Green Light Given to Green Team Initiatives

DEQ Recycles

Rick Sprott, executive director of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), along with the blessing of Division Directors, has given a green light to the “Green Team” for its list of recommendations on recycling, energy efficiency and clean air initiatives.

For starters, recycling has expanded. Five of Salt Lake City’s blue 96-gallon plastic recycling bins have been placed at each of DEQ buildings 1 and 2 as part of a pilot project that encourages employees to recycle more than just paper.

“By going with the city’s program we can expand what we collect at DEQ to almost everything, except glass, and it would be in one container and cost about the same as our recycling system now,” said Sonja Wallace, recycling coordinator for DEQ who co-chairs the “Green Team,” a group of employees charged with developing a plan to enhance recycling, energy efficiency and improve the quality of Utah’s air in order to set a model for other government agencies to follow.

The Green Team, headed by Support Services Director Steve Higley and Office of Planning and Public Affairs Director Leah Ann Lamb, solicited input from employees on ways to make DEQ greener. The Team then presented its recommendations to DEQ’s senior management at a Quality Council meeting held June 4. Presented were the following recommendations:

Recycling Bins at Department
of Environmental Quality building #2

Recycling:

For two months, recycling bins are placed at DEQ’s buildings 1 and 2 to determine whether to expand it to the Cannon Health Building where the Divisions of Water Quality and Solid and Hazardous Waste are located.
DEQ will purchase recycled paper products to support recycling markets.

Energy Efficiency:

An energy audit was conducted on June 6 in DEQ buildings 1 and 2. More recommendations may follow as a result of the audit.
DEQ will purchase 100 percent of DEQ’s electricity through Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky program. Energy credits under the Blue Sky Initiative buy renewable energy sources rather than the traditional coal-burning.

“It would cost about $14,000 a year, about a 14 percent increase a year,” said Glade Sowards, a Green Team member and energy coordinator for DEQ. “But it would off-set carbon emissions as much as keeping 25 to 30 cars off the road each year.”

Governor Jon Huntsman announced on June 1 that 100 percent of the electricity at the Governor’s mansion will be through Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky program. He plans to use the energy savings to off-set costs to pay to replace the majority of the light fixtures in the mansion with compact fluorescent bulbs.

Cleaner Air:

All DEQ motorpool vehicles, under the normal rotation schedule, will be replaced with hybrid electric vehicles.

“It would support the Governor’s energy goals and reduce DEQ’s carbon footprint,” said Sonja Heuscher, a Green Team member who works in the Division of Environmental Response and Remediation.

DEQ will reduce the number of vehicle miles driven by employees through a number of options, including encouraging employees to reduce the number of miles driven by telecommuting, flexible schedules and carpooling. Also once at work, encourage employees to use video conferencing, walking to lunch and coordinating inspection schedules.