Traverse City studies its emissions

By Melissa Domsic
mdomsic@record-eagle.com

March 29, 2008 04:00 am

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TRAVERSE CITY -- City officials are taking steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to protect the environment and cut the city's operating costs.

A local nonprofit recently completed a baseline inventory of municipal emissions that allows the city to set specific goals in curbing its carbon footprint.

The city already implemented some measures, such as using more energy-efficient traffic lights. These and other adjustments should allow the city to reduce its emissions by 25 percent below 2005 levels by 2012.

"I think it's very possible," City Manager Richard Lewis said. "A lot of it is just continuing on with, in some cases, the practices that we're doing."

Lewis said he'll work with city staff to carry out more changes, including using at least 5 percent biodiesel fuel for public service vehicles.

The city in January 2007 signed the U.S. Conference of Mayors climate protection agreement to address global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Greenhouse gasses trap heat in the atmosphere and are derived from a variety of sources, including the burning of fossil fuels for heat, electricity and transport.

An inventory of the city's 2005 emissions was completed by SEEDS, a local nonprofit ecological research and design firm. It cost the city about $20,000.

Existing and planned measures could cut emissions by 9 percent from 2005 levels by 2012 and save $47,000 annually. Additional recommendations could bring that up to a 25 percent reduction and $147,000 in annual savings, according to the study.

"Any time that we're reducing emissions, it means we're improving air quality, we're improving water quality," said Sarna Salzman, executive director of SEEDS. "It's really significant and great that by just doing what they're already doing, they're going to hit 9 percent reductions by 2012. It means they're forward-thinking."

SEEDS also is working on greenhouse gas emissions inventories for Grand Traverse County's municipal operations and the community as a whole.

The community study will take into account factors such as residential and commercial electrical usage, vehicle miles traveled, and effects of agriculture and tourism. Results should be completed by June, Salzman said.