02-27-19 Joint Health and Public Safety and Utilities

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CITY OF SOUTH BEND OFFICE OF THE CLERK to some community events, and we are focused on community education as well, answering questions about recycling and providing information to the public. Alternative fuel vehicles is another area that the City focuses on in terms of sustainability. We've seen over the past six (6) years or so, dramatic investments in the City's fleet in a couple of different ways that have sustainability benefits. One (1) is right-sizing vehicles for the task, to make sure we are not using oversized vehicles for something that doesn't require them. We've also been purchasing hybrids, compressed natural gas vehicles,and researching the use of bio-gas from the waste water treatment plant in trash trucks to close the loop and provide renewable biogases and fuel for those vehicles. Our Central Services division has won numerous grants and awards for their leadership in cleaner municipal vehicles, so we should be really proud of the work they have done. They have a Green Fleet Certification from the National Association of Fleet Managers. She went on, We've also been working in partnership with MACOG and others in supporting community adoption of vehicles, and pictured here(referring to the presentation which is available in the City Clerk's Office) is our EV Charger outside of the County-City Building. Education and outreach is really valuable especially because so many of these projects are taking place in other parts of City Government. This is to help give a different view of municipal services by emphasizing all of the different ways that it benefits the community. It would be easy to just focus on, Hey, we have a yard waste program, isn't that convenient? But the yard waste program saves us money because we don't have to pay to dispose of it in a landfill, it reduces greenhouse gasses because it doesn't end up in a landfill,those materials collected don't end up in a storm sewer and cause flooding, and then those materials are composted to create a value-added product that is available to residents at no cost. The breadth of that story is difficult to tell from folks that are focused on operating the program day in and day out, so I really appreciate the opportunity to step in and talk about City services in a new light that really highlights the community benefits. She continued, The Green Ribbon Commission is a really exciting part of my job. We brought leaders together from all sectors. We have education institutions, our businesses, our utilities, several non-profits in the area, other governments and several students join me on the Green Ribbon Commission which is co-chaired by sustainability leaders from both Notre Dame and IU- South Bend. The Green Ribbon Commissioners are really important because they are a sounding board for the projects that we're taking on and the direction that we're going in the Sustainability Office. They're also valuable ambassadors that carry City information back to their organizations and help advocate for the work that the City is doing. Then they provide additional resources to me in the Sustainability Office and to each other, forming partnerships with fellow Green Ribbon Commission members, helping each other out with projects and making sure that we're not duplicating efforts. Renewable energy is another area where we've been actively installing solar on three (3) of our own facilities and making it easier for residents to understand the benefits of renewables and install their own. Energy management is a really valuable area. We're pursuing efficiency projects in our facilities, identifying unique funding mechanisms like the energy saving performance contracts, then tracking energy data to identify opportunities. Co-Committee Chair Broden interrupted to announce that people are free to stand in the back of the room, but if anybody wants to get a seat, now might be a good time to move around to make room for others to sit. Ms. Dorau stated, We also do a lot of regional and State engagement, working with our utility companies, our lawmakers and regulators on energy matters that have both cost and climate EXCELLENCE ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 227W.Jefferson Bvld South Bend,Indiana 46601 p 574.235.9221 1574.235.9173 TTD 574.235.5567 www.southbendin.gov 4