HeightofFoshay$742
<br />Operational
<br />Savings annually
<br />(62% reduction)
<br />42,190
<br />KBTU Energy
<br />annually
<br />(78% reduction)
<br />4,288
<br />Lbs of Co2
<br />annually
<br />(59% reduction)
<br />For every older gas
<br />vehicle in the City’s fleet
<br />that is replaced with an
<br />Electric Vehicle, the City
<br />can save:
<br />What Can Be Saved Switchin
<br />g
<br />T
<br />o
<br />Ele
<br />ctric
<br />V
<br />e
<br />hi
<br />c
<br />l
<br />e
<br />s?
<br />The Greenhouse Effect
<br />The Carbon Cycle is exchanged among the oceans, atmosphere,
<br />and ecosystem. This cycle has been a closed, balanced system for
<br />hundreds of thousands of years. This cycle is present in the
<br />atmosphere primarily as carbon dioxide and methane. These two
<br />primary greenhouse gases uniquely allow light to pass while
<br />capturing infrared energy. This “Greenhouse Effect” directly
<br />impacts Earth’s atmospheric energy and temperatures – without
<br />the historic levels of greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere,
<br />the average surface temperature of the Earth would be 0 degrees
<br />Fahrenheit - the same as the moon.Learn More
<br />What is a Carbon Footprint?
<br />Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG) are produced by burning fossil fuels – both
<br />directly like those created by driving, and indirectly like in those created to
<br />deliver electricity to our buildings, or to manufacture products we buy. The
<br />term “Carbon Footprint” includes all GHG emissions associated with an
<br />organization, product, or activity.
<br />Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide,
<br />hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulphur hexafluoride, and a wide range
<br />of emissions which have weaker but still cumulative effects. Carbon Dioxide is
<br />typically the largest emission by volume.
<br />When calculating Carbon Footprint, BLUEdot uses carbon dioxide
<br />equivalents established by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
<br />Change as well as the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
<br />Man-Made Greenhouse Contributions
<br />Burning fossil fuels release hydrocarbons which have been outside the
<br />natural carbon cycle for millions of years. These emissions have
<br />increased atmospheric greenhouse gases by 40%, changing the
<br />chemistry and raising the total atmospheric energy and contributing to
<br />climate change. According to the EPA, man-made carbon emissions
<br />are likely to remain in our atmosphere for hundreds of years. Though
<br />unintended, our individual actions and business operations are
<br />contributing to climate change impacts.
<br />-800,000
<br />Historic CO2
<br />Historic Average
<br />---Today
<br />56
<br />59
<br />280
<br />400
<br />Why Measure?
<br />As the management consultant and author Peter Drucker noted, “What gets
<br />measured gets managed”. Measurement provides data both to understand
<br />where opportunities for improvement exist as well as to understand and
<br />reward success. Measurement of GHG emissions is the essential first step to
<br />successfully meet reduction goals. Establishing a baseline emissions
<br />understanding and updating the data annually is a critical component of
<br />meeting the emission reduction goals established by the City of Elk River’s
<br />adoption of the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement as well as the
<br />Statewide reduction targets. By undertaking this initiative to track emissions,
<br />the City of Elk River is yet again illustrating its leadership in sustainability.
<br />Fire
<br />Station 1
<br />Lions Park
<br />Center
<br />North
<br />Bound
<br />Liquor
<br />Public
<br />Works
<br />Senior
<br />Center
<br />Water
<br />Plant
<br />(KBTU/Gallon)
<br />West
<br />Bound
<br />Liquor
<br />Public
<br />Safety
<br />Ice
<br />Arena
<br />City
<br />Hall
<br />Library
<br />Buildings and Grounds,
<br /> 63,821,145 cubic feet CO2e (54.92%)
<br />Solid Waste
<br /> 168,805 cubic feet CO2e (0.15%)
<br />Employee Transportation
<br /> 6.812,715 cubic feet CO2e (5.86%)
<br />Water and Wastewater
<br /> 25,577,632 cubic feet CO2e (22.01%)
<br />City Vehicles
<br /> 14,499,678 cubic feet CO2e (12.56%)
<br />Streetlights and Signals
<br /> 5,222,830 cubic feet CO2e (4.49%)
<br />The Footprint
<br />of Elk River
<br />City of Elk River’s Carbon Footprint
<br />City of Elk River operations GHG emissions for the 2015 total 5,922.33 Metric Tonnes
<br />(13,056,487 pounds) CO2e, an emission rate of 31.92 Metric Tonnes per employee, or
<br />42.57 pounds CO2e per City facility per year. The City Operations total GHG emissions
<br />represent 1.36% of Elk River community-wide GHG emissions.
<br />This represents a volume of man-made atmosphere equal to 116,202,806 cubic feet
<br />annually. This volume would fill a cube of 488’ on each side…40’ taller than the Foshay
<br />tower in Minneapolis.
<br />Minnesota Climate Change Impacts
<br />Minnesota’s climate has already begun to change. Average temperatures in
<br />Minnesota are 1.5 to 2 degrees warmer than they were in the 1980’s and seven of
<br />the State’s ten warmest years on record have occurred in the last 15 years.
<br />Annual frequency of large storms in Minnesota have more than doubled in the
<br />last 50 years, with a 70% increase occurring in just the last decade. Minnesota has
<br />seen three “1,000 year” flash floods in only 12 years and scientists anticipate
<br />occurrence of extreme weather to continue to increase in frequency.
<br />Climate change has already begun to impact the Minnesota economy. In 2013,
<br />the State logged some of the highest severe weather-related claims in the
<br />country, and since 1997, 32 severe weather natural disasters cost Minnesota over
<br />$500,000,000. In addition, University of Minnesota economists have calculated the
<br />health and environmental costs of our fossil-fuel based electrical production at
<br />over $2,000,000,000 annually.
<br />The State of Minnesota is responding to climate change and is focused on
<br />reducing the State’s carbon emissions. The State’s 2007 Next Generation Energy
<br />Act established climate mitigation goals which included a reduction of statewide
<br />Learn More
<br />By making energy reducing building
<br />and operations changes at just four of
<br />the City’s buildings from current levels to
<br />national median levels might save:$75k+
<br />annually
<br />2.2million
<br />Lbs of Co2
<br />annually
<br />1.4million
<br />KWH
<br />annually
<br />On the chart below, represents the level of energy consumed at each building
<br />while represents the median energy consumption for similar buildings nationally.
<br />High performance buildings, meanwhile, have energy consumption at level.
<br />For 2015, the City of Elk
<br />River buildings consumed a
<br />total of 3,215,907 kwh of
<br />electricity and 135,447
<br />therms of natural gas. This
<br />relates to an average
<br />Energy Use Intensity (EUI) of
<br />106.77 kBTU’s per square
<br />foot of building space.
<br />City Building Energy Use
<br />63,821,145
<br />cubic feet GHG
<br />Police Station
<br />Emission Volume City Hall
<br />Emission Volume
<br />Volume Visualization
<br />the light gray mass represents the Police and City Hallfacilities relative
<br />height compared with Elk River annual building emissions. These
<br />emissions average a volume of man-made atmosphere equal to a mass
<br />over high per building.206’
<br />54.92%
<br />City Op
<br />Total
<br />The City of Elk River owns and operates vehicles as a critical support to functions in
<br />Police, Fire, Public Works, Streets, Parks, Waste Water, and City Administration
<br />functions. During the 2015 Baseline year, the City’s vehicle fleet used 53,691 gallons
<br />of gasoline and 79,872 gallons of diesel fuel. The emissions volume associated with
<br />the fleet’s fuel consumption totaled 744.08 Metric Tonnes (1,640,414 pounds) CO2e,
<br />approximately 0.60% of community wide vehicle emissions.
<br />Operations of City of Elk River vehicles
<br />generates a volume of greenhouse gas that
<br />would cover municipal streets to a depth of:
<br />(Figure to scale against typical public works snow plow)12’
<br />Municipal streets within the City of
<br />Elk River total253 12.56%
<br />City Op
<br />Total
<br />City Vehicle Use
<br />More :
<br />Learn
<br />Learn
<br />More :
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