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July 12, 2010 Suburban Journals By Ken West |
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Some Metro East cities go green to save green
Taking eco-friendly steps to save cash
Call it the green lining of an economic storm cloud.
With plummeting revenues and tight budgets, more municipalities are adopting eco-friendly measures to lower bills and help the bottom line.
Among the local efforts are:
- Edwardsville calculating its carbon footprint to reduce energy use
- Collinsville hiring an Ohio company to make city buildings more energy efficient
- Glen Carbon using a state grant to analyze light use in village buildings and curbing emissions from village vehicles
- Columbia crafting an energy efficiency, recycling and conservation plan
- Madison County Board considering upgrades to its Downtown Edwardsville headquarters
While these may be small projects, they represent a marked increase in municipalities turning to green projects recently, said Barb Anderson (of Oates Associates), a member of the United States Green Building Council.
"We have noticed in the last year or two that more people are interested in building green," said Anderson, of Edwardsville.
Some of it is clearly tied to municipal leaders trying to reign in costs during budget times.
Early efforts to go green are paying off, said Collinsville Community Development Director Paul Mann. The Brewer-Garrett Co. of Ohio checked the energy used to heat, cool and light each city building, then suggested ways to boost savings. Utility bills plummeted.
"The energy consumption we saved by what they recommended paid for the grant," Mann said. "They showed how to make city buildings more efficient."
(Although it should be noted that some elements of energy conservation plans - especially preliminary studies - sometimes carry significant price tags; backers often defend the expense by saying the utility savings will eventually make up for the up-front expenses.)
Among the more aggressive efforts is in Columbia, where city officials are trying to nail down a federal grant to make an entire building into a kind of green model.
The city bought the 8,000-square-foot 1970s building at 208 S. Rapp St. to create a demonstration center for businesses, said Community Economic and Development Director Paul Ellis.
He wants to show area businesses and residents that upgrading for energy efficiency is not only possible but saves money. He is awaiting word about a Property Assessed Clear Energy grant to upgrade the building's heating and air conditioning, along with lighting.
"We're talking about targeting Main Street as an area to push energy efficiency," Ellis said. "People can see it."
But there is still a way to go, said Anderson, the building council member.
"It's too early to draw conclusions yet because the effort is just beginning," she said, adding later, "A lot of money is being given to encourage energy efficiency."
Contact reporter Ken West at 618-344-0264, ext. 101
Suburban Journals ©2010
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