HomeMy WebLinkAboutDocumentation_Environmental Advisory Committee_Tab 03_12/14/2022Agenda Item #3.
Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC)
STAFF MEMO
Meeting: Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) - Dec 14 2022
Staff Contact: Thomas Bradford, EAC Chair Department: Environmental Advisory
Committee
Next Steps for Tequesta Community and Organizational GHG Reductions
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Memo Next Steps for Teguesta Community and Organizational GHG Reductions 121422
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Agenda Item #3.
Village of Tequesta
Environmental Advisory
Committee
Memo
To: Environmental Advisory Committee Members
From: Thomas G. Bradford, Chair, EAC
Cc: NA
Date: December 7, 2022
Subject: Next Steps for Tequesta Community and Organizational GHG Reductions
This memorandum attempts to outline a decision chain for enabling the EAC to achieve
satisfactory outcomes in an effort to reduce GHG reductions for Tequesta by 2030.
By attaining Village membership with ICLEI, Local Governments for Sustainability, a global
network working with more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable
urban development, Tequesta was able to address the Village Manager's desire for the Village and
the EAC to ascertain both community -wide and municipal organization data driven assignment of
GHG generated by both the community and the municipal organization with a reasonable, cost
effective road map for GHG reduction activities for a target date of 2030. All of this centered
around the final Village of Tequesta Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory presented to the EAC
meeting on November 16, 2022.
Village of Tequesta Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory
This report was focused on the GHG produced by the community and the municipal organization
as follows in summary form.
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Agenda Item #3.
ICLEI: Actions to reduce Community -wide emissions:
1) Promoting electric vehicles (EVs) to replace gasoline passenger vehicles through the
provision of public spaces charging and through fleet policies to increase EVs in City fleet
and familiarize staff with EVs
2) Reducing per -capita VMT through land use planning and encouraging use of transit,
bicycling, and walking.
3) Investing in infrastructure to improve safety and comfort for people on bikes and people
walking such as separated bike lanes and sidewalks with canopy trees.
4) Incentivizing energy efficiency for residential and commercial buildings through building
codes and incentives which mandate or incentivize green building credentials (e.g. LEED
or similar) in new construction and major renovations as well as incentives for energy
efficiency retrofits (such as weatherization and conversion to more efficient HVAC
systems)
5) Increasing the use of renewable energy by reducing soft costs to residential installation,
encouraging commercial installation, adding on site renewables to City facilities, and
engaging with Florida Power and Light to increase renewable energy in their fuel mix.
The ICLEI report indicates the Top 3 sources of the Tequesta Community -Wide sources of GNG
are:
1. Transportation & Mobile Sources: 50%
2. Residential Energy Use: 30%
3. Commercial Energy Use: 20%
Total Community -wide GHG produced annually in 2019 was reported by ICLEI to be 46,814
MTCO2e (million tons, CO2 equivalents).
ICLEI: Actions to reduce Local Government Operations emissions:
1) Reducing fleet emissions through right -sizing, encouraging virtual meetings, purchasing
electric/hybrid vehicles, and efficient route design
2) Reducing employee commute VMT by creating programs that encourage employees to use
alternative transportation (e.g. carpool match program, transit subsidy, installing EV
charging stations, etc.)
3) Increasing energy efficiency by retrofitting municipal buildings, installing LEDs and auto
shutoff lights, and educating City staff on how to conserve energy and water
4) Increasing the use of renewable energy by installing on -site energy production (solar
photovoltaics and wind power sources)
The ICLEI report indicates the Top 3 sources of the Tequesta Community -Wide sources of GNG
are:
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Agenda Item #3.
1. Water & Wastewater Treatment Facilities: 62%
2. Buildings and Facilities: 20%
3. Employee Commute: 12%
Total Government Operations Inventory (VOT municipal organization) GHG produced annually
in 2019 was reported by ICLEI to be 2,110 MTCO2e (million tons, CO2 equivalents).
The ICLEI report provided the five key principles to consider for our next steps are:
1) Adopt a 2030 Science Based Target Reduction Goal
2) Future planning and prioritization efforts should incorporate changing trends
3) Consider Programs that focus on mitigating high emitting sectors (on -road transportation,
combustion, renewable energy)
4) Seek ways to collaborate with adjacent communities, state agencies and local utilities
5) Inventories provide the foundation for informed decisions and transparency
Science -based targets provide a clearly -defined pathway for organizations to reduce greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions, helping prevent the worst impacts of climate change in an effort to future -
proof organizational growth or existence. In 2021, the US raised its Paris climate pledge,
committing to cut its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030. If
there is no difference in Tequesta 2005 GHG and its 2019 GHG than we could focus on a 50%
reduction in Tequesta GHG by 2030, an average reduction of 7.15% per year.
We can potentially have an effect on the community GHG b. setting etting an example with the steps
we take with the municipal GHG. The low hanging fruit for us on the municipal side of the
equation, in addition to EAC ongoing efforts to expand the planting of trees Village -wide,
appears to be for us to focus on:
1. Water & Wastewater Treatment Facilities: 62%
2. Buildings and Facilities: 20%
This is 82% of our municipal GHG discharges into the atmosphere. I am less worried about
Employee Commute at 12% and our municipal vehicle fleet, although I would install EV charging
facilities onsite for both. My concern is less here because over time there will be less and less
internal combustion engines generating GHG here since (1) California has banned them effective
in 2035 and (2) the EV tax credit is worth up to $7,500 and will be renewed in January of 2023
and will last for ten years through 2032. In addition, many other states are anticipated to follow
California's EV ban further hastening the switch over to EVs. Additionally, the USA is estimated
to have 100% of all new vehicles to have zero vehicle emissions by 2050 and literally no internal
combustion engine vehicles on the road by 2050.
If you concur with this conclusion, our EAC focus might best be described as:
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Agenda Item #3.
Facilitating major energy conservation and sustainable energy production efforts
This effort would entail:
1) Tequesta Water Utility operations to be addressed by implementation of grant funded
energy audits to identify top energy consuming activities in their operations, urging a
proactive grant program to deliver funds to effect meaningful reductions in energy
consumption and sustainable energy production facilities.
2) Identification of the percentage of Tequesta GHG that is attributable to wastewater
treatment facilities at the Loxahatchee River District (LRECD) and then encouraging them
to reduce their GNG emissions. By:
a. partnering with Jupiter, Juno Beach, Jupiter Inlet Colony, federal and state
governments, and with NGOs like Surfriders and the Sierra Club primarily for
political influence to effect LRECD GHG reductions and to secure expertise; and
b. seeking out grant programs for implementation of a LRECD comprehensive energy
conservation program should we discover one does not exist; and
c. introducing renewable and sustainable energy production alternatives
will eventually lead to reduced LRECD related GHG reductions over time.
3) Converting primary Tequesta facilities (buildings) to have onsite scaled sustainable energy
production facilities primarily consisting of ground based and/or rooftop photovoltaic
energy production arrays. In this regard, a strong "business case" exists for including
renewable energy assets on all major organizational building facilities.
A new Urban Land Institute (ULI) report was recently completed. The report, entitled
Renewable Energy Strategies for Real Estate was from the ULI Greenprint Center for Building
Performance. Four major takeaways from the report are:
a. Create tailored approaches — The best strategy for implementing renewable energy
strategies varies by organization, building, situation and is informed by goals,
financial situation and priorities of the organization.
b. Plan ahead — demand will grow for renewable energy. The longer one waits, the
further behind the curve one will be.
c. Involve experts — renewable energy options are often complicated and best
supported by expert external stakeholders.
d. Maximize energy efficiency first — this often has the highest_ impact investment and
is not to be overlooked.
In summary, this proposed strategy consists of the following:
We will seek to reduce current GHG generation in Tequesta government operations by 50%
by the year 2030 by:
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Agenda Item #3.
1) Focusing on the Tequesta municipal (Local Government GHG component)
GHG reductions to set an example for the Tequesta public and commercial
sectors to emulate in the Community -Wide GHG component. Informational
updates on all local ,government GHG reduction activities will be widely
communicated via all Tequesta messaging platforms for Communi , -Wide
impact.
2) Effectuate the low-cost options for GHG reductions ASAP by expanding
streetscapes and the Adopt -a -Tree planting program throughout the Village
of Tequesta (VOT).
3) Partner with others, municipalities, county, state and federal governments
and NGOs, wherever possible to maximize the chances for success and
grant funding.
4) Focusing on all ways and means to reduce GHG attributable to Tequesta
Water & Wastewater Treatment Facilities, which constitutes 62% of
Tequesta Local Government GHG. Step one here involves picking the low
hanging fruit by ensuring that these critical facilities have maximized
energy efficiency actions such as retrofitting buildings, installing LEDs and
auto shutoff lights, and educating staff on how to conserve energy and
water. Step two entails strategic grant applications for funding and
associated detailed engineering plans to implement state of the art energy
efficiency in all operations to withdraw, pump, treat and distribute water
and wastewater.
5) Focusing on all ways and means to reduce GHG attributable to Tequesta
Buildings and Facilities, which constitutes 20% of Tequesta Local
Government GHG. This will be accomplished primarily by:
a. ensuring that these facilities have maximized energy efficiency
actions such as retrofitting buildings, installing LEDs and auto
shutoff lights, and educating staff on how to conserve energy and
water, and
b. increasing the use of renewable energy facilities by installing on -site
renewable energy production facilities, e.g., solar photovoltaic
arrays.
6) In all such EAC activities we shall seek to create tailored approaches, plan
ahead, involve subject matter experts and maximize energy efficiency first
where applicable.
7) Once the municipal goal is achieved, shift gears to address reductions in
community -wide GHG and any new GHG reduction targets established for
the USA beyond 2030 for both the municipal organization and community -
wide.
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