By Susan Jarvis
February 12, 2007

Redmond (WA) Mayor Rosemarie Ives convened the Sustainable Development Task Force January 26 in order to inspire, suggest and celebrate sustainability. Mike Zatz, Chief Market Sectors Group, Energy Star Commercial and Industrial Branch, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), explored what energy efficiency can mean in terms of cost savings and provided an overview of some of the tools available to both the public and private sectors. Zatz went on to explain that ENERGY STAR, which has become the symbol of energy efficiency for appliances, also has a business to business component, providing resources for building owners and cities. The ENERGY STAR for business program provides a national rating system for buildings and benchmarks and tracks energy performance. All buildings in California, for example, are rated by ENERGY STAR. “The ENERGY STAR for business program provides a blue print for implementing energy efficiency,” said Katz. “Energy efficiency becomes part of the management of the organization and is embodied on its’ culture.

t for implementing energy efficiency,” said Katz. “Energy efficiency becomes part of the management of the organization and is embodied on its’ culture.

Zatz also briefed the mayors on the upcoming ENERGY STAR challenge, which will help mayors implement the 2030 challenge and improve their energy efficiency by 10 percent. Participating cities will have access to resources and technical assistance from EPA staff.

Tom Henderson, Administrator of Solid Waste for Washington (DC), gave a brief overview of the Municipal Waste Management Association (MWMA), the environmental affiliate of The United States Conference of Mayors and how the organization, comprised of environmental commissioners, public works director, and solid waste administrators, could be a key component of a city’s successful sustainability programs.

While many cities have committed in principle to sustainability, they are challenged by implementing and funding sustainability programs. Fayetteville (AR) Mayor Dan Coody decided his city needed someone to “carry the ball” full time and found a creative way to fund a sustainability coordinator position. Coody totaled the city’s utility bill, which added up to $1.9 million last year, and argued to the city council that a full time sustainability coordinator could more than offset the cost of his/her salary through savings alone. Obviously, the new coordinators first job will be to explore reducing the city’s utility bills.

For more information about sustainability, The Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, The 2030 challenge and MWMA, log onto the website usmayors.org/mwma.