According to this morning's Washington Post, "Fairfax plans to become a 'cool' county, where wind power, hybrid vehicles and environmentally friendly building techniques would reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to combat global warming..." This is great news at face value, although of course the devil's in the details as the saying goes. With this in mind, Arlington Board Chairman Paul Ferguson - one of the leaders in the entire region on saving our environment - praised Fairfax County board chairman Gerry Connolly for his "positive environmental agenda," but also "noted that establishing precise, measurable goals for reducing emissions is the key to a successful program."
With that in mind, here are some ideas from the Sierra Club's "Cool Cities" program.
1. Set a strong "renewable portfolio standard" that "requires an increase in the percentage of electricity from clean, renewable energy sources (such as wind and solar power) in a city or utility area by a specific target date.
2. Incorporate renewable energy requirements into contract renewals with privately owned local utilities.
3. "[C]onstruct solar arrays on city buildings, schools, and homes."
4. Switch to "energy efficient combined heat and power (CHP) systems."
5. Replace "traditional light fixtures with super-efficient light emitting diode (LED) bulbs" in street lighting and traffic signals.
6. Require new buildings to meet "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards created by the United States Green Building Council (usgbc.org)" and "make substantial energy efficiency improvements to existing buildings." Encourage and/or require installation of "green roofs" everywhere possible.
7. Institute "green vehicle solutions" in Fairfax County's fleet of cars, trucks, and buses.
8. Conduct a serious "global warming emissions inventory" and then systematically, aggressively, and rapidly (!) go about dealing with each item.
I would also emphasize the critical importance of mass transit and high-density development. Fortunately, Fairfax County is moving in this direction as well, which is great. But there's a long way to go, not just in Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria, but in every single city and county across Virginia. And we need to move quickly, without any leadership from the Bush-Cheney "worst ever in history" administration. The ultimate goal? How about the Sierra Club's "goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions 80 percent by 2050?" Now THAT would be "cool!"