Annual Report. Burnsville Sustainability Sustainability Annual Report. City of Burnsville. City of Burnsville Sustainability. City of Burnsville

Transcription

1 City of Burnsville Printed on 100% recycled-content paper City of Burnsville Sustainability City of Burnsville Maintenance Facility Frontier Court Burnsville, MN Phone: Fax: Burnsville Sustainability Environmentally Preferable Purchasing 2009 Annual Report City of Burnsville 2009 Sustainability Annual Report

2 City of Burnsville Sustainability Annual Report Published February 2010 Printed on 100% recycled paper Environmental Specialist Frontier Court Burnsville, MN Page 2 Additional Activities The City of Burnsville has formed a Sustainability Team and they have been working on various projects. Team Members include: Julie Dorshak, Jim Vasquez, Deb Strahler, Dean Mulso, JJ Ryan, Gary Novotny, Jeremy Strehlo, Deb Garross, Vicki Green, Karen Bergstrom, Tom Hansen, Steve Rueff, Patti Valley, Sue Bast, and Dan Hill. Developed a City of Burnsville Sustainability Team. City employees from nearly every department developed and implemented projects that address City of Burnsville s Sustainability s Guide Plan strategies, establish sustainable practices for our organization, and raise the sustainability awareness of employees. The Sustainability Team has: 1. conducted a lights out campaign to save energy, 2. recommended duplexing to save paper, 3. created a sustainability tip-of-the-month for more sustainable actions, 4. conducted a campaign to use reusable coffee/water cups, and 5. toured the landfill. Developing a Sustainability Master Plan for the Civic Center Complex. City staff is working on a plan to incorporate a number of sustainable features into the Civic Center Complex and provide education on those Page 19

3 Innovative Opportunities Burnsville will strive to look for innovative opportunities to improve the environment. Identify ways to partner with local utility and power providers, manufacturers, etc., to establish regular meetings to brainstorm and implement environmental outreach programs, encourage neighborhood environmental initiatives, and investigate funding programs for local environmental initiatives/ improvements. Worked with the Center for Energy and the Environment to promote the Minnesota Energy Challenge to Senior Citizens on the annual Senior Eco Tour. Co-hosted a Faith and Food seminar at Outreach Community Church in Burnsville. Developed a Sustainable Food Choices fact sheet Participants at the Faith and Food event learned about starting a community vegetable garden at their church or place of worship Page 18 Table of Contents Executive Summary 4 Environmentally Preferable Purchasing 5 Product Stewardship 6 Greenhouse Gas Reduction 7 Sustainable Land Use 8 Sustainable Transportation 9 Renewable Energy 10 Energy Efficiency 11 Sustainable Building Practices 12 Community Health 13 Recycling and Waste Reduction 14 Healthy Urban Forests 15 Sustainability Education 16 Surface & Groundwater Resources 17 Innovative Opportunities 18 Additional Activities 19 Page 3

4 Executive Summary First Annual Report This is the first annual Sustainability report for the City of Burnsville. The City Council adopted the Sustainability Guide Plan in February Efforts Sustainability web page Sustainability Brochure Introduced the Sustainability Guide Plan to departments City of Burnsville Sustainability Team Fact sheets for distribution and the web page Sustainability Master Plan for the Civic Center Complex Grants for energy audits, LED holiday lights, energy upgrades for City Hall, Greenhouse Gas inventory, a financial incentive program for energy efficient building, and an Ice Center geothermal system Thank you to the many people involved in implementing the sustainable activities including the Sustainability Team: Julie Dorshak, Jim Vasquez, Deb Strahler, Dean Mulso, JJ Ryan, Gary Novotny, Jeremy Strehlo, Deb Garross, Vicki Green, Karen Bergstrom, Tom Hansen, Steve Rueff, Patti Valley, Sue Bast, and Dan Hill. For more information on Sustainability in the City of Burnsville please visit Page 4 Surface & Groundwater Resources Burnsville will strive to protect and improve surface and groundwater resources. Towards that end the City will develop an educational program aimed at reducing groundwater use, investigate new design standards and incentives to emphasize the use of natural drainage systems over built storm water systems, and seek ways to modify street improvement projects to provide less impervious surface utilizing practices such as porous pavement. Surface and ground water quality is important to a sustainable Burnsville. The following activities are promoting improved water quality practices: Participated in the Dakota County Blue Thumb Program. Gave 11 water resources grants to residents for installing shoreline buffers and rain gardens. Because of improved water quality, Earley Lake has been identified by the MPCA to be de-listed from the Impaired Waters list. Constructed a Surface Water Treatment Plant to utilize quarry water to its fullest extent by treating it and making it potable. Enforced the Water Conservation Ordinance, lowering the city s peak de- Rushmore Drive Rain Water Gardens Page 17

5 Sustainability Education Burnsville will strive to provide education on how the public can incorporate sustainable practices into daily activities/operations The concept of sustainability can provide direction for understanding the complex issues that face cities. The city has provided sustainability information to residents and businesses: Promoted the Minnesota Energy Challenge and presented the Birnamwood Golf Course butterfly garden to Senior citizens on the Senior Eco Tour. Developed a city Sustainability web page with green tips, a link to Sustainability Guide Plan, and fact sheets Used events to promote sustainability distributed fact sheets at the maintenance facility open house and other events. Produced and distributed the ARROW Newsletter to inform businesses of sustainable strategies. Birnamwood Golf Course Butterfly Garden Page 16 Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Burnsville will strive to establish city goals for environmentally preferable purchasing and develop a city-wide educational effort to purchase economical and environmentally preferable products and services. Local governments create new markets for environmentally preferable products and services through their purchasing decisions. The city of Burnsville is striving to purchase products and services that conserve energy, water and resources. Developing an environmentally preferable product (EPP) tool for employees. It is a web-based tool with information on all aspects of EPP from copy paper to office furniture. Will train employee on how to use the EPP tool and the advantages of buying EPP. Will highlight EPP local vendors when applicable. Purchased 100% recycled-content copy paper for the maintenance facility. The City of Burnsville s EPP section of the Sustainability Guide Plan was highlighted in the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency s newsletter Buying Green. Page 5

6 Product Stewardship Burnsville will strive to promote product stewardship, including facilitating programs that partner with private industry to reduce the end-of-life impacts of products. Product Stewardship is an environmental management strategy that means whoever designs, produces, sells, or uses a product takes responsibility for minimizing the product s environmental impact. Product stewardship encourages manufacturers, retailers and consumers to treat products as resources rather than waste, changing how they think about the products they make, buy and use. Outreach and education are essential tools for successfully implementing product stewardship initiatives. Developed a product stewardship fact sheet that explains what it is, gives examples, and talks about the benefits of the program. It is available to residents and businesses on the sustainability webpage : City staff have attended product stewardship workshops and presentations at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) was founded in 1994 by manufacturers of nickel cadmium batteries and battery containing products. Now the RBRC accepts many batteries, all privately funded, no taxpayers dollars. Page 6 Healthy Urban Forests Burnsville will strive to maintain a healthy urban forest; promote tree planting by establishing programs to annually increase tree canopy within the city and to develop an incentive program that encourages private sector owners to plant trees within parking lots and other areas of the city. Healthy urban forests are beneficial for absorbing carbon dioxide, trapping rainfall, absorbing air and water pollutants and are aesthetically pleasing. They also can assist in reducing energy use in the summer. Sustainable activities in the Forestry department include: Started a street tree inventory using volunteers. Included native plants with the spring tree sale. Purchased an E-85 heavy 1/2 ton truck for forestry use. Received a $46,000 grant from the Minnesota DNR to remove invasive species from Alimagnet Park. The cut material will be used for energy production. Installed a butterfly garden at the PAC that features native plants. Buckthorn is removed from Alimagnet park. The chips made from the buckthorn removal will go to St. Paul s District Energy, the largest & most successful biomass-fueled hot water district heating system in North America. Currently heating more than 185 businesses and 300 homes. Page 15

7 Recycling & Waste Reduction Burnsville will strive to increase recycling rates, reduce waste, and promote reuse in city operations and in the community. Recycling activities in 2009 included: Collected 2650 lbs of shoes for recycling Recycled bottles and cans at the Half Marathon and the International Festival. Collected compact fluorescent bulbs from residents at the Burnsville Maintenance Facility. The City of Burnsville was featured as a Smarter City on the Smarter city website: Developed Twitter: Collected holiday lights for recycling from residents. Collected plastic bottle caps from employees for recycling through the Aveda Corporation. Sign-up Today! Page 14 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Burnsville will strive to inventory and set reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions for city facilities. A systematic accounting of the quantity of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emitted for a defined entity over a given period of time is called a GHG inventory. The City received a grant to hire a consultant to complete the following activities: Conduct a greenhouse gas inventory. Establish a GHG inventory tracking system. Recommend GHG emission reduction strategies The city fleet maintenance department: Installed a tank for ethanol (E-85) gasoline. The city has approximately 40 vehicles that use E-85. Purchased a Prius hybrid car and the city plans on buying three more hybrid vehicles. Worked with Minnesota Environmental Initiative to use their diesel oxidation catalyst retrofit program for three city trucks. This will reduce the carbon emissions from the older trucks. Using ethanol (made from corn) instead of gasoline leads to a 13% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Using cellulosic ethanol, could result in 88% less greenhouse gas emissions. Page 7

8 Sustainable Land Use Burnsville will strive to adopt land use policies that provide incentives to reduce sprawl, preserve open space, expand and enhance green corridors as redevelopment occurs and to create a walk-able community To the extent feasible, the City of Burnsville is removing obstacles and barriers that discourage or prevent sustainable land use practices in Burnsville. Updated landscaping, wetland, storm water/erosion control ordinances Processed two land use applications for LEED certified buildings (Subaru and US Bank) Initiated electronic packets for Planning Commission paper, copier supplies and staff time reduction Initiated post cards developed for public hearing notices paper, copier supplies, postage and staff time reduction Walser Subaru was recently awarded LEED certification for the design and construction of Walser s new Subaru dealership in Burnsville. Walser Subaru is the first LEED certified dealership in Minnesota and the only LEED certified Subaru dealership in America. Page 8 Community Health Burnsville will strive to promote a healthy community through public education, effective partnerships, and the development of infrastructure that supports walking and biking. The City has used its variety of media for public education in pursuit of a more healthy community. The city has implemented and advertised numerous programs for a more fit population. Provided walking, outdoor fitness, and yoga programs for residents. Partnered with the University of Minnesota for a pilot project Standing Together for Healthy Kids. Hosted the Ground Pounders series (2-5 mile runs). Produced a City of Burnsville Trail Guide. The Burnsville Healthy City Committee has taken advantage of its partnerships to create a variety of programs to encourage Burnsville residents to move and be active. Page 13

9 Sustainable Building Practices Burnsville will strive to practice and promote sustainable building practices by providing staff training for LEED certification and green construction to assist residents/builders and to promote green building techniques for both city-owned facilities and private development. Buildings consume almost 70% of the energy produced, so ensuring that buildings are energy efficient and sustainable is a goal for the City of Burnsville. This goes for city buildings as well as commercial and residential buildings. Developed a Burnsville Green Home building guide. It is both a web-based tool and handout. Incorporated a green roof in the Water Treatment facility renovation project. Upgraded electrical systems at city Hall and the Ice Center. Green roof at the Water Treatment facility Page 12 Sustainable Transportation Burnsville will strive to promote sustainable transportation systems/ networks, develop and publicize information about transit alternatives, reevaluate transit routes and stops utilizing public input to maximize service within Burnsville and to the metropolitan area. The City has continued to incorporate sustainable practices and design into street construction projects, and promote sustainable transportation options. Recycled bituminous pavement and base on street reconstruction projects. Worked with school districts to apply for Safe Route to School grants Completed the Northeast Trail Connection Project along Highway 13, from County Road 11 to Diffley Road/Cedarbridge Avenue. Constructed roundabout at 150 th Street and Burnhaven Drive, reducing vehicle delay and serious accidents. Installed LED street lights at several locations. Worked with developers to right size parking lots. Page 9

10 Renewable Energy Burnsville will strive to increase the use of clean, alternative energy options into city facilities, research methods to reduce energy consumption and promote alternative energy options within the community. Renewable energy is energy generated from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable (naturally replenished). The City of Burnsville has done a significant amount of work in the geothermal area: Developed a fact sheet on renewable energy. Developed a fact sheet on geothermal energy. Replacing the Ice Center s 38 year old ice production system to a Geothermal energy system. A geothermal or ground-source heat pump system is a heating and/or air-conditioning system that uses the Earth s ability to store heat in the ground and water. It operates based on the stability of underground temperatures so that it extracts available heat in the winter to warm a building and puts heat back into the ground in the summer in order to cool a building. Page 10 Energy Efficiency Burnsville will strive to make energy efficiency a priority in infrastructure by developing educational programs for the public about energy efficient techniques and construction practices; investigate opportunities and ways to provide incentives to encourage private sector home and business energy improvements. A number of energy efficient activities were completed: Developed and distributed a fact sheet on energy efficiency. Promoted the Minnesota Energy Challenge to Senior Citizens on the Senior Eco Tour. Upgraded City Hall HVAC system as per recommendation from the energy audit. Conducted energy audits on five city buildings. Replaced incandescent holiday lights with LED holiday lights, saving the city approximately $8,500 in annual energy costs Received a grant to develop an Incentive Program for businesses to use energy efficient technology. Conducted a lights out campaign for city employees to turn off lights in city offices/ conference rooms when not in use. Upgrading the lighting system in the Ice Center. Upgrading the dehumidification system in the Ice Center as a part of a renovation process. Testing new LED ornamental street lights to replace incandescent lights Included new LED lights in the roundabout at 150th and Burnhaven. Page 11