Benton County, Oregon

Making Benton County a Better Place to Live

http://www.co.benton.or.us/cd/sustainability/index.php?
Printed on Jun 19, 2013 @ 6:35 AM

Benton County Sustainability

Welcome to the Benton County Sustainability website!  Benton County Departments and Divisions work everyday to implement sustainability into projects and programs.  Sustainable actions include saving and using available resources efficiently, investing in the future, and creating new processes that support enhancement and stability for the local economy, environment, and communities.  Provided below is an overview of current project work with links to web pages with diverse resources to support departments and divisions in developing and implementing sustainability.  There are many resources for others interested in the Benton County Sustainability history, goals, objectives, and current projects/programs.

Attention: Benton County Green Vendor Certification Requirements (download single page PDF); For those interested in becoming a Green Vendor at the Benton County Fair, please contact Adam Stebbins, Sustainability Coordinator at 541-766-6085; adam.stebbins@co.benton.or.us

 

Sustainability Committee and Project 2012

The Sustainability Committee (Review the 2012 Benton County Sustainability Committee Minutes and Agendas) is focused on meeting specific goals in the Benton County Sustainability Policy (2002) and supporting county employees, managers, elected officials to take actions to promote sustainable practices within county government.  The ‘initial step, that all departments shall focus on internal government operations’ (Sustainability Policy 2002) including:

  • Adopt Sustainability Practices within Department Operations to Reduce Waste;
  • Assess Options for developing and capturing Sustainability Metrics and Targets;
  • Conduct Business, Community and Public Outreach;
  • Identify and Prioritize Future Work to meet Sustainability Project Goals.

The Sustainability Committee 2012 chose the following Benton County Sustainability Projects 2012 priority work for the the Sustainability Project 2012 Coordinator:

Adopted Green Office Guide (12/4/12)         Annual Report (update 2012)

  • Establishing process for Sustainability Metrics and Progress Report to develop a baseline track progress towards goals and objectives;
  • Developing a Benton County 'Green Office Guide' to provide current, web-integrated information on everyday sustainable actions to support county staff and managers in understanding and making informed actions to save resources, increase positive impacts, and decrease negative impacts long term;
  • Updating the Sustainability Report documenting past, present projects and programs that further the sustainability mission while also describing efforts and processes that demonstrate the county government commitment to sustainability long term;
  • Updating the Benton County Sustainability Policy to provide current and consistent policy to meeting Board of Commissioners adopted goals and objectives.

Sustainability Awards

Lonny Wunder and Chris Bielenberg   Since 2001 Benton County Board of Commissioners have selected staff and the occasional department for completing sustainability projects that go ‘above and beyond’ standard everyday actions (see list of past Sustainability Award recipients).

  The 2012 Benton County Sustainability Award went to Lonny Wunder, Fairgrounds Manager and Chris Bielenberg Fairgrounds Manager for the 'Fairgrounds Solar Array Project'.

  Chris and Lonny worked with the volunteer Fairgrounds Board and local contractors, along with the Oregon Department of Energy to construct a livestock building powered by 306 roof-top solar modules funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

  The Fairgrounds Solar Array will meet nearly a quarter of the fairgrounds’ annual energy needs and cut energy costs by $4,200 per year. The 82,700 kilowatt hours of solar-generated electricity will avoid 1.1 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions – equivalent to reducing automobile travel by 121,724 miles a year or planting 7.7 acres of trees. read more…

  Inside the 12,000-square-foot space a Solar Education Center displays information about the solar array, providing hundreds of local students with the opportunity to learn how the sun’s energy can be turned into electricity. The center was funded by the Oregon Department of Energy using Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funds from the Energy Department.

Sharing and Learning from Sustainability Data

Benton County DashboardBenton County Sustainability 2012 is developing the Benton County Sustainability Metrics and Progress Report as a way to capture and share priority data with staff and residents. The Progress Report metrics and process for completion will focus on compiling, creating, and reviewing information for the priority categories of:

 

 

 

•Employees: Development and Wellness;
•Facilities: Energy, Natural Gas, Water;
•Transportation : Alternative Transportation, Fuel Usage, Travel Policy
•Waste Reduction: Trash, Recycling and Composting;
•Purchasing: Survey, Cost Analysis, Sustainable Substitutes

Sustainability metrics will be tracked on a routine basis to determine trends that inform staff/managers within all county departments.  Staff and managers are encouraged to provide information to the Project Coordinator.

Sustainability Outreach

For more information on the Benton County Sustainability program, please contact Adam Stebbins, Benton County Sustainability Coordinator, 541-766-6085.