Current Initiatives
In April 2007 City Council passed a resolution committing to reduce the municipal carbon footprint 80% by the year 2050 and requiring a strategic plan to lead this effort. The internal SMP brings together the organization’s carbon footprint reduction policy and the sustainability initiatives of various departments in a coordinated and comprehensive plan. The outcome of this internal sustainability management plan is a consensus-based set of 23 sustainability goals, a comprehensive list of 107 prioritized action items, and an implementation plan for moving forward.
The full plan and the executive summary of the plan can be reviewed online at the following links:
Sustainability Management Plan
Executive Summary
Automatic Computer Shutdown Program
Program:The Sustainability Office in partnership with the Information Technology Services Department (ITS) launched a new software program in March 2009 that will take command of all city computers that are accidently left on over night and shut them down starting at 8:00 pm. This new program will provide ITS access to perform automatic updates and system upgrades without interrupting staff during work hours.
Results: This program is expected to save at least $12,000 and 123 tons of carbon emissions annually. The carbon savings from this program are the same as saving 9,576 gallons of gasoline or planting 2163 trees.
Compressed Work Week
Program: The Sustainability Office in partnership with the Public Works Department is currently conducting a pilot project with alternative work schedules. All staff in the department except senior management are working 10 hours a day for 4 days a week instead of the traditional 5/8 schedule. This program was designed to produce 3 main results: reduce commute costs for employees, reduce carbon footprint and reduce building energy demand.
Results: The alternative work schedule is still in the pilot phase during which we are tracking productivity, carbon footprint, avoided cost, and staff feedback. Preliminary findings are as follows:
We anticipate each employee avoiding the cost of $521 on fuel alone over the course of the year totaling $72,981 in full departmental cost avoidance.
We anticipate the avoidance of 249 tons of green house gas emissions annually.
There has been a 13% reduction in the Public Works building energy use and 6.3% in the Fleet Maintenance building energy use over the duration of the pilot project thus far. The total avoided cost on building energy has been $1665. We conclude that the work schedule and the employee conservation education program both contribute to this reduction in energy use.
Making the commitment
The City of Asheville believes it is our responsibility to our community, businesses and taxpayers to strive for organizational efficiency through energy reduction measures. Because the threat of global warming needs local solutions, the City of Asheville formed a citizen group in January 2007 called the Sustainability Advisory Committee on Energy and the Environment and City Council passed two sustainability resolutions in April 2007.
Goal: Reduce the municipal carbon footprint by 80% by 2050
Plan: Achieve a 2% reduction each year through conservation, technology and behavior change
Goal: Reduce the negative impact on the environment from municipal buildings
Plan: All new municipal buildings will be LEED certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
The City of Asheville has gone one step further by joining commitments with hundreds of cities around the country and world when the mayor signed the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, and became a member of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI).
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Contact Information
The Office of Sustainability
Maggie Ullman, Energy Coordinator
Physical address: 2nd Floor of Asheville City Hall
Mailing address: P. O. Box 7148, Asheville, NC 28802
Office: (828) 271-6141
E-mail: mullman@ashevillenc.gov