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sou <br />JANUARY 2009 Bu,,� <br />BEND <br />Letter from the Mayor <br />From a White Christmas to a Green New Year <br />Dear Friends and Neighbors, <br />Last Earth Day, I signed the Cool Cities commitment. South Bend joined other <br />U.S. cities striving to reach Kyoto Protocol targets on climate change. It wasn't <br />the first step the City had taken toward becoming a greener community. As we <br />start a new year with a greater national interest in preserving the environment, I <br />want to remind you of South Bend's commitment to be good stewards of the <br />planet. <br />Conservation: We plant native grasses and wildflowers on City lots and <br />retention basins to reduce mowing. With an anti -idling policy and route <br />optimization with GPS and vehicle - location systems, City drivers work to keep <br />fuel costs down. Two all- electric vehicles will join the City's fleet this year. Our <br />recent conversion of 227 traffic signals to LEDs from incandescent bulbs will <br />save nearly $2 million in energy costs in a decade. The 85 percent reduction in <br />nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide is equal to what 5,600 trees would consume in a <br />year. In warmer seasons, our Police and Code inspectors patrol by bicycle. <br />Recycling: Biweekly curbside recycling began in 1999, while a household <br />hazardous waste collection center has operated since the mid- 1980s. City crews <br />collect yard waste and leaves, creating compost and mulch, which is free to city <br />residents at the Organic Resources facility. The City reuses biosolids generated <br />at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, applying as fertilizer on area farmland. <br />Reclamation: Landfills were transformed into the Erskine Commons shopping <br />center and Fredrickson Park, an environmental - learning area with a regional Boy <br />Scout facility. With Indiana's most aggressive brownfield reclamation effort, <br />South Bend is preparing the former Studebaker corridor as a research park for <br />nanoelectronics commercialization facilities. Equipment at the Wastewater <br />Treatment Plant is fueled in part by the methane gas that's a byproduct of the <br />treatment process, saving electricity. <br />High -tech innovation: The University of Notre Dame's high -speed research <br />computers are helping to heat the City's greenhouse and conservatories while <br />linked by Internet to campus. This reduces Notre Dame's cooling costs and <br />greenhouse gas emissions. A second phase will heat Potawatomi Pool. A third <br />phase will bring together several companies' high - powered computer servers to <br />augment the wastewater plant's anaerobic process, reducing cooling demand gas <br />costs, saving $500,000 for public and private sectors. It will produce a higher <br />grade of biosolids for use in landscaping. South Bend is becoming the world's <br />first city to monitor and control combined sewer overflows (CSOs) with <br />computerized sensors and motorized controls. Based on research from Notre <br />Dame and Purdue University, local company EmNet has deployed 105 wireless <br />sensors and smart valves as part of CSOnet. A $4 million investment, could save <br />the City a projected $150 million in avoided capital costs. <br />Continue. <br />THIS MONTH... <br />Mayor's Letter <br />23rd Annual Tree Sale <br />Free Tax Preparation <br />Monthly Green Tips <br />Property Tax Information <br />t • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • <br />• • <br />23rd Annual °� • <br />s° • <br />Conservation • <br />• .G • <br />• Tree Sale �' • <br />• The St. Joseph County Soil and • <br />Water Conservation District is • <br />0 excited to begin the 23 d Annual Tree • <br />• Sale Program. The money from • <br />• previous sales has allowed the <br />• district to provide an excellent • <br />• service to the community and <br />• improve the quality of the • <br />• <br />• environment in St. Joseph County. • <br />• Order forms are available online at • <br />• www.st ose h.iaswcd.or and at their • <br />• J p g <br />• office located at 5605 US 31 South, • <br />• Suite 4, South Bend, IN 46614. • <br />• Please take some time to read • <br />• carefully through the Species • <br />• Information Sheet, so that you are • <br />• <br />• well aware of the characteristics of • <br />• <br />• species the s eci be interested in • <br />you may <br />• purchasing. Some species are very • <br />• particular about soil type, sunlight, • <br />• <br />• pH, and drainage and the SWCD • <br />• <br />• wants the trees that you plant to have • <br />• the best chance for success, to be • <br />• <br />• enjoyed for years to come. • <br />• The order deadline is March 1, 2009, • <br />• but you are encouraged to return your • <br />• <br />• order (with payment) as soon as • <br />• possible. The SWCD is also 0 <br />• sponsoring a Tree Selection and • <br />• <br />• Planting seminar on February 3, • <br />• 2009, at 6:30 p.m. in the Farm • <br />• <br />• Bureau Building Meeting Room. • <br />• Please call the SWCD office at (574) • <br />• • <br />• 291 -7444 ext. 3 or email <br />• richard.glassman(i�IN.nacdnet.net • <br />• <br />• with questions about the tree sale • <br />and /or to reserve your spot. • <br />1 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • <br />Vsit Our Website at www SoutliBendIN.gov! <br />