By Judy Sheahan
October 31, 2005

Participants in the Municipal Waste Management Association’s Annual Meeting held in Portland October 19-21 were given best practices on how to expand their current environmental impact to other sectors within their community.

The session entitled, “The Role of Local Government in Improving The Environment” focused on the issues of sustainability, energy usage, environmental education, and lessening the impact of human causes to global warming. Participants were briefed by Bruce Walker, Solid Waste and Recycling Program Manager, Portland’s Office of Sustainability, Jill Buck Founder and Executive Director of the Go Green Initiative, and John Carter of Eastern Research Group on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Landfill Methane Outreach Program.

Walker outlined Portland’s sustainable development efforts, including reducing their energy consumption while increasing their renewable energy use, increasing recycling rates, and increasing Portland’s business efforts regarding the environment. Portland has switched to light-emitting diodes or LED lighting and saved 22 percent of their total energy costs, which totaled $2.3 billion. Also, Portland is trying to convert 100 percent of their city’s energy use to renewable energy. Portland is also trying to divert food waste from landfills, which generate methane, a large contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The city has done extensive outreach to hotels, hospitals, and grocery stores to secure their participation and have realized great success with businesses first donating the usable food to various organizations around town that feed the hungry and sending the rest to be composted. Tours of Portland’s food bank and food waste composting program were also provided.

Tours of Portland’s food bank and food waste composting program were also provided.

Buck’s Go Green Initiative is a comprehensive environmental education program focusing on educating kids from all grade levels. The five Go Green Initiatives include generating compost, recycling, educating, evaluating environmental impacts, and nationalizing principles of responsible paper consumption. Some of the initial impact of the initiative was quite remarkable with 17 schools in one school year recycling the following: 543,830 pounds of paper; 73,269 pounds of cardboard; 12,998 pounds of aluminum; and 10,548 pounds of plastic. Even more impressive was this service, which is being conducted in communities throughout the nation, comes with its own curriculum and is free.

Carter was presenting on behalf of EPA’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program, a program that captures the methane gas generated by landfills and either converts it preferably to energy or flares the gas. Many scientists agree that methane has 20 times more impact than carbon dioxide in the formation of greenhouse gas emissions, a heat-trapping gas that contributes to global warming. According to Carter, landfills are the largest human-made source of methane in the United States. Landfill gas is comprised of 50 percent methane, 50 percent carbon dioxide and less than one percent non-methane organic compounds. Carter said that for every one million tons of municipal solid waste, 0.8 megawatts of electricity could be generated. He also said that there are many cost effective options for reducing methane emissions while generating energy, which has the added benefit of reducing local air pollution while creating jobs, revenues, and cost savings.

For more information about these programs or for copies of these presentations, please visit our website at usmayors.org/mwma.