Laserfiche WebLink
CITY OF SOUTH BEND OFFICE OF THE CLERK <br /> were the primary sources in those top three (3)user departments of the greenhouse gas emissions. <br /> So, for Utilities, it is not a surprise they have a large electricity need. We have pumps that are <br /> getting fresh water out of wells, conveying water and sewage all over town to the treatment plant, <br /> and then the actual treatment process for both water and waste water. So, it is a very energy <br /> intensive situation and the utility industry is really hopeful to try and address the energy water <br /> nexus. In Engineering, street lights actually contribute to ninety-seven percent (97%) of this <br /> footprint. It is surprising,but the reason is because the electricity accounts for the street lights were <br /> financially assigned to the Engineering Department and street lighting is one (1) of our most <br /> significant users of electricity in our organization as a whole. So, street lights alone create more <br /> emissions than any other department except Utilities.Then,the rest of engineering's footprint falls <br /> in line with the other administrative offices. So,that was just an accounting label that we had been <br /> using and that is why it ended up in here. Then the Police Department is the third(3rd)most emitter <br /> in the City and about two thirds (2/3) of that was from their vehicle footprint but the rest of it <br /> would be from their building. All of these have multiple sources, but these are just the top three <br /> (3) that we recognized. <br /> Co-Committee Chair Broden interjected,Public Works and Solid Waste is a near fourth(0),could <br /> you distinguish that from your utilities? Or, you could do that later if you would like. <br /> Ms. Dorau replied, That would be ninety-five percent (95%) fuel from Refuse Trucks and they <br /> have a pretty small facility. <br /> She went on, So, South Bend's Community emissions then, so, operational inventories are a good <br /> place to start and I'm glad we got to practice that a little bit to start thinking about greenhouse gas <br /> accounting. To really truly be able to tackle climate change, it is not enough to just focus on us but <br /> the whole community. Greenhouse gas accounting, as a field, has actually been trending in this <br /> direction over the past five (5) years. So, operational inventories are still important, but they are <br /> not the end-all be-all that they once were. Most communities are being asked to raise the bar and <br /> really try to create a community inventory. When we decided to participate in the global covenant, <br /> we were required to complete a community-scale greenhouse gas inventory. So, the global <br /> covenant really considers it a building block for any other actions or programs the government <br /> might be interested in. <br /> She continued,We joined ICLEI which is a collaboration of local governments worldwide because <br /> that provided training and support for climate and environmental action. Specifically, they offer a <br /> ClearPath software that makes it a little more straightforward with someone who has the staff of <br /> one (1) person to complete a greenhouse gas inventory. So, we are really excited to have them as <br /> a resource and we joined a training cohort to facilitate that process. I talked about the rulebook a <br /> little bit. The global protocol for community scale greenhouse gas emissions inventory, we like to <br /> call it the GPC,basically provides the rules. I will not read it to you just as I wouldn't read to you <br /> from the tax code but I just want you to know that protocol is built into the ClearPath software and <br /> it ensures that although you wouldn't compare our inventory to San Antonio's apples to apples, <br /> you can trust they were performed in the same way and they include the same sources while <br /> considering those sources in a similar way. It really makes sure we have a quality and repeatable <br /> inventory. And then transparency is a big part of being part of the global covenant as well. The <br /> results of our inventory will be reported to the Carbon Disclosure Project along with all the other <br /> cities that are a part of the global covenant which has about 4,000 cities now. It is big, and it is <br /> global. <br /> EXCELLENCE ACCOUNTABILITY j INNOVATION I INCLUSION EMPOWERMENT <br /> 455 County-City Building 227 W.Jefferson Bvld South Bend,Indiana 46601 p 574.235.9221 f 574.235.9173 TTD 574.235.5567 www.southbendin.gov <br /> 18 <br />