Washington County Government Operations Continues to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Washington County Announces Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions

In an ongoing commitment to sustainable business practices and responsible stewardship of public resources, Washington County recently completed its second comprehensive inventory of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with internal operations. The county measured and calculated the GHG emissions generated by five primary sources: building energy, building operations, transportation, employee commute and supply chain purchases.

The report includes data from the original baseline inventory which analyzed GHG emissions from all county department operations in 2008, and added data from 2009-2014 to indicate trends over time. Highlights from the latest report show:

• A 7 percent reduction in total GHG emissions from county operations which include everything from public safety services to construction permitting to road maintenance to libraries.
  
• Emissions attributed to the county's use of electricity and fuels showed a 19 percent reduction.
  
• Emissions per full-time equivalent employee (FTE) showed a reduction of 10 percent.

A decline in the use of electricity and natural gas represent the county's largest source of emissions reductions. Since the county's Sustainability program was established in 2009, county leaders and staff have focused on energy efficiency and conservation projects to save money and reduce the county's "carbon footprint."

According to Sustainability Coordinator Robin Straughan, "Washington County has worked closely with the Energy Trust of Oregon to plan and implement projects which would give us a good return on our investment. In fact, since 2004, the county has implemented dozens of energy conservation projects resulting in an estimated $5.4 million in net cost savings."

Straughan expects that the new report will be used to engage county leaders to help manage risk, reduce climate impacts and inform investment decisions related to ongoing efforts to decrease emissions and save money.

With future generations in mind, Washington County is placing a growing emphasis on sustainability as a framework for planning, policy development and management. Other sustainability initiatives include reduction of water usage, increasing recycling while also reducing the amount of garbage generated by the organization, promoting the use of transit, carpooling, biking and walking as employee-commute options, facilitating volunteerism and charitable giving among staff and participation in the Partners for a Sustainable Washington County Community (PSWCC) coalition. For more information about the County's sustainability efforts, go to www.co.washington.or.us/sustainability.

Media Contact:

Julie McCloud, Public & Govt. Affairs Assistant
503-846-8685