City services to be scrutinized for sustainability
From the WCLO newsroom:
The Sustainable Janesville Committee looks to start new "green" practices with city services before encouraging the public to start environmentally friendly programs.
City Environmental Technician Lindsay Motl says the committee is considering feasible, fairly inexpensive alternatives and if those practices are implemented they'll study the savings. Motl says she would like to see lights controlled by motion sensors installed in little-used rooms, so the lights aren't on unnecessarily.
Motl says cost is always a factor and the committee would have to justify which area of the budget they'd take the money from, since the committee was created in the middle of a budget year.
The committee meets Tuesday to discuss city services and also ways to make the city's comprehensive plan more environmentally friendly.
Nov 18, 2008 at 4:02 p.m.
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I like my motion sensor light in the laundry room, but I hate it when it goes out when I'm folding clothes, and I'm running around in the dark waving my arms like a crazy person trying to turn it on again. Then I hate it when I turn it on fully, and forget that I did because it's a motion sensor after all. Then I noticed it turns on when I walk past the cracked open door for no good reason. Boy do I hate that. All in all, I really like it though. I want to buy another one. I think technology is giving me a bipolar disorder
Nov 18, 2008 at 11:09 a.m.
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It's a struggle to make some green conversions, as there's an upfront cost that isn't realized in savings for months or years. For instance, motion sensors should be installed in all new construction -- but how often does the city build a new building? (I face this as a landlord.) Some of the biggest savings can only be realized with, for example, a wholesale converstion of an HVAC system, or replacing all windows in a building with multi-pane glass.
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Ultimately, though, nothing will happen until alternatives are evaluated and a policy is crafted to make green considerations part of any decision-making process. Looking to budget for small wins is good, but also make sure that planning for big wins takes place, and make sure the investment is affordable when it's timely to do it.
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