News - Green Team - County of Santa Barbara




	Energy Efficiency Tips Poster Full color, 8.5 x 11" poster that itemizes tips for conserving energy around the office. Laminated print copies are available by contacting Lynn Rodriguez at 563-3330. Summer Efficiency Reminder Summer is here! Here are some important reminders for keeping energy use as efficient as possible during the warm summer months. Use a Fan to Cool the Office Use ceiling or room fans in place of air conditioning when possible. The air movement caused by fans will cool the room. For those of you working in an office with a thermostat you can control, during warm weather months, set the thermostat to 78 degrees or higher when the work place is occupied, and 85 degrees or off after business hours. You can save up to 3% for each degree the thermostat is set above 72 degrees. Reduce Your Lighting A general rule is that a light should be off when no one is present. Turn off lights in unoccupied areas, remove excess lighting and turn off signage and other lights not necessary for security and safety. Using fewer lights will also help keep rooms cooler. Be Energy Smart With Office Equipment Turn off office equipment or set it to "power down" when not in use. When possible, set computers, monitors, and copiers to the sleep-mode when not in use. This helps cut energy costs by approximately 40% and can also keep rooms slightly cooler. Remember to turn equipment off at the end of the workday. Use Shades and Blinds On hot days, draw the curtains and/or shades to keep the sun out. Remember to close doors to the outside to keep in cooler air. Dress for Summer Many summer days in our County start out cool and foggy, and end up warm in the afternoon. It is also difficult to maintain a constant temperature in an office; people near air conditioning vents may feel cooler, while people sitting near windows with sun exposure may feel warmer. Wear layers to allow for changes in temperature throughout the day and for the particular "micro-climate" of your office. Thank you for all your efforts to reduce the County's energy use. You are making a difference! If you need to report any problems, please call Judy Brown, x4703. Keep Your Office Pest Free The County of Santa Barbara adopted an Integrated Pest Management strategy in April 2000 to protect public health and the environment. To view a copy of the strategy, click here. Are you experiencing a pest problem in your workplace? Report it to the General Services Department at 681-4703 and follow these steps to ensure that pests are not attracted to your area: Don't keep open, unsealed foods in desks or equipment. Use only tightly sealed containers that are rodent resistant. Clean up spills and crumbs after eating at your desk or in break rooms. Ensure that food and wrappers disposed of in your office trash are emptied nightly. Empty liquids down sink drains before disposing of cups. Avoid over-watering plants. Pooled water in plants provides a source of water for pests. Do not keep plants that produce seeds or fruit. When you recycle, rinse all cans and bottles and shake out excess water prior to placing them in designated receptacles. Keep your work area neat and organized. Never use or bring pesticides to the workplace or attempt to treat pests or use pesticides yourself! Recycle Old Toner & Inkjet Cartridges There are several options for recycling your toner and inkjet cartridges. Please choose the option that works best for your Department and keep these products out of our landfills! Hewlett-Packard Planet Partners Laser Toner Cartridge Recycling Program Inside the box for your toner cartridges should be a flyer about the program, which contains a UPS label for shipping. You can mail a large number of cartridges at once or send them one at a time. (800) 340-2445 www.hp.com/go/ljsupplies Make-A-Wish Foundation Central Coast Chapter 4141 State Street, #C-3 Santa Barbara, CA 93110 (805) 681-1644 Cartridges are recycled for money, which is then donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. G7 Environmental Programs Laurel Keewatin Director Environmental Services LaurelK@livonia.etransmail4.com (800) 303-2620 This program offers free shipping and redemption dollars for toner and inkjet cartridges of any brand. Docu Products 201 W Montecito Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 568-1100 Contact: Bruce Marshall (will pick up) Golden Ribbons & Toner Corporation 1001 Olive Street Santa Barbara, CA 93103 (805) 564-2647 Laser Cartridge Company 629 Firestone Road Santa Barbara, CA 93117 (805) 683-4871 Speedy Cartridge 600 Ward Drive, Suite F Santa Barbara, CA 93111 (805) 683-4904 Lazer Cartridge Factory (805) 928-5555 pickup & delivery Ronic Technologies 440 East Clark Street Orcutt, CA 93455 (805) 934-2360 or (800) 549-6954 Recycle at Work The Green Team would like to remind you to RECYCLE AT WORK! The County is now able to recycle more material than ever before! Recycling service has recently been upgraded at numerous County facilities. Most County facilities now have commingled recycling service for employees to utilize. Commingled recycling service incorporates the collection of paper (all colors), magazines, newspaper, aluminum cans, aluminum foil, steel cans, plastics #1 (soda bottles) and #2, cardboard, paperboard (cereal boxes), and glass bottles all in one container. The Solid Waste & Utilities Division is in the process of working to update the recycling service at each County facility and through grant funding has purchased and distributed numerous 35-gallon, blue recycling carts and recycling boxes to many County facilities. All recycling carts and boxes are labeled with a list of commingled recyclable materials accepted. The recycling boxes may be used under each individual employee’s desk to collect commingled recyclables. County employees are responsible for emptying these boxes into the 35-gallon recycling carts on an “as needed” basis. The janitorial service providers at each facility will empty the 35-gallon recycling carts into commingled recycling bins in the parking lot of each facility. The County Facility Recycling Program is available at most County facilities. Please contact Dana Green x3615 if you need recycling carts, boxes, updated recycling service, or if you have any questions. Click here for more information about County recycling services. Summer Energy Savings Tips Summer is here! Here are some important reminders for keeping energy use as efficient as possible during the warm summer months. Use a Fan to Cool the Office Use ceiling or room fans in place of air conditioning when possible. The air movement caused by fans will cool the room. During warm weather months, set your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher when the work place is occupied, and 85 degrees or off after business hours. You can save up to 3% for each degree the thermostat is set above 72 degrees. Reduce Your Lighting A general rule is that a light should be off when no one is present. Turn off lights in unoccupied areas, remove excess lighting and turn off signage and other lights not necessary for security and safety. Using fewer lights will also help keep rooms cooler. Be Energy Smart With Office Equipment Turn off office equipment or set it to "power down" when not in use. Setting computers, monitors, and copiers to use sleep-mode when not in use helps cut energy costs by approximately 40% and can also keep rooms slightly cooler. Remember to turn equipment off at the end of the workday. Use Shades and Blinds On hot days, draw the curtains and/or shades to keep the sun out. Remember to close doors to the outside to keep in cooler air. Dress for Summer Many summer days in our County start out cool and foggy, and end up very warm in the afternoon. Wear layers to allow for changes in temperature throughout the day. Thank you for all your efforts to reduce the County's energy use. You are making a difference! Hybrid Vehicles Added to County Motor Pool Fleet In the year 2000, the County's General Services Department purchased its first hybrid vehicle, a Toyota Prius, for the motor pool at the Administration Building in Santa Barbara. A County driver survey was initially conducted to measure overall satisfaction and experience with this hybrid vehicle, noting a 98% satisfaction rate with County employees. The Prius averages about 39 miles per gallon (mpg), compared to 22 mpg for the comparable Ford Taurus that is offered in the pool. The County's Motor Pool fleet now has three Toyota Prius* hybrid cars, including one each in the motor pools at the Calle Real Center in Goleta and the Betteravia Government Center in Santa Maria. The County has been approved to receive grant funds through the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments to purchase 10 more hybrid vehicles. The grant funding will pay 90% of the vehicle cost and the County will pay the remaining 10%. There are also 25 compact cars (Saturn SL2's) on order for the Pool. County staff will look for hybrid vehicles from domestic vendors for future purchases. *The Toyota Hybrid System (THS) combines an efficient engine with an electric motor to not only power the car, but also recharge the vehicle's batteries through a generator and regenerative braking system. The Prius never needs to be plugged in for recharging. An Advanced Control System (ACS) monitors each system component to maximize fuel efficiency and minimize energy. Green Team 2002 Progress Report In April 1999, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors accepted the project charter of the newly formed Green Team in honor of Earth Week. Since that time, a number of new programs have been implemented. Click here to view the full update to the Board of Directors. Energy Efficiency in County Facilities In July of 2001 the Board of Supervisors asked the General Services department to take steps to reduce energy consumption in County facilities. These steps included cost effective employee and public education and facility conservation measures that would reduce energy use and minimize the impact of increasing energy costs for the County. Although the dire predictions regarding our energy crisis and shortages anticipated during the summer months did not come to pass, we are facing substantial increases in our energy costs. The County currently spends about $3 million a year for energy at all County facilities. We need to take steps in every County facility that will reduce energy use to the most efficient possible level without affecting the ability of employees to work productively. We have already taken steps in County facilities to replace inefficient lighting, upgrade heating/cooling systems, reduce the use of lights in lobbies and hallways and purchase fans for employees who are too warm. We must also rely on County employees to play an important role in reducing energy use in their own work environment. There are many things employees can do such as turning off lights that are not needed, turning off their computers when they leave for the day, turning their monitors off when they will be away from the office for a while, eliminating the use of electric space heaters unless absolutely necessary and using energy saver features on copies and printers. To help educate employees, the General Services Department and the interdepartmental Green Team have initiated an employee awareness program that will focus on training and outreach. A network of energy conservation "advocates", representing each department and each facility, are responsible for encouraging fellow employees to use energy efficiently. Each department has designated an energy conservation advocate for each facility. The advocates are serving an informal advocacy role that will focus on encouraging energy efficiency through education and periodic reminders. They are responsible for promoting efficient energy use and for training other employees in their department at their facility in the appropriate ways to conserve energy. This program is being conducted in partnership with the energy utilities, the Southern California Edison Company and Pacific Gas & Electric Company. The program will include the replacement of inefficient appliances partially funded by rebates. Thank you for your cooperation with this very important issue. By keeping our energy costs as low as possible, we free up funds to use for other important County priorities. Battery Recycling Program Update The Santa Barbara County Green Team initiated a battery-recycling program, in April of 2001. Employees can place old batteries in one of the County's brown internal envelopes and address it to: PURCHASING / BATTERIES. The limitations associated with the battery-recycling program include the following: Battery size should be "D" or smaller. Corroding or leaking batteries must be placed in a plastic bag. Submit only batteries from work - do not bring batteries from home. Batteries that can be recycled include: D, AA, AAA, 9V, calculator, palm pilot, camera etc. No large lantern batteries, car / motorcycle batteries or any lead acid type batteries can be recycled. Once the batteries are collected, they are sorted into three different groups: Alkaline/lead/silver oxide, Nickel-Cadmium or Lithium. On a monthly basis, these batteries are properly disposed of at the Community Hazardous Waste Collection Center, located at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) campus. Thanks to Purchasing/Mail Room staff for taking on this important project!