04-21-10 New strategy targets energy efficiency and conservation

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Pg. 2 On Earth Day 2008, Luecke signed the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement. The action committed South Bend to join other cities in becoming a “Cool City,” reducing the causes of global warming in accord with the international Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change. Because of early efforts, South Bend was named Indiana’s Green Community of the Year in 2009 among large cities by the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns. “We already celebrate our progress as Indiana’s Green Community of the Year,” Luecke said. “But the public-private cooperation embodied in South Bend’s Green Ribbon Commission will unleash our community’s talent and imagination for an even more sustainable city.” Each of the three action steps is expected to contribute to an effort to reduce the City of South Bend’s annual $6.8-million energy bill. The stimulus grant also creates a self- funded Energy Office in South Bend to implement actions and monitor progress. The energy audits will lead to identification of energy retrofits, with approval from the U.S. Department of Energy. The efforts aim for a 10-percent reduction in energy consumption, which will lead to long-term savings in the City’s annual operating costs. The traffic signal optimization will use computer software to change green-light timing parameters between intersections. Posted speeds will enable motorists to progress smoothly through green lights, reducing engine idling, delays and fuel consumption. (As part of this transportation-efficiency effort, City fleet operations will undergo route optimization through specialized software and Global Positioning Satellite systems.) A 1.78-megawatt energy generator, installed near the fish ladder, would offset the equivalent of more than 10 million kilowatt hours per year of carbon emissions, providing renewable, clean-energy benefits over a 40-year service life. As the study takes place, the City will conduct a small demonstration project at the site The Green Ribbon Commission supports the City of South Bend in its efforts to reduce local contributions to global-warming pollution; proposes policies to reduce community energy costs and consumption; and recommends sustainable practices for adoption by municipal government, private businesses and local citizens. “During the first decade of the new millennium, sustainability has gone from being perceived as extreme to the mainstream,” said Mike Keen, chair of the Green Ribbon Commission and director of IU South Bend’s Center for a Sustainable Future, which is hosting Thursday’s meeting. “I am pleased that the Green Ribbon Commission has been able to help South Bend take a leadership role in this endeavor. It is good for our city. It is good for the planet. It is good governance.” - 30 -