Catawba County Rethinking Government’s Role in Sustainability

1. Catawba CountyRethinking Government’s Role in Sustainability

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

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

4. Unifour Early Action Compact (2004)(Federal/State/Regional Partnership) • Public/private partnership 8) Implement smart growth principles • Enhanced ozone awareness 9) Bicycle/pedestrian plan • Clean cities program evaluation 10) Ozone action days • City/County energy plan 11) Enhance MPO/RPO efforts • Air quality coordination/local contact 12) Flexible work and commute pattern • Local clean air policy/stakeholder group 13) Transit/ridership programs • Expanded landscape standards 14) Improve transportation planning • The Tool Box – 14 strategies

5. Green InitiativesPlanning & 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

6. Green InitiativesPlanning & 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

7. Green InitiativesPlanning & 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

8. Green InitiativesPlanning & 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

10. Regional EcoComplex andResource Recovery FacilityThe Integration of Synergetic Relationships that Build a Greater Community

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

12. 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.

13. Existing Components Blackburn Resource Recovery Facility Landfill Gas-to-Energy Facility Gregory Wood Products Pallet One

14. Cultivating Crops for Biodiesel Research

16. Additional EcoComplex Facilities are “Around the Corner” Recycling Plastic Pelletization Bio-Energy Facility – Boiler/Gasifier System Turf Grass Research Biosolids (Sludge) Management Facility

17. 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

18. Air Quality Benefits derived from the Blackburn Landfill Gas-to-Energy Project 3 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

19. 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.

20. GreenIT &everything else

21. The Little Things…… Count

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

23. 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

24. 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

25. Think Don’t Be Before You Print A Virtual Packrat

26. 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.

27. 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

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

30. Questions?

31. Visit www.catawbacountync.gov Earth Awareness