Savannah Sustainability 101

Role of Department
Develop, implement, monitor and measure a
comprehensive sustainability program that incorporates
sustainability into all aspects of City operations and
community life.
What is Sustainability?
Triple Bottom Line

PLANET
(environmental)

SUSTAINABILITY

PEOPLE PROSPERITY
(social) (economic)
 Savannah Sustainability Highlights
Thrive
Initiative Energy
Graywater Audits of City
Reuse Facilities
Ordinance
Governor’s Yard Waste
Energy Waste Collection &
Challenge Cooking Oil Compost
City Reuse
Sponsored Greenest Community
Earth Day County in Green Roof Garden Sustainability
Festival GA Ordinance Program Department

2000 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Greenhouse Curbside Phase 1 of Free Bus
Gas Recycling Savannah Service for
Measures Program Gardens All City
Employees
Bicycle
Friendly
Community
Areas of Focus
Sustainability Plan City of Savannah Sustainability Efforts Key Indicators
Sections
Water Resources  Rain Barrel and Low-Flow Toilet  17.5 million gallons/day water use
Programs  Gallons/day of reclaimed water
 Cooking Oil Collection  35,551 mtCO2e - Municipal 2014 GHG Inventory
 Water Reuse and Reclamation
 Water Conservation Education

Transportation &  Truman Linear Trail  9.1 miles of bike lanes

Mobility  Free Employee Bus Pass  3,669,096 transit ridership
 Complete Streets Program  781,734 mtCO2e - Municipal 2014 GHG Inventory
 Mobility Advisory Committee

Built Environment &  Solarize Tybee Program  19 moderate Ozone days

Energy  Energy Efficiency Design Guidelines  4.7% renewable energy in Georgia
 Sustainable HUD Housing  16,016 mtCO2e - Municipal 2014 GHG Inventory
Developments
 Lighting Retrofit Analysis

Green Space & Land  Community Garden Program  19.2% of City population are food insecure
Use  Urban Forests Program  44% City land area contains tree canopy
 Floodways to Greenways  1105 net tree gain 2005-2015
 652,000 tons of CO2e captured by trees

Solid Waste  Office Recycling Initiative  14.59% recycling rate

 Paperless Business Practices  46% residential recycling participation
 River St. Public Recycling  102,000 mtCO2e – Municipal 2014 GHG Inventory
 Recycling & Litter Education
 Education & Engagement
We reach over 10,000 people a year through educational events
and workshops, including:

• Earth Day
• Food Day
• Rain barrels, & raised bed gardens
• Home & Garden Show
• Composting, solarize workshops, low-flow toilet program
• City Staff Health Fair
• Presentations to community groups and organizations
Next Steps & What You Can Do
• Complete Comprehensive Sustainability Plan
• Establish goals in the five main areas and strategies to get there
• Establish public, non-profit and private sector input and feedback
group
• Community Group Survey
• Increased Education Program
• New employee orientations
• Thrive ambassador sustainability education
• Neighborhood Association outreach and youth engagement
• Sustainability 101 Presentation
Prepared for Enterprise Community Partners
Why Should You Care about Energy Use?

The more electricity used...

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emitted and mercury emitted, plus

particulates that cause asthma and higher utility bills
 CO2 Contributes to Climate Change,
CO2 Contributes to Climate Change & Affects...
Affecting...

Eco-System Changes Catastrophic Weather Events

Source: http://arcticportal.org/climate-and-sea Source: http://www.worldproutassembly.org/archives/2006/09/adapt_to_climat.html

Hurricanes Extreme Drought

Source: http://skattertech.com/2005/08/hurricane-katrina-satellite-images/ Source: http://trendsupdates.com/poor-countries-oblivious-to-climate-change/
Ways to Save Energy

Heating and Cooling

• If possible, avoid space heaters
as they are very inefficient and
become a fire hazard if
something is placed on them
• Buy Energy Star air conditioner
Ways to Save Energy

Refrigerator & Freezer:

• Clean the coils on the back of
your refrigerator
• Ensure back of the refrigerator
has several inches of clearance
from the wall
• Clean out frost from your freezer
• Set your refrigerator to 37
degrees, no colder
• When purchasing, choose an
Energy Star appliance
Source: http://factoidz.com/how-to-clean-refrigerator-coils/
Ways to Save Energy

Water:
• Install an efficient showerhead
(<2 gallons/minute)
• Less heated water down the
drain saves energy
• Set clothes washers to use only
cold water
Source: http://www.pricepfister.com
Ways to Save Energy

Lighting:
• Replace incandescent
lighting with compact
fluorescent (CFL)
• CFLs use 66% less energy
than incandescents
• Turn lights off when not
in use
How Did the Resident Cut Their Bill in Half?

Switch all lights Replace Fridge Replace Line dry

to Compact with Energy Star Dishwasher with laundry
Fluorescent model Energy Star model
Prepared for Enterprise Community Partners
Why Recycle?

Each American generates 4.5 lbs of waste per day…

Why Recycle?
Only 30% is Recycled

…but much more could be.

Why Recycle?

Reduce Landfilling
• In volume, Americans
landfill over 167 million
tons of trash – equivalent
to the weight of 104
million cars
• Landfills can contaminate
drinking water and air
quality Source: RecycleRacoon

• Landfills produce the

most greenhouse gas
emissions for the City!
102,000 mtCO2e
Source: US EPA
Why Recycle?

Reduce Energy Use and Greenhouse Gasses

• Materials made from recycled materials use less energy
since virgin sources do not need
mining and refining
• It takes 95% less energy to
produce an aluminum can
from recycled cans than
raw ore from a mine
• It saves powerful greenhouse
gas emissions from methane –
20X more powerful than CO2!
Source: US EPA
What Can You Recycle?

Source: City of Greensboro

Waste & Recycling

Not Recycling = Throwing $$ Away

Recycling Rate at the City = 46% of Residents!

• 1. Paper: 11,039.74 tons

• 2. Plastic: 9,676.16 tons
• 3. Glass: 7,517.16 tons
• 4. Cardboard: 5,690.32 tons
• 5. Metals: 2,980.64 tons
• TOTAL: 36,904.44 tons
• Missed Revenue: 36,904.44*$15.00/ton = $553,566.60
Composting
Waste & Recycling
• Did you know?
• Organic waste (paper, plants, food
scraps) contribute the most to
landfill GHG emissions
• You can use nature’s simple
method of composting to recycle
and reuse food in your garden!
• Simply stack greens (produce),
browns (dried leaves, newspaper)
and add red wiggler worms, water
and rotate until it turns to soil!

• Community Gardens are a great

way to compost and grow healthy,
low-cost local food!
Prepared for Enterprise Community Partners
What Uses the Most Water?

69 Gallons/Person/Day
Other, 2 Gallons

Faucets,
11 Gallons
Shower,
12 Gallons
Leaks,
10 Gallons
Clothes
Baths, 1 Gallon Washer, 15
Gallons
Toilet,
19 Gallons

Dishwasher, 1 Gallon

Source: American Water Works Association, Drinktap.org 2010 & Handbook of Water Use and Conservation

*City water comes from the Floridan Aquifer and the Savannah River, making
even more important to conserve water use and prevent water pollution.
Property Management Actions

• Repair leaks
• Fix running toilets, fix flappers
• Install low flow faucets
• Install low flow toilets
• Install low flow clothes
washers
• Reduce irrigation Flapper
Leaks

• Leaking toilet can waste up to

200 gallons/day
• Faucet leak 1 drip/second
wastes 5 gallons/day
• Hot water leaks waste water and
energy
• Leaks account for 14% of
household water use
What is WaterSense?

WaterSense is a label that indicates whether

a product meets EPA water efficiency
standards

WaterSense Standards
• Showerheads < 2 gallons per minute
• Faucets <1.5 gallons per minute
• Toilets use < 1.28 gallons per flush
& flush 350 grams of solid matter
(they work!)

www.epa.gov/watersense website lists EPA WaterSense products

What is EPA Energy Star?

EPA program that sets energy and water

efficiency standards for products,
evaluates products, lists approved
products.

You may recognize the logo, it’s on appliances like

refrigerators, televisions, etc.

ENERGY STAR also evaluates clothes

washers for energy and water use.
www.epa.gov/energystar
 Together, We Can Make a Difference!

Bathroom
11 Gallons Don’t Run Bath Faucet Install Bath Aerator 1 Gallon
saved/day
Kitchen
Sink
24 Gallons Don’t Run Kitchen Faucet Install Sink Aerator

Showers
20 Gallons
Shorter Showers Install WaterSense Showerhead

Toilets
20 Gallons Report Leaks Repair Leaks

Resident: Management: Together:

51 Gallons + 40 Gallons = 90+ Gallons
Saved/DAY Saved/DAY Saved/DAY
What’s Your Action Plan

• What are your top priorities for community

environmental health? How would your association
like to support this effort?

• What ideas do you have for new programs for

sustainability at the City of Savannah?

• Stay tuned for “Sustainability 102” presentations on

Mobility, Green Space and Health!
Questions?

Thank You

Nick Deffley
Director of Sustainability
912.651.6909
ndeffley@savannahga.gov