Four ICLEI member local governments share with us their strategies to continue climate and sustainability initiatives despite budgetary belt tightening

October 29, 2008
By Don Knapp, ICLEI Communications Officer

Part 2 in a series (read part 1 on stepping up energy efficiency measures)

As gloomy recession forecasts set in, now is the time for sustainability coordinators and energy managers to keep their chins up. Many local governments are being hit with budget deficits and hard choices, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that programs to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be cut themselves. Four members of the ICLEI network prove that you can navigate financial uncertainty with a few smart strategies and a lot of gumption.

Sustainable Cleveland: Saving Money From Day One

On July 24, 2008, Cleveland, Ohio Mayor Frank G. Jackson called together hundreds of city managers and told them that it was time to act preemptively to avoid painful budget cuts (read: layoffs) down the line. He requested better overtime management, a 10% reduction in energy consumption over the next three years, and an immediate 10% reduction in fleet fuel consumption.

“Mayor Jackson’s message was that we have to act now, and that we can all do our part,” says Bill Eger, Energy Manager, City of Cleveland in the Office of Sustainability. “He wanted to start seeing results beginning the next month.”

Turns out the Office of Sustainability was already quite skilled in cutting energy costs, after several years of dramatic successes. In fact, when the City program was created in 2005, it was required to be self-sustaining—funding its own budget through energy efficiency cost savings. In the past two years, says Eger, it has conducted aggressive energy assessments of key facilities, such as its water treatment plants, public utilities building, and City Hall. Efficiency measures at the water treatment plants have saved approximately $160,000 over two years, and an extensive new recycling program for city operations saved about $1 million in avoided fees and transportation costs during the same period. Both of these measures have also achieved significant emissions reductions as well.

In recent months, the energy assessments have continued at Cleveland police and fire stations, recreation centers, and other City facilities. A lighting retrofit is underway at City Hall, and managers are developing a real-time energy monitoring and optimization strategy to minimize energy waste at four water treatment plants.

“We’re also trying to institute behavioral changes in city employees, with a tip-of-the-week on energy conservation, and recommendations to all departments on what they can do to minimize their energy consumption,” says Eger. “We’ve been given a lot of influence to help change the culture and also guide the City as far as [incorporating efficiency measures into] new capital projects.”

On the fleet side, the City recently began a car sharing program and is continually working to optimize vehicle route optimization for snow removal and ice control through its Geographic Information Systems (GIS) unit. “Right now we’re trying to talk the talk and walk the walk in Cleveland,” says Eger, “and set the stage for bigger things to come.”

The Takeaway: Establish the cost-saving value of your sustainability program early. When the tough times hit, you’ll be primed to accelerate efficiency initiatives, and you’ll be recognized as the solution to budget shortfalls—not part of the burden.

Carbondale Chooses Not to Compromise

Decreased tourism has hurt tax revenues for the tiny town of Carbondale, Colorado (population 8,000), which now projects a 10% reduction in spending to balance its budget. “But our town trustees and Mayor Michael Hassig all understand the importance of moving forward with our Energy and Climate Protection Plan, and are making sure not to stall the progress, especially as energy costs are rising,” says Joshua Smith, Carbondale’s Energy Manager. The energy plan will be trimmed only minimally, and will be one of the town’s programs least affected by cuts.

“That’s because we’ve had tremendous community buy-in from the outset,” explains Smith. “Our residents are motivated and in support of our efforts. And the trustees and the mayor understand that the sooner we make moves for efficiency and start saving money, the greater those payoffs will be in the long run.”

The largest climate-action cost that Carbondale is set to incur is a follow-up greenhouse gas inventory to its baseline study in 2005. Other measures include modest efficiency retrofits in its buildings.

“Community outreach is also really important at this juncture of our Energy Plan, and luckily it doesn’t take too much funding,” adds Smith. To help residents save money on energy costs and to lower Carbondale’s community-wide GHG emissions, the town is hosting a series of “energy awareness evenings” in November, with presentations on weatherizing homes and taking advantage of utility rebates and incentives.

The Takeaways: Generating enthusiasm and support for climate actions among community members and leaders always pays off big. Even if you have to table more expensive climate actions, continuing community engagement and education will lay the groundwork for future efforts.

Duluth Suffers a Blow, Then Reinvents Its Program

The bad news hit Duluth, Minnesota, in several waves this year. A major City investment lost $2.5 million, and over the past four years, state funding to Duluth has been cut by $6.8 million. Even after extensive budget cuts in June 2008, the City is currently left with a deficit of $610,000.

A casualty of those June cuts was Duluth’s Office of Sustainability, which was closed completely. But that office wasn’t the only entity in Duluth conducting climate protection initiatives: A Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Committee predated the Office, and had worked with ICLEI for years to reduce GHG emissions. The core committee was made up of a City energy manager and community volunteers who were professional experts in areas such as green architecture and energy efficiency and conservation. Duluth’s Office of Sustainability was later created to broaden Duluth’s greening efforts and work in conjunction with the CCP Committee.

“When the office closed, the CCP Committee was not about to let Duluth’s climate protection efforts fall apart,” says Rachel Wagner, a member of the CCP Committee Core Group and a partner at Wagner Zaun Architecture. “We approached Mayor Don Ness with the idea that [the all-volunteer] CCP Committee [which no longer included a City energy manager] could step in to provide direct input on how to use the energy management fund to continue energy and greenhouse gas reduction projects. We were a group with terrific knowledge and expertise, which the City could utilize to save money.”

The Mayor agreed, and now the CCP Committee has reestablished a formal link with the City’s director of administrative services. The first step will be to conduct an update of Duluth’s original GHG inventory, and then update its climate action plan accordingly. The City had been unable to fund the inventory for several years, but earlier this year CCP Committee members and a City manager took the initiative to apply for a grant to fund the project, which was awarded in late summer. The City has now hired an intern who is set to start the work and maintain climate action progress, however minimal, until Duluth’s financial state rebounds.

The Takeaway: Involve committed community stakeholders in your climate action initiatives, and they can help carry your efforts forward during times of meager funding.

Redwood City Remains Immune

As is the case for all cities with declining tax revenues, Redwood City’s budget is necessarily under scrutiny, but by no means is there any reason to panic, according to Beth Ross, the City’s Environmental Initiatives Manager. And even with the potential for future budget adjustments, Redwood City’s commitment to sustainability is sound.

“My position is funded by the Packard Foundation, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, City of Redwood City, and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation,” she says. “Redwood City decided that for our Environmental Initiatives to be sustained, they would require public/private partnerships. There was always a strong history of collaboration in Redwood City, so it made sense get things done this way.”

Right now, Ross’s projects are focused on community education and engagement. A partnership with the nonprofit Acterra provides free home energy audits to help community members reduce their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, and save money during the recession. The City is also working in-depth with area schools to provide environmental education, and reached 1,500 children in 2008. “I’m concerned that young people receive a proper science education,” says Ross, “and are given the tools to effectively participate in the coming green economy.”

The Takeaway: Consider strategic foundation funding and public/private partnerships to help insulate your efforts from the ups and downs of municipal budgeting.