Embracing sustainability

Originally posted in the Frederick News-Post, Wednesday, September. 26, 2010
by Meg Tully
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=110435

Frederick County government employees headed to the first of a series of lunchtime “sustainability conversations” expecting to talk about local food.

They were surprised when they showed up that day to find out that Volt chef Bryan Voltaggio would be leading the discussion, talking about why he chooses to use local food at his restaurant.

Over the past several years, the county has taken steps to make sustainability a higher priority, from little things such as the sustainability lunches, held every first Friday, to big things such as reducing overall vehicle fuel consumption by 10 percent.

“We’re trying to lead by example,” said Frederick County Commissioners President Jan Gardner. “I think there’s great community interest in a lot of these areas, and I think it’s important for us to model some of the things people can do, to help it spread throughout the community.”

Last month, the commissioners unanimously adopted the Sustainable Action Plan for County Operations, which articulates goals and sets measurable standards for each one. The members of an employee task force who wrote it are expected to meet quarterly to discuss their progress and provide an annual update to the commissioners.

It sets goals for every aspect of county government with the goal of using resources wisely. Some of the steps to be taken in the future include steps in every area of county government — from providing bicycle commuters with secure and weather-protected areas to store their bikes to establishing an environmentally preferred procedure for all purchasing decisions.

But none of the action plan items is set in stone. The commissioners adopted overall goals but could still make decisions based on individual factors, such as whether it is cost-effective to make a building more energy-efficient. Many of the plan items can be accomplished without spending more or through grant funding.

Commissioner Blaine Young, a Republican, said he is for sustainability when it produces cost savings.

“The numbers have to work,” Young said. “I think that there’s a lot of options and initiatives in the plan that do do that, and then I think there are some other things are aggressive and under the current economic climate wouldn’t be feasible.”

He appreciates the flexibility in the current plan, he said.

The plan itself was modeled from a similar plan in Pima County, Ariz. Hilari Varnadore, the director of the Frederick County Office of Environmental Sustainability, was in Arizona for a conference and met with officials in Tucson to learn more about their plan.

An essential component was bringing together about 30 employees from every division of county government to craft the plan. Those employees came from all levels and did not have to be experts on sustainability or green practices, Varnadore said.

Instead, they were chosen as well-respected people in their departments with leadership and communication skills. That way, they could help make decisions and bring the message back to other employees.

Varnadore previously ran a nonprofit organization and has worked in groups where everyone is already focused on the environment and sustainability. She wanted to avoid that, and told groups they could bring in subject-matter experts to help them make the best decisions.

“There’s that feeling when you’re just preaching to the choir,” Varnadore said.

She is hoping that Frederick County can help serve as a model for other communities, and presented the new sustainable action plan to a national conference on sustainable practices for local governments in Washington over the weekend.

“I assume we’ll get a lot of phone calls in the next month about our process and what’s working,” she said.

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Frederick County’s sustainability goals

Reduce the county’s use of nonrenewable energy by 50 percent by 2024

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2025

Ensure county building projects implement strategies that enhance environmentalperformance and fiscal efficiencies

Encourage sustainable design in private-sector development

Apply environmentally preferred purchasing procedures to all county operations

Protect and restore Frederick County’s network of green infrastructure

Employ a waste reduction and recycling strategy to all county buildings, facilities and operations

Reduce nonrenewable energy consumption in vehicles

Improve local air quality conditions by encouraging transportation alternatives

Source: Sustainable Action Plan for County Operations

Green practices in place

Here are some sustainable practices the county has already begun:

Added 19 hybrid vehicles to the fleet since 2007

Uses landfill gas to produce electricity

Secured $500,000 to install solar panels at two schools

Reduced fuel consumption by 10 percent

Began construction on the first LEED-standard certified county building, the Brunswick library. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a green building standard.