Guest Viewpoint: County making strides with green energy
May 22, 2013 |
http://www.ithacajournal.com/proart/20130522/viewpoints02/305220087/guest-vi
ewpoint-county-making-strides-green-energy
* Written by
Kathy Luz Herrera
Sara Schaffzin’s May 17 Guest Viewpoint moves me to comment. She is right
in saying that we should use fossil fuels to create alternative energy
rather than for fracking: “It will be better in the long run to invest those
fuels in an alternative energy system, rather than use them to frack — and
build pipelines and compressor stations — for more fossil fuels.” I agree
with the urgency. Climate cataclysm is upon us, and fracking will hurt, not
help.
In 2008, Tompkins County adopted an amendment to its comprehensive plan
that prioritizes saving energy and reducing our carbon footprint. Our goal is
to reduce carbon emissions 20 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.
While working toward this goal, we understand there is more to do and much to
learn.
Our efforts to install solar panels on county buildings, purchase wind
energy and contract for energy controls in county buildings reduce energy
consumption. Tompkins County has also committed to lowering our carbon
footprint in other ways. We support nodal development to reduce sprawl, and
have
joined with the city to encourage density in the downtown core. We support
the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Green Buildings Open House Tour, an
annual event held the first weekend in October.
On May 7, the Tompkins County Legislature adopted a green-building policy
requiring that new construction and major renovations of county-owned
buildings or property valued at $500,000 or more meet at least the equivalent
of
the LEED silver standard.
Tompkins County Solid Waste Division teamed up with Sustainable Tompkins
to bring leadership and support “for a coalition of organizations and
individuals interested in researching environmentally preferable purchasing
options for institutional, commercial and residential settings, and educating
buyers about the benefits of buying ‘green.’”
Through this and other collaborations, we are able purchase office
supplies, office furniture and items made from recycled or renewable resources
in
bulk, further reducing their cost to us and the environment.
Tompkins County has supported purchase of hybrid and energy efficient
vehicles when possible, and our green purchasing policy encourages departments
to consider using more earth-friendly products. Our new county committee —
the planning, energy and environmental quality committee — focuses on many
of these issues, and on the potential results of fracking and climate
change. The committee brings their findings to the Legislature for action.
There
is so much more that we need to do.
As a county legislator, I agree that “while Tompkins County is ahead of
other places in many ways, there is just so much that can be done on a local
level.” Let’s have a dialogue to inform our elected officials and our
neighbors about energy savings. Right now, let’s find more ways to reduce,
reuse, recycle and rebuild. Climate change won’t wait for us to catch up. The
time is now.
Herrera, an Ithaca resident, represents District 5 on the Tompkins County
Legislature.
For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please
visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom
Shelley, at [email protected].
