Evansville could feel the heat from climate change more than other parts of Indiana, according to the Purdue University Climate Change Research Center. (Photo: Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment)
EVANSVILLE — Local government operations produce about 48,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year, according to a recent study.
That's the equivalent of burning more than 52 million pounds of coal or 633 tanker trucks of gasoline, or charging more than 6 million smartphones, according to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency online calculator.
While significant, the city's emissions pale in comparison to those from coal-fueled power plants, equating to the annual pollution from 0.012 power plants. In 2016, coal-burning power plants emitted more than a billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, the EPA says.
The summer study was done through Indiana University's Environmental Resilience Institute. It took inventory of the city's greenhouse gas emissions for 2017 to create a base year for future comparisons.
Erin Lasher, the Evansville native and IU student who compiled the emissions inventory, said local governments are the ideal place to begin making environmentally sustainable changes that are community specific.
City officials say local government is already taking steps toward more sustainable operations, particularly in the last year.
"I really see this as an opportunity to reduce our energy costs and improve our quality of life," Mayor Lloyd Winnecke said.
The study assessed the city's pollution emissions of gases such as carbon dioxide, called greenhouse gases, because they trap heat in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. Human activities have generated most of the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the last 150 years, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities in the United States is from burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat and transportation.
The inventory looked at the most recent available data, including the amount of energy consumed, diversity of energy supplied to the power grid, vehicle fuel use within the city, the amount of waste generated within the city and other information.
A series of studies by the Purdue Climate Change Research Center has outlined how climate change is already affecting Indiana and how it will impact the state's infrastructure, economy, agriculture, environment and climate.
The inventory found that the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility was responsible for the largest portion of the city's emissions, 31.7 percent, followed closely by buildings and facilities operations, at 25.8 percent.
The study also recommends steps the city can take to reduce its carbon footprint, including energy efficiency, renewable energy, vehicle fuel efficiency, alternative transportation and waste reduction.
One of the biggest, and also easiest, changes would be to switch to LED street lights in the city, Lasher said.
Even more significant, she said, would be to implement City Council's resolution to move the city to renewable energy. In March, the City Council approved a nonbinding resolution to power city operations with 100 percent renewable energy by 2050.
Lasher said switching city operations to solar energy is "absolutely feasible." Indiana law allows governing bodies to enter into renewable energy arrangements through a funding mechanism called a Guaranteed Energy Savings Contract (GESC).
The arrangements allow for governments to enter into a vendor agreement to improve a facilities energy efficiency, paying for the investment over time through the energy savings. If the guaranteed savings are not reached, the provider must reimburse the building owner for the difference between the guaranteed and cost savings. The mechanism is designed to allow participation in energy efficiency without a large upfront cost.
Winnecke said city officials have already been discussing a switch to LED street lighting. In addition, the Evansville Vanderburgh County Building Authority, which operates the Civic Center — the Downtown home of most city and county offices — conducted an energy efficiency audit that resulted in switching to LED lighting and installing smart thermostats.
The mayor promised in-depth discussions about sustainability will take place with city department heads and officials.
"We will continue to pursue opportunities that improve quality of life and make financial sense," Winnecke said.
Allen Mounts, director of the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility, said the department is working to make the inherently energy-intensive water and sewage treatment process more sustainable.
The department has installed solar panels at its Allen's Lane offices, Campground Road reservoir and a lift station on Millersburg Road to help power them, Mounts said.
It also currently uses methane created from the sewage treatment process to help power different processes at both it's East and West Side treatment plants.
At the West Side plant, the methane is used to power pumps and motors and provide some electricity, Mounts said. While at the East Side location, it is used to power the boilers for heating storage tanks where bacteria helps breakdown waste.
The utility is working on plans to take that a step further, using the heat absorbed by water used to cool the East plant's generators to provide the necessary heat for a planned expansion project in the works.
Other ideas being explored are capturing and using some of this natural gas produced by the treatment process to fuel department vehicles.
"We have been actively looking at ways to reuse this gas," Mounts said.
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