City of Atlanta
Certified December 2009
All new city-owned buildings greater than 5,000 square feet must be LEED certified, and green buildings are encouraged in affordable housing initiatives through the Home Investment Partnership Program and the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. Seven city buildings are under energy performance contracts, resulting in more than 6.6 million kWh saved and over $2 million in energy savings and O&M cost avoidance in 2008. The remaining buildings will have energy audits completed or performance controls within the next two years. The city’s telework policy, discounted MARTA cards and participation in ARC’s RideSmart program and the Clean Air Campaign encourage city employees to reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips. The Connect Atlanta Plan includes bicycle and pedestrian-friendly policies encourages the construction of sidewalks and a system of bicycle routes. Curbside recycling and yard debris collection are available to residents of single-family homes. The Power to Change Campaign focuses on individual actions such as water and energy conservation, reducing solid waste and emissions and improving the rates of recycling. The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Report identifies and measures city emissions by source and type as well as recommends approaches for reduction.
DeKalb County
Certified December 2009
DeKalb‘s Gregory A. Adams Juvenile Courthouse is LEED-certified and has an Energy Star rated cool roof. Energy performance contracts on more than 150 government facilities have reduced costs by an estimated $1.5 million annually. The county’s lights out/power down policy ensures all non-emergency building lighting and electronic equipment are turned off when not in use and at the end of the work day. Its Green Energy Facility at Seminole Road Landfill generates 3.2 megawatts of electricity from captured methane gas. The county’s green fleet policy encourages the purchase of hybrid, fuel-efficient and low emission vehicles. DeKalb became the first jurisdiction in Georgia to adopt an ordinance that requires structures built prior to 1993 to replace inefficient plumbing fixtures with low-flow plumbing fixtures prior to obtaining new water service after the sale of a property. An ozone system at the county jail which converts oxygen to ozone, significantly reduces the need for hot water, detergent and rinse cycles in the laundry. It has resulted in more than $25,000 in energy savings annually.
Douglas County
Certified December 2009
New city-owned buildings must achieve Energy Star or EarthCraft Light Commercial certification. Expedited plan reviews and permitting are available for developers planning to build LEED, EarthCraft, and Energy Star certified projects in the county. Low-flow plumbing fixtures have replaced inefficient ones in all county-owned buildings, and all new city-owned buildings must install high-efficiency plumbing fixtures such as WaterSense certified toilets, urinals and faucets. The retention pond at Boundary Waters collects rainwater that is used to water ball fields at the park. Douglas’s Community Transportation Plan includes a complete streets policy that calls for the design and construction of roads that adequately accommodate all users of a corridor. Traffic signals have been synchronized to decrease trip time, idling and fuel usage. The county has an environmentally preferable purchasing policy as long as the purchase price does not exceed 10 percent of the cost of a less sustainable product.
City of Fairburn
Certified December 2009
Fairburn’s sustainability policies and procedures are compiled in the Fairburn Clean and Green - Guide to Sustainability in Municipal Operations. All new city-owned buildings greater than 5,000 square feet must be LEED certified. Expedited plan reviews and permitting are available for developers planning to build LEED, EarthCraft, and Energy Star certified projects in the city. LED bulbs have been installed in all traffic signals, and the city has a lights out/power down policy. Fairburn has conducted water audits on all local government buildings and anticipates implementing recommendations by June 2010. All new city-owned buildings must install high-efficiency plumbing fixtures such as WaterSense-certified toilets, urinals and faucets. City policy requires Xeriscaping and drought-tolerant landscape practices at government facilities to minimize the use of chemicals and encourage the use of native plant species. Fairburn offers curbside recycling for single-family, multi-family and commercial establishments. Recycled materials include glass, newspaper, magazines, plastics, aluminum and bi-metal cans. Zoning ordinance provides incentives for smart growth in residential subdivisions by providing for in-fill, residential cluster and planned developments.
City of Suwanee
Certified December 2009
The city’s zoning ordinance addresses light pollution and energy efficiency for outdoor lighting by restricting wattage, requiring enclosed bulbs and downward pointing lighting. New city-owned buildings must install high-efficiency plumbing fixtures such as WaterSense certified toilets, urinals and faucets. The Recreation and Open Space Needs Assessment focuses on greenways, and passive greenspace and trails throughout the city connect the community. The Comprehensive Landscape Inspection Program enforces the city’s tree ordinance, which includes a continual maintenance clause for trees and landscapes. Properties with approved landscape plans are inspected to insure landscape plan is being maintained. As a result of the inspections, 824 trees were planted in 2008. The zoning code calls for shade in parking lots by requiring one overstory tree for every seven parking spaces. Suwanee’s complete streets policy assures that new roadways and roadway improvements include adequate infrastructure, where appropriate, for all users. The community bicycle facility policy requires bike racks for a minimum of five bicycles to be located at all parks and community facilities. The city also requires businesses to have one bike parking space for every five parking spaces.
Cherokee County
Certified December 2010
Cherokee County’s updated Procurement Ordinance incorporates many sustainable policies, including LEED certification for county-owned buildings, the purchase of Energy Star rated appliances and equipment, the use of LED bulbs in traffic signals and the installation of WaterSense certified plumbing fixtures. Cherokee has committed to preserve 20 percent of county land as permanent greenspace through the Greenspace Protection Program. Residents can recycle electronics and cell phones at semi-annual drop-off events and fluorescent light bulbs and batteries through the “Lamptracker” Program. More than 70 percent of county facilities have received energy and water audits, resulting in HVAC and lighting upgrades, installation of cool roofs, discontinuation of irrigation and replacement of inefficient plumbing fixtures. Expedited permitting reviews and reduced permitting fees are offered to encourage builders to use solar energy in new projects or achieve LEED, EnergyStar, or EarthCraft certification. Three synchronized traffic corridors, with a fourth due 2011, ease congestion and reduce idling times. An old office and warehouse facility has been renovated for use by county office and Cherokee Area Transportation System (CATS), and the county offers a comprehensive recycling program at government facilities for traditional and nontraditional recyclable materials. The Bells Ferry LCI plan promotes many smart growth measures, such as mixed-used development, bicycle and pedestrian friendly designs, mixed-income housing and diversity of housing types.
Fulton County
Certified December 2010
Fulton County’s East Atlanta Library, completed in November 2003, achieved sliver LEED certification as the county’s first LEED building. The library was constructed on a remediated brownfield. Energy and water audits have been completed on more than 40 percent of county facilities, with the remaining facilities to be completed in four years. More than 300 exit signs have been replaced with LED fixtures, saving an estimated 92,000 kWh per year. The Johns Creek Environmental Campus uses the most advanced wastewater treatment technologies and is a world-class example for wastewater treatment. It has no odor, no noise and blends seamlessly with the surrounding greenspace and neighborhoods. Other sustainable polices adopted by the county include a requirement for new plumbing fixtures to be WaterSense certified, a lights out/power down policy, and an anti-idling policy.
Gwinnett County
Certified December 2010
Following audits on all of its more than 100 facilities, Gwinnett County implemented energy efficiency improvements including lighting upgrades and controls, new HVAC equipment, temperature optimization and implementation of energy management policies. The county’s Intelligent Transportation System and Traffic Control Center Master Plan is estimated to improve annual fuel consumption by 7 percent, CO emissions by 17 percent, and VOC emissions by 12 percent. The county has improved signal timing, established a traffic control center and developed smart corridors as recommended by the plan. Methane gas produced by anaerobic digesters at the F. Wayne Hill Water Treatment Plant is captured to meet the heating needs of the digestion process. One notable project is the LEED certified Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center, which features a pervious pavement parking lot, high efficiency plumbing fixtures, the largest sloped green roof in the Southeast, and the use of clean, non-potable reuse water for irrigation, flushing toilets, and in the HVAC system. Examples of sustainable county policies include the requirement for county-owned buildings to achieve LEED certification, a lights out/power down policy, requirement for new plumbing fixtures to be WaterSense certified, a green fleet policy, and an anti-idling policy for county fleet vehicles.
City of Kennesaw
Certified December 2011
The City of Kennesaw earned Bronze certification in 2011. Kennesaw requires all new city-owned buildings greater than 5,000 square feet to be LEED certified and offers expedited plan review and site inspection for developers building LEED-, EarthCraft- and Energy Star-certified projects in the city. To improve energy efficiency, the city completed energy audits on all city buildings and implemented recommended improvements in more than half of the buildings. Traffic signals now have new LED signal light inserts, which use substantially less power than conventional incandescent bulbs and have a longer effective life. The ciy purchased a vacant house and renovated it for use by the city’s parks and recreation department for youth and art classes. It is reducing the amount of waste that goes into landfills by providing curbside recycling to single-family residents and commercial customers for paper, glass, metal containers, plastic and corrugated cardboard. A commute options program for employees includes compressed work week scheduling, preferred parking for carpools, an employee recognition program and secure bicycle parking at government facilities. The City of Kennesaw works with the Cobb County School District to promote the Safe Routes to School Program to elementary and middle schools within the city limits. The city works with these schools to provide sidewalks and bike pathways to the schools and improve safety at intersections.