Kansas City Star
Installation of new water meters is expected to be completed by the end of December, the Olathe City Council was told this week.
Johnson Controls began designing Olathe’s plan last year. The company helps businesses and cities find ways to save money, to recapture lost revenue and to improve performance through energy efficient practices.
Read more in the Kansas City Star. Submit your comments below.
How could your city make its water services more efficient?
The Clarion-Ledger
A company that holds several performance contracts with Jackson made a presentation to officials on Monday that could remedy some of the city’s water woes.
Representatives with Johnson Controls shared an analysis that suggests the city loses $2 million annually from infrastructure problems with the water system and illegal hook ups.
Read more in The Clarion-Ledger. Submit your comments below.
Has your community considered how much money it loses from water leaks?
Knoxville News Sentinel
Rainwater is being captured to wash county vehicles.
Hundreds of brighter lights that use less power are being installed.
Cracks are being caulked, heating units upgraded, toilets and faucets that use less water are on tap, and solar panels are being hooked up.
It’s all part of a sweeping, pricey energy efficiency project under way in and around seven Anderson County government buildings.
Read more in the Knoxville News Sentinel. Submit your comments below.
What are local governments where you live doing to increase the energy efficiency of public buildings?
Times-Georgian
The Huntville Times
Prison Commissioner Richard Allen said Thursday the department will ask the joint Legislative Contract Review Committee next Thursday to approve two contracts that will generate about $77 million for the projects over the next two years.
“It’s going to let us fix things that have been broken for years,” said Allen.
The $77 million will be generated through long-term, lease-purchase financing with two energy companies, Milwaukee-based-Johnson Controls and NORESCO of Westborough, Mass. And $21 million will come from a federal stimulus grant.
Read more in The Huntsville Times. Submit your comments below.
How could your state reduce energy usage in prisons and other public facilities?
Princeton Daily Clarion
City water superintendent J.B. Brines said Monday that a $12,600 water leak survey of the city’s lines and hydrants is under way and could more than pay for itself.
He told Princeton’s Common Council that the work started last week. In the southeast quadrant of the city, surveyors have identified more than 20 small leaks.
Mayor Bob Hurst said the city loses about 40 percent of the water that it produces, to leaks.
Read more in the Princeton Daily Clarion. Submit your comments below.
What is your community doing to eliminate water waste?
Wilson County Schools, located in Lebanon, Tennessee, is embarking on a comprehensive energy savings program to improve operational efficiencies and reduce the environmental impact of 20 facilities across the county. The program will address facility enhancements, including building technology upgrades and energy conservation measures, and is expected to save the district more than $14 million in energy costs over 15 years. » More: Wilson County, Tennessee schools launch energy savings program to improve efficiencies, reduce emissions
Milwaukee County First
Milwaukee County Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic joined with representatives from Focus on Energy, Johnson Controls and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Sewerage District (MMSD) to reveal a number of environmentally friendly upgrades recently completed at the Milwaukee County Zoo. The upgrades were performed as a result of the “Green Print” legislation, which was adopted in 2007.
Read more in Milwaukee County First. Submit your comments below.
What’s happening in your community to green public facilities?
By Derek Supple, Program Manager, Johnson Controls
By signing SB 624 in Green Bay yesterday as part of a package of economic development bills, Governor Jim Doyle has enhanced the power of local governments in Wisconsin to use property assessed clean energy (PACE) financing as a revenue-neutral tool to create jobs, reduce energy bills, and protect the global climate.
The bill expands Wisconsin’s existing legislation so that municipalities can now make commercial and industrial properties eligible to participate in PACE financing programs, in addition to the residential properties covered by legislation passed in May of last year. » More: Wisconsin expands PACE legislation, becomes second state in the nation to allow PACE financing of water efficiency projects
k-state news insider
At Kansas State University, sustainability is more than just the latest buzzword. Several projects are now under way to make the university a greener place.
Current projects to make K-State more sustainable involve water and energy use. The K-State Division of Facilities is working with Johnson Controls, an energy service company, to plan campus infrastructure improvements that will create savings and environmental benefits.
Read more in the k-state news insider. Submit your comments below.
How is your college or university becoming more sustainable?
