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04-29-09
Mt. Vernon creates roadmap to become a green and sustainable community
    The City of Mount Vernon is taking bold steps to “go green” by instituting greening initiatives designed to improve the quality of life for its residents, while stressing the importance of sustainability and ultimately saving the taxpayers lots of money.
     The city's green initiative is very costly, but the good news is that the money will be coming from grants. The biggest contribution will be coming from the Federal Government's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Community Block Program, which will hopefully be providing Mount Vernon a total of $625,000 for said initiative.
     The purpose of the federal program is to assist eligible entities like Mount Vernon in implementing strategies to reduce fossil fuel emissions in a manner that is environmentally sustainable and to the maximum extent practicable; maximizes benefits for local and regional communities; reduces the total energy use of the eligible entities in the transportation sector; the building sector; and other appropriate sectors. Additional purposes of the EECBG Program are to spur economic growth and create and/or retain jobs under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
     What specific activities are eligible for use of funds? Funds can be used community wide, not only for government owned facilities and infrastructure.

The following Mount Vernon activities are eligible:

• Development of an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy and Technical Consultant Services to assist in the development of such a strategy.
• Residential and Commercial Building Energy Audits.
• Financial Incentive Programs and Mechanisms for energy efficiency improvements such as energy savings performance contracting, on-bill financing, and revolving loan funds.
• Grants to nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies for the purpose of performing Energy Efficiency Retrofits.
• Energy Efficiency and Conservation Programs for Buildings and Facilities.
• Development and Implementation of Transportation Programs to conserve energy.
• Building Codes and Inspections to promote building energy efficiency.
• Energy Distribution Technologies that significantly increase energy efficiency, including distributed resources, combined heat and power, and district heating and cooling systems.
• Material Conservation Programs including source reduction, recycling, and recycled content procurement programs that lead to increases in energy efficiency.
• Reduction and Capture of Methane and Greenhouse Gases generated by landfills or similar waste-related sources.
• Energy efficient Traffic Signals and Street Lighting.
• Renewable Energy Technologies on Government Buildings.
• Any Other Appropriate Activity that meets the purposes of the program and is approved by DOE.

     On Wednesday, April 29, Planning Commissioner, Jeffrey S. Williams, and Deputy Chief of Staff, Brian Bochow, made an outstanding presentation at the Mount Vernon Public Library revolving around the city's assertive effort to create a greener, more sustainable community.
     During their nearly two-hour presentation, both Williams and Bochow explained all the details encompassing the exciting “go green” initiative being put in place by the City of Mount Vernon. "Some of the components involving our “go green” initiative are already in place," said Williams. "A new green vehicle purchasing policy has led to a more sustainable municipal fleet that produces fewer annual tonnes of greenhouse gases and a greater savings in fuel."
     According to Williams, the city is currently talking to representatives from PinPoint GeoTech, a company that provides government agencies with simple, affordable and effective solutions that reduce risks, minimize costs and benefit the environment. PinPoint GeoTech’s software and wireless hardware solutions like the popular PinPoint-PublicWorks™ help agencies cope with critical issues such as rising fuel costs and the environment, including codes enforcement, disaster management, water works, risk management, and transportation. Typical savings in fuel alone from existing installations indicate that a city will receive return on its investment within one year.
     "We are also in the process of exploring the use of new technology that will make our fleet of trucks more energy efficient. One company has already demonstrated how they can convert our truck's engines to be able to double their fuel efficiency, and possibly more," said Williams.
     "One way to make Mount Vernon greener is by creating Green Zones throughout the city, and we would need to develop new policies and ordinances that focus strictly on creating or preserving sustainability," said Bochow.
     "We would also like to create a Green Incubator in Mount Vernon. A site within Mount Vernon used to market our green initiatives and create and educate a skilled green force, which will be necessary for us to create a successful green curriculum," said Williams.
     "From what I just heard here tonight, the city's overall goal includes reducing energy waste, promoting clean, renewable, and smart energy solutions, and educating our citizens. This ambitious effort will undoubtedly improve the quality of life in Mount Vernon and the natural environment of our world. It all makes me very happy," said one of the the attendees.