County wins 'green' award

Culpeper County was among nine winners of the “Green Government Challenge,” announced earlier this month.

The challenge is part of the Virginia Municipal League initiated “Go Green Virginia” campaign, which began in 2007. It is a competition between counties, cities and towns and involves earning points by establishing, implementing and adopting policies or actions that reduce energy usage and promote sustainability. There were 33 entries in the contest.

Green Building Resource Center project manager, Lori Loy, said the award was a result of “recognizing our county as implementing [green] actions. That we’re making use of the energy efficiency codes and guidelines.” She said that the GBRC filled out a scorecard for the county, which garnered 115 of a minimum 110 points needed for consideration.

Loy said the county completed 16 initiatives in 10 categories. This included encouraging the improvement of energy efficiency, “green” building, waste management and water and air quality. She said points were also gained from education community participation and innovative events like November’s Green Living Expo. Many of the initiatives had already been included in the county’s comprehensive plan, said Loy.

“It ends up saving the county money, which in turn filters back to the public. So the more we can do to have an energy efficient government, the better the entire community is,” said Loy. “It’s to promote a little competition among the counties as well.”

The GBRC is funded by a February 2010 grant administered through the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. Loy said that come April, the grant ends and the GBRC project will likely end with it.

“To retain the GBRC would mean additional tax dollars,” said Loy. She said that despite this, the building and planning departments would always be a good resource.

“What we’re doing is trying to save the government — the taxpayers — money at the end of the day,” said Loy of the center’s purpose. “Anything that we can incorporate into our government and into our homes to save energy ends up saving money.”

Some household energy savers include avoiding hot water, checking for and repairing air leaks, using CFL bulbs or LED lighting and unplugging electronics.

For more information on the GBRC and programs and tips it has to offer, click its link on the county’s website at http://web.culpepercounty.gov.

Background

The Green Building Resource Center, in partnership with the Daniel Technology Center, Germanna Community College and Planning District 9, is a source for information on energy conservation and green building practices. It also provides training classes and workshops for workforce development.