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Posts tagged ‘project skyline’

Jan 2

SLCgreen Highlights from 2014

Happy New Year! It’s been a busy year for the Salt Lake City Green team, and we look forward to an exciting 2015 with your ongoing support. Since we’re in a reflective mood, take a look at some of our highlights from 2014.

Climate Task Force

We started the year with Mayor Ralph Becker’s appointment to the White House’s Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. Both Mayor Becker and Sustainability Director Vicki Bennett attended a series of round tables throughout the year, which culminated in the presentation of recommendations to the President in Washington D.C.

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Project Skyline

In May, Salt Lake City hosted EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy for a historic visit. In addition to a round table discussion with key partners, Administrator McCarthy joined Mayor Becker to kick off Project Skyline and the Mayor’s Skyline Challenge, a new initiative to curb energy waste from our city’s commercial buildings. SLCgov.com/ProjectSkyline

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SmartTrips Sugar House

During the summer, we kicked off a new year of SmartTrips in the Sugar House/S-Line neighborhood. The program focused on encouraging residents to walk, bike and take public transit to reduce their vehicle trips and impact on air quality. It was a great success! Over 500 households participated, increasing their alternative transit trips by 46% during the height of the program. SmartTripsSLC.com

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SLC Goes Solar

In June, we flipped the switch on Salt Lake City’s new solar farm. The farm produces 1.2 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually for our net zero Public Safety Building. We also celebrated two other important solar projects at the event, rooftop installations on the Public Safety Building and Plaza 349. Over 4,000 solar panels were installed on the three project sites, which will generate 1.7 million kilowatt-hours annually. SLCgreenBlog.com

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Popperton Plots Community Garden

In August we celebrated the successful opening and dedication of the Popperton Plots Community Garden in the Avenues. Popperton is one of the first community gardens to open on a parcel of city-owned land, made available through an expanded Green City Growers program. Popperton was also the receipient of a Partners for Places grant to support their development. It was a wonderful harvest celebration and an important milestone! More plots are available for development: SLCgreenblog.com

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Sustainable Business Leadership Award

In November, Sustainability Director Vicki Bennett was recognized by Utah Business Magazine with a Sustainable Leadership Award, and the whole SLCgreen team was there to help her celebrate! Vicki has led Salt Lake City’s award-winning Salt Lake City Green program for 13 years, spearheading initiatives to reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality and divert waste from the landfill. Congratulations, Vicki! SLCgreenblog.com

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Nov 3

Project Skyline: October Recap

Building Operator Certification

Beginning in October, Salt Lake City facilities staff began attending the Level 1 Building Operator Certification training as part of the City’s internal efforts to lead by example and meet the overall energy goals of Project Skyline. BOC training focuses on the improved operating efficiencies that can be realized in existing buildings by ensuring that mechanical systems are properly functioning and synchronized with each other. While this may sound like an obvious course of action, many existing buildings systems do not function as they are designed. BOC training explores the methods of evaluating and fine-tuning building systems to cut energy waste and maintain maximum efficiency.

Members of Salt Lake City building staff are very enthusiastic about what they have already gained from these courses. “My work in the facilities division is on the preventative maintenance team, and the first few days of this course were closely related to my day-to-day assignments,” says Ron Lindquist of Public Services Facilities

What’s most compelling about the BOC training is the focus on major building efficiencies that can be gained from no-cost measures. Salt Lake City plans to continue participating in these training opportunities in the future.

Energy Star Certification Nation

To celebrate 15 years of ENERGY STAR certification for buildings, EPA launches Certification Nation 2014, awarding special recognition for multiple-building certifications. If your buildings have an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or better, there has never been a better year to certify. Join today!

Project Skyline Welcomes new participant Fidelity Investments

Fidelity focuses its environmental sustainability efforts on the tangible steps they can take to minimize the effect our operations may have on the environment. In that regard, they focus on reducing consumption of resources such as paper, water, and energy. As a result they are  expanding LEED® certification to 65% of the North American corporate real estate portfolio to 6 million square feet of green office space.

October News

Project Skyline attends the Intermountain Healthcare Energy Summit

On October 29th, Intermountain Healthcare, one of our Mayor’s Skyline Challenge participants, hosted the company’s Energy Summit at the Marriott City Creek in downtown Salt Lake City. The day-long event featured panel discussions, break-out sessions, as well as the announcement of the Intermountain Energy Innovator of the Year award. The panel discussions explored the topics of Utah’s Energy Landscape and Energy Demand Management, and featured a long list of experts including Dr. Laura Nelson, Utah Director of Energy Development. While each of the panel discussions were engaging and insightful, one of the most remarkable aspects of the event  was seeing the level of focus placed on energy management by  Intermountain Healthcare. The Project Skyline team was happy to be in attendance and learn first-hand from Intermountain’s own expert energy staff as well as their guest speakers. Congratulations on a successful Energy Summit Intermountain Healthcare!

Project Skyline hosted another successful workshop

The Mayor’s Skyline Challenge workshop series continues, most recently with our October 30th installment that focused on Energy Action Plans. An Energy Action Plan serves as the road map for how you will move forward with efficiency improvement projects.

Leslie Cook of Energy Star took attendees through the various components of an energy action plan and what tools are available on Energy Star Portfolio Manager tool to assist in this process. Next, Troy Jensen of Intermountain Healthcare answered questions from attendees about the company’s own 10-year strategic energy plan. All of this tool place over coffee and pastries sponsored by official Project Skyline partner Rocky Mountain Power.

Thanks again to our presenters Leslie Cook and Troy Jensen, as well as Energy Star, Intermountain Healthcare and Rocky Mountain Power for sponsoring our breakfast.  We hope to see another great attendance at the next fall workshop on November 19th for presentations on building commissioning and recommissioning.

Project Skyline at the 2014 USGBC Green Build Conference and Expo

Thank you to the Challenge participants who have recently submitted 2013 baseline data. If you haven’t submitted the 2013 baseline data for your participating buildings yet, please visit this link to get started!

Project Skyline director, Sonal Kemkar, attended the USGBC Green Build Conference last week in New Orleans to discuss the progress being made on commercial building efficiency in Salt Lake City. In addition to highlighting the newest technologies in green building design, the conference brought together leadership from various levels of government and the real estate community who are working on the next-generation of energy efficiency programs. With the launch of the Mayor’s Skyline Challenge, Salt Lake City joins cities like New York, Denver, and Atlanta who are also working with local business leaders on increasing awareness of building performance. Salt Lake City joined members of USGBC and USGBC Utah, AIA, and BOMA at the annual conference.

Oct 13

“Live more with less” keynote speaker asks us to transition the way we live

richard_filterLaura Schmidt with SLCgreen attended a “Live more with less” seminar earlier this month. 

On Friday, October 3, a group convened at Utah Valley University to discuss how we in Utah can live more with less. The keynote speaker was author and educator, Richard Heinberg, who is best known for his books, Snake Oil and The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality.

Heinberg suggests we make four systemic changes to “live more with less.”

Energy. We not only need more reliance on renewable energy but we need to restructure how we use energy. The United States is an energy glutton and we’re going to need to be more efficient about our use. Unplugging devices when they aren’t in use, switching to CFL light bulbs, and installing energy-saving appliances is a great start to reducing energy use. Every bit adds up to drastically cut emissions.

Transportation. We’ll also have to rely more on public and active transportation to get around and, in general, learn to be less mobile. Future cities, says Heinberg, should be designed to help citizens get around without requiring a car.

Efficient Buildings. We’ll also have to continue constructing buildings more efficiently. Many buildings in the U.S. require tremendous energy for operation and we need to cut down on their energy requirements.

Food. Finally, Heinberg said we need to redesign our food system because it is currently entirely dependent on fossil fuels. From irrigation systems to pesticide use, fossil fuels are used in every step of the agricultural process.

The good news is that these changes are attainable. In fact, Salt Lake City is already working on many of Heinberg’s suggestions. We’ve recently installed a 1 megawatt solar farm and have solar panels on several of our City buildings. The recent completion of the Public Safety Building reflects that we can be more innovative with our new buildings and design them to be net zero for energy.

In addition to these efforts, one of SLCgreen’s newest programs, Project Skyline, aims to help building owners across the city to exceed the air quality and energy-saving targets of Sustainable Salt Lake – Plan 2015 by evaluating their building’s energy use, setting energy savings goals, and conducting energy-saving improvement projects.

Heinberg also suggested ways for individuals to implement changes in their communities. We can begin building up community connections and the idea that “we are all in this together.” Each of us can prioritize the health of our local environment, and work towards intergenerational solidarity. Heinberg also included that we must orient ourselves toward seeking happiness, finding satisfaction in honest work, and making meaningful art.

You can learn more about Richard Heinberg’s work at RichardHeinberg.com. 

Oct 1

Project Skyline: September Recap

Congratulations to Mayor’s Skyline Challenge participant, University of Utah

Project Skyline congratulates the University of Utah and Energy Manager Jeff Wrigley for the national recognition they received for their commitment to energy efficiency from the U.S. Department of Energy. “The University’s efforts showcase strategies that can be replicated at similar buildings, institutions and facilities across America,” said Dave Danielson, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Read the full press release here.

September News

Project Skyline was pleased to be invited by Challenge Partner BOMA Utah to their September 4th lunch and learn.

ENERGY STAR introduced and demonstrated the core functionality of the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool. Attendees were able to learn more about the tool and engage in a more in depth discussion with ENERGY STAR leadership. Look out for information on future BOMA Utah educational events. Check out the webinar here.

Challenge partner USGBC Utah hosted a Project Skyline workshop on Efficiency Project Planning & Implementation Strategies on September 12th.

On Friday September 12th, Project Skyline hosted its first Mayor’s Skyline Challenge workshop with USGBC Utah. This workshop included a great line up of speakers that each offered their own expertise in the world of building energy efficiency, with plenty of opportunities to engage with the audience and lead the discussion.

Nexant offered an overview the energy efficiency project process, ETC Group presented their Top 10 energy efficiency strategies for existing buildings, and the University of Utah’s energy manager Jeff Wrigley presented a case study on efficiency improvements made to the Eccles Institute of Human Genetics.

This was an excellent start to the workshop series, and Mayor’s Skyline Challenge participants can expect future installments to offer just as much insight and engagement. Thanks again to USGBC Utah, Nexant, ETC Group and the University of Utah Facilities Management for sharing your expertise and forwarding building energy efficiency in the Salt Lake City community.

Project Skyline gets highlighted at national Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) annual meeting.

Salt Lake City Sustainability Director Vicki Bennett and Sustainability Program Manager Tyler Poulson were invited to the national USDN meeting to discuss how local governments can help to scale up energy efficiency and net zero energy buildings.

Please join us in welcoming our newest Challenge participant, Architectural Nexus. See their profile here.

Upcoming webinars hosted by national experts

September 24, 11:00-12:30 PM (MDT) – Portfolio Manager 201
Continue to learn about EPA’s new ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool, with a deeper dive into more advanced functionalities such as managing and tracking changes to your property uses over time, using spreadsheet templates to update property data, setting goals and targets to plan energy improvements for properties, generating and using custom reports, and using the Sustainable Buildings Checklist. Register

September 25, 2:00-3:30 PM (MDT) – Community-Based Social Marketing
This webinar will describe community-based social marketing as a behavior-based approach for developing energy-efficiency programs.  The webinar will begin with an overview of the five steps involved in developing and delivering a community-based social marketing program, including methods for prioritizing and selecting target behaviors, identifying barriers and benefits, leveraging behavior change tools, pilot testing, and evaluation.  Each presentation will also cover case studies of scalable programs that have successfully applied the community-based social marketing model or its components to promote energy-efficiency and conservation behaviors. Register

Upcoming Project Skyline educational events

October: Creating an Energy Action Plan hosted by Challenge partner ENERGY STAR

November: Commissioning and Retro-commissioning hosted by Challenge partner Rocky Mountain Power

Stay tuned for more information!

Thank you to the Challenge participants who have recently submitted 2013 baseline data. If you haven’t submitted the 2013 baseline data for your participating buildings yet, please visit this link to get started!

May 21

Project Skyline Launches in Salt Lake City

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Overlooking the city from the rooftop terrace of the downtown library, business leaders, clean air advocates, and healthcare professionals joined Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to announce the launch of Project Skyline. The initiative is designed to impact air quality by cutting energy waste. Administrator McCarthy’s presence served to underscore EPA’s nationwide leadership in providing key energy management tools and resources through the Energy Star program.

Project Skyline is a cornerstone initiative of Sustainable Salt Lake – Plan 2015, the Mayor’s blueprint to improve air quality, boost economic development and improve livability in Salt Lake City. As part of the initiative, Mayor Becker challenged building owners, tenants, universities, schools, hotels, and hospitals across the city to proactively meet – and – exceed the air quality and energy-saving targets of Sustainable Salt Lake – Plan 2015 by joining theMayor’s Skyline Challenge.

The event kicked off with remarks from Mayor Becker who stressed the themes laid out in his State of the City address earlier this year, including the direct impact of air quality on the physical and economic health of the city. The Mayor also recognized the Salt Lake City businesses and institutions that have already joined the Challenge and emphasized his commitment to lead by example by cutting energy waste in municipal operations.

Administrator McCarthy followed Mayor Becker with a powerful message about energy efficiency and the importance of working together to improve the health of American families. “Energy efficiency is one of the most cost-effective opportunities we have to make our businesses more competitive, improve air quality, and save money. And we know that healthy communities attract investment, businesses, and more jobs.  Environmental health promotes economic health,” said Administrator McCarthy.

President and CEO of Rocky Mountain Power Rich Walje highlighted the enormous opportunity for businesses to save money by maximizing energy efficiency opportunities and taking advantage of the utility’s Wattsmart incentive program. “The cleanest and cheapest energy is the energy we don’t use. Working together, we can significantly reduce energy waste and make a positive difference in our community,” said Walje.

Remarks by President and CEO of Economic Development Corporation Utah Jeff Edwards followed by echoing Mayor Becker’s message, calling attention to the top reason businesses choose not to come to Utah— poor air quality. “Air quality is becoming a growing concern across the nation, and companies want to know what Utah is doing to address this issue,” said Edwards. “If we want to continue to attract quality growth to Utah, we must lead by example. I applaud Mayor Becker’s efforts to do just that and encourage building owners to step forward and participate. Project Skyline will set the example for other cities across the country.”

University of Utah Health Care CEO Dr. Vivian Lee wrapped up the event, bringing the perspective of a major healthcare provider and research institution. Dr. Lee stressed how significant the local air quality issues are to the health of Salt Lake City’s residents.

Leadership from partner businesses, organizations, and the community stood alongside Mayor Becker and Administrator McCarthy during the launch to show their support for the initiative:

President and CEO Questar Gas Ron Jibson, Senior Managing Director CBRE Mark Bouchard, Managing Director Goldman Sachs Bruce Larson, Senior Vice President and CSO Intermountain Healthcare Greg Poulson, Director of Engineering Marriott International Charles Cooley, Salt Lake Community College President Dr. Deneece Huftalin, Chief Pulmonary Division and Director Program for Air, Health, and Society Dr. Robert Paine, President BOMA Utah Lorrie Ostlind, Executive Director Utah Clean Energy Sarah Wright, Board President USGBC Utah Whitney Ward, Hotel Monaco General Manager Daryn White, New Mark Grubb Acres Vice President Justin Farnsworth, Salt Lake Chamber Vice President of Business and Community Relations Ryan Evans, UCAIR Executive Director Ted Wilson, Salt Lake City School District Energy Manager Greg Libecci, Salt Lake City Fire Department Captain Rick Stratton, and Breathe Utah Board President Dr. Deborah Sigman.

The Mayor’s Skyline Challenge is created through a partnership between Salt Lake City, Questar Gas, Rocky Mountain Power, BOMA Utah, USGBC Utah, and Utah Clean Energy.

For more information or to join the Challenge, visit http://www.slcgov.com/projectskyline.

Media Stories

Watch the Press Conference

 

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