City of San Antonio Noticias Verdes |
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| Noticias Verdes | Monday, November 2, 2009 / Volume 2 Issue 11 | |
In this issue: Trainings and Events Efforts of OEP Partners OEP and COSA News Research and Best Practices |
Welcome
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OEP Documents • Mission Verde Sustainability Plan |
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Office of Environmental Policy Hosts Bicycle Friendly Community Workshop
The workshop was led by Bill Nesper, Director of The League of American Bicyclists "Bicycle Friendly America Program." During the workshop, attendees discussed the conditions of bicycling within the community. They assessed the issues affecting bicycle safety and use, learned about the successes of other communities as well as initiatives being pursued in San Antonio, and brainstormed about obstacles and opportunities. After the meeting, attendees, including Mayor Castro, took part in an afternoon bike ride from Main Plaza to the Mission Trail. Local experienced "ride leaders" were recruited to help out. As part of OEP's mission to increase the bicycle community within San Antonio, they have established a program called "San Antonio Bikes." The mission of the program is to focus on making the bicycle network accessible, direct, and continuous thereby raising the visibility of cycling as an alternative mode of transportation within the San Antonio community. Raising bicycle ridership for daily use and ensuring bicycle safety are the fundamental goals of the program. |
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LEED General Contractors Course November 6 – 8:30am to 12:30pm – International Center November 6 – 10am – 12noon – San Antonio Botanical Garden Solar San Antonio at the Movies November 12 – 7:30pm – Alamo Drafthouse Theater, Westlakes This month’s film is Energy Crossroads: A Need to Change Course. Build San Antonio Green City Energy Codes Workshop November 16 – 10am – 2pm – GSABA Headquarters Fundamentals of Compressed Air Systems Workshop November 17 – 8am – 4:30pm – Southwest Research Institute VIA Announces Downtown Streetcar Changes The following changes to the streetcar routes will be implemented on November 2, 2009:
These revisions have been endorsed by the Downtown Alliance and the Convention & Visitors Bureau. The Study also recommended several long-term changes, including expansions to serve the Museum of Art and future River North developments. In addition, route 64 Hwy 90 Express will be extended to serve a new park and ride location on W. Military at Sea World during the peak commute times. Route 64 serves Northwest Vista College, Sea World, the Kel-Lac Transit Center and downtown. For additional information regarding other service changes, specific route or schedule information you may go online at www.viainfo.net or call 362-2020. VIA Testing Wi-Fi on Express Bus Services VIA is setting up a test bus to provide Wi-Fi connections to commuters who use the agency’s express bus services. The test period will run from November 2 through December 4, and the internet-enabled bus will be rotated throughout several runs of VIA’s six express routes. The Wi-Fi connection will be available to anyone who boards the bus with a portable computer or any other device that is capable of accessing the internet. The connection is free, and up to five users can be on line at a time. When the test period is over, VIA will evaluate the reactions of riders who took advantage of the Wi-Fi connection. If the service proves effective, VIA may consider applying the technology to more buses. The Wi-Fi bus will run on a rotating schedule on various routes. For details on times and locations, visit VIA’s website or call Customer Service at 362-2020. CPS Demand Response Program Helps Reduce Peak Demand This Summer CPS Energy’s Demand Response Program recruits commercial customers to curtail energy use in return for rebates. Currently, 19 commercial customers are participating in the new program to reduce energy use during the peak summer season lasting from June 1 until Sept. 30. Participating businesses voluntarily reduce energy demand during “peak energy events” -- times when energy use is high and expected to break records. Customers who successfully curtail demand when called upon by CPS Energy receive incentive payments that are posted as a credit to customer bills or issued as a check. The payment is determined by taking the average of a customer’s curtailed KW amount for all events and multiplying it by the applicable per KW capacity credit. The participants receive a one-time payment at the end of the peak summer season and 30 days after an assessment of the customer’s performance by CPS Energy. Currently, San Antonio Water System (SAWS) is the largest single participant in the Demand Response Program. SAWS has reduced energy use by approximately 4,000 KW, or the equivalent of 4 MW, for each event. Residential customers also contribute to demand reduction through CPS Energy’s Peak Saver thermostat program. Customers receive a free programmable thermostat and agree CPS Energy can remotely access their central air conditioner to cycle the compressor off for short periods of time. Cycling off the compressor usually occurs on hot days for approximately 10 minutes each half hour between 3 and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. SustainLane Local Action Challenge
The SustainLane Local Action Challenge is a nationwide contest whose goal is to get people out into their communities, taking small actions that – together – make a big difference for the planet. Go to the Local Action Challenge homepage and click on San Antonio. Then choose a Challenge, take a photo of yourself doing it, upload the photo, and repeat. Each point you earn is an entry into that week's drawing for prizes from green business sponsors. Earn points by completing challenges from your city's list.
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-Laurence Doxsey, Director -Liza Meyer, Special Projects Manager -Bill Barker, Senior Management Analyst -Julia Diana, Senior Management Analyst -Philip Gates, Senior Management Analyst -Robert Young, Management Intern -Sonia Hernandez, Administrative Associate Physical Address 111 Soledad, Suite 725 ph:210-207-6372 Mailing Address P.O. Box 839966 Links |
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Energy Efficiency Audits and Retrofits Continue on City Facilities The Office of Environmental Policy has partnered with other City departments to evaluate energy use in City facilities and identify methods to reduce energy consumption, generate environmental as well as economic benefit for San Antonio, and save San Antonians' tax dollars. This work aligns with initiatives #10 and #11 of the City's Mission Verde Plan, 'The City of San Antonio Leading by Example'
More comprehensive audits for additional energy efficiency measures such as heating and air conditioning systems as well as renewable energy potential are currently in progress. The results of these audits will help to inform decisions on how to allocate funding, from federal stimulus dollars as well as other sources dedicated to energy efficiency retrofits, in order to achieve the greatest environmental and economic impact for the City. Officer Olivares Wins Walk & Roll Personal Challenge
The Walk & Roll Personal Challenge is an initiative of the Alamo Area Council of Governments and San Antonio-Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization to challenge citizens to long "smart" miles during September. Smart miles are those traveled for work, recreation, exercise, or errands that do not involve driving as a single occupant in a vehicle. Such miles improve health, reduce traffic, and save gas money. Competition categories include Walking, Cycling, Busing, and Carpooling/Vanpooling.
NEISD Johnson High School Supports the Office of Environmental Policy
Bicycle Safety Video on City Cable 21 OEP Continues to Examine Electric Vehicles
Although OEP does not endorse any particular technology, these workshops are helping to facilitate a discussion between the City and electric vehicle industry leaders in order to ensure San Antonio residents and businesses are prepared to take advantage of the potential benefits electric vehicle offer to certain users. For more information about OEP's electric vehicle initiatives, please visit: ITSD Saving Electricity Through Datacenter Efficiency Over the past year, San Antonio’s Information Technology Services Department (ITSD) has replaced approximately 80% of servers and about 90% of the network infrastructure. The new technology employs hot-aisle-cold-aisle rows, and ceilings in the datacenter have been modified to minimize hot air mixing with cold air. These upgrades and reconfigurations allowed ITSD to turn off 3 of the facility’s 9 room air conditioners, representing a 33% reduction in power consumption. ITSD is planning further equipment upgrades and modifications that will further reduce the center’s power usage. Study Finds That Employees in Green Buildings Are More Productive Researchers at the University of San Diego's Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate and CB Richard Ellis have found that employees who work in green buildings are more productive than their counterparts who work in non-green buildings. Green buildings were defined as those that are LEED-certified at any level or those that bear the Energy Star label. "Healthier buildings reduce sick time and increase productivity," says Norm Miller, Ph.D., one of the study’s researchers. "If you consider the benefits in terms of recruitment, retention of employees, less sick time and greater productivity, tenants should be willing to pay more rent for such space or require steep discounts for less healthy space." To read the full article, click here. |
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On November 2, Mayor Julian Castro, members of the City Council and staff, and community and corporate leaders took part in a workshop hosted by the Office of Environmental Policy to discuss how to make San Antonio a "Bicycle Friendly Community." 
Earlier this year, OEP oversaw lighting audits on over 100 City facilities, totaling 2.4 million square feet and for which the energy consumption represents over 60% of the City's total. These audits identified the potential to save up to 5 million KWh of energy each year, the equivalent of $450,000 in utility bills. Lighting upgrades have already been performed at major facilities such as City Hall and Municipal Plaza, and will be performed at the remaining facilities by the end of 2010. The City has also partnered with the San Antonio Water System to perform water audits and retrofits for increased efficiency on these facilities as well. 
Officer Richard Olivares of the San Antonio Police Department won the personal "Walk & Roll Challenge" in the biking category, having logged 734 miles in the month of September. Officer Olivares runs the "Police Explorers" program as part of the San Antonio Fear Free Environment (SAFFE) initiative of the SAPD. 
Johnson High School's National Honor Society (NHS) is participating in a service program that has strong ties to the school's namesake's legacy (Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson) and supports the Office of Environmental Policy. In an effort to promote fewer vehicles--less pollution--and more bicycle riders in the downtown area, Johnson students are supporting OEP in researching the types and levels of support various downtown area employers provide employees who wish to bicycle to work. Johnson's NHS chapter will support this project by calling downtown employers to inquire about employer needs, collect data and provide information to OEP. 
San Antonio City Cable Channel 21 will be airing a video entitled “Neighborhood Adventures in Bicycle Safety”, part of the Texas SuperCyclist Program. This program is a nationally recognized and comprehensive bicycle safety education course for Texas’ 4th and 5th grade physical education teachers and their students. The video will air throughout November on Mondays and Tuesdays at 4:08pm, Fridays at 9:30am and 11am, and Saturdays and Sundays at 8:32am.
In October, OEP hosted two events around the topic of electric vehicles. On October 16, the Getting Ready for Electric Vehicles in San Antonio stakeholder workshop brought together individuals from various backgrounds to determine what progress is needed from the public, nonprofit, and private sectors to make San Antonio plug ready. Participants broke out into three groups to discuss topics in more detail. The Permitting and City Codes group identified what types of information about charging equipment should be distributed to potential customers as well as electricians, and what electrical codes need to be examined and possibly amended. The Public Outreach and Education group identified the parties that need to informed and involved as progress continues on electric vehicle rollouts. The Businesses and Fleets discussed the need for collaboration between public and private entities on putting a pilot fleet of electric vehicles in the field. 
On October 28, OEP hosted Lunch with Electric Vehicle and Charging Experts at the San Antonio Garden Center. This meeting featured presenters from General Motors discussing the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle that will become available in 2010 as well as a representative from Verdek-EV demonstrating the Coulomb Technologies ChargePoint Networked Charging Station.