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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 :