(Storage Area Network) March 2006 –70 physical servers, 4.5 terabytes storage Today 128 servers –108 virtual and 20 physical servers –12 terabytes storage used –27 terabytes of storage available. Full redundancy for disaster recovery Approximately $400,000 in server savings 300 square feet of additional space

Think Don’t Be A Virtual Packrat Before You Print

My Personal Green IT Checklist: Unplug phone chargers, iPod chargers, GPS chargers and other chargers when not in use. Turn off your computer Don’t forget monitor, the speakers, the printer, the scanner, and even the paper shredder. Don’t be a “Virtual Packrat”. Don’t print just because you can. Use handouts only if necessary Use the sleep mode Buy an LCD Monitor Check energy consumption on all purchases. Technology has become part of our lives but remember, at times you need to turn it all off and enjoy time without it.

Rethink Green in Your Organization Donate old functional computers to school children that do not have home computers. Send old computer equipment to a company that recycles electronic devices. Exchange CRT computer monitors with LCD monitors when computers are replaced. Provide computer applications at employees' homes, so they can complete required paperwork without having to drive to their office. Virtualization and server consolidation. Initiate a “Think before you print” campaign. Use Web/video conferencing to reduce mileage costs. Scan and store documents for reduced paper and easier access Make online access to information a strategic direction

Partnership between government, business, and individuals Promote education and responsible behavior regarding litter Participate in lots of community events

Questions?

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