Sustainability Successes

Green Local Government 'Gold' Standard
The city was certified at the 'Gold Level' in 2010 through the Florida Green Building Coalition Green Local Government program. The 'Gold Level' represents a considerable achievement by the city and reflects its strong and ongoing commitment to suststainable practices.

The green local government designation not only allows the city to highlight its sustainability successes through a widely-recognized program but also helps to establish a baseline of local environmental stewardship, identifying areas where the city excels and areas that could use more attention.

Actions of note include the community education efforts of the Duval County Extension Office and the Environmental and Compliance Department's Clean It Up, Green It Up campaign; the encouragement of green building practices through the Sustainable Building Program (Ordinance 2009-211); and the establishment of environmentally preferable procurement guidelines in accordance with Executive Order 2008-003.

For more information about the green local government standard, please visit the Florida Green Building Coalition's Green Local Government Standards website.

Fleet Management
The city's pro-active Fleet Management Division has developed and promulgated two significant energy-saving policies: (1) Vehicle Idling Policy (PDF) and (2) Vehicle Pool Policy (PDF).

Animal Care and Protective Services Facility
As the first newly-constructed building built entirely to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) specifications, the 40,000 square-foot shelter serves as the cornerstone of 'green' building for the city's sustainability initiative.

Building elements, including the roof, the use of natural light and automatic lights along with native plants used in the landscaping, were designed to maximize energy efficiency and the use of renewable resources. The project's contractor, Auld & White, is pursuing a LEED Gold Certification for the building's energy-efficient design.

The building's 'green' features also promote good health for animals in the shelter. For example, high efficiency mechanical systems and equipment help balance the facility's extensive use of fresh air. When coupled with the building's humidity control, these systems encourage good health of the animals in the shelter. (More about ACPS)

Godbold City Hall Annex
Built in 1907 and largely vacant for the past 30 years, the renovated Godbold City Hall Annex was re-opened for occupancy of city offices in 2009. The renovations were LEED certified for existing buildings and included the following energy-saving and environmental features:

Recent Accomplishments

• The city conducted tests of Global Electric Motorcar (GEM) electric vehicles in Parking Facilities and Enforcement and at the Sports Complex
• City staff established 'set points' for heating and air conditioning in city-owned facilities to what is believed to be a 'standard'; that is 68 and 78 degrees, with a one or two degree deviation allowable
• A 4-hour LEED Workshop was conducted by Mark A. Gelfo, P.E., LEED AP, CxA, Principal, Division Director, TLC Engineering, in collaboration with the U.S. Green Building Council, was held Aug. 17, 2009. Forty-seven (47) employees attended.
• The city's application for $7.8 million in stimulus funding was approved by the Department of Energy. The city has received $250,000, which represents a portion of what it will ultimately receive under the Recovery Act. The city has engaged Reynolds, Smith and Hills (RS&H) to act as overall program manager for activities associated with an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 . The city will use the initial funding to support RS&H's development of an energy efficiency and conservation strategy which will detail how the city plans to spend the funding on projects and programs that prioritize energy savings, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create or retain jobs. Subsequent funding will be released once the city has submitted its strategies to DOE.
• In collaboration with the JEA and the city's program manager for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant dollars began an energy audit of all city-owned buildings
• The contract between the City of Jacksonville and the Green Team Project:The Tides Center has been executed for sustainability training workshops to encourage, enable, motivate and support city employees in taking sustainable actions within their departments.
• An Office of Sustainability Initiatives website was developed.
• In an effort to reduce overall printing and paper use, a Paper Use Policy was developed and distributed to all Directors, Deputy Directors and Division Chiefs to be deployed to all COJ employees.
• A recommendation has been made that a bid process be used to select a consultant to conduct the energy audit of the Library.
• Solicited, via Competitive Sealed Proposal process, a vendor for Office Paper Recycling

Other Accomplishments

• Established a City of Jacksonville Sustainability Team
• Implemented a City of Jacksonville Vehicle Idling Policy on Oct. 23, 2008
• Reduced the number of assigned vehicles by 70 as of February 2009
• Beta tested Global Electric Motorcar (GEM) electric vehicles in Parking Facilities and Enforcement and at the Sports Complex
• Established a vehicle pool at a central location to be used by various employees who are not assigned a vehicle for daily use
• Right sized the City's fleet of vehicles by purchasing Chevrolet Impalas instead of Crown Victorias resulting in fuel savings
• Established a policy that Fire/Rescue vehicles will be re-fueled at city fuel site locations; alternate fueling site (Fuelman) is being used as a last resort
• In Fire/Rescue, discontinued the practice of using apparatus as a means to pick up/drop off equipment and supplies; apparatus can be used for transport of safety related equipment or turnout gear needing repair or replacement immediately
• In Fire/Rescue, reduced number of take home vehicles by six (6)
• In Fire/Rescue), created a pool of four (4) vehicles for employees who are on call
• Secured the services of a 'green' janitorial contractor as of Jan. 1, 2009
• Installing Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) infrastructure to monitor and manage traffic flow, reduce congestion, provide alternate routes to travelers, enhance productivity and increase safety; system is equipped with battery backups
• Published Environmentally Preferable Procurement guidelines covering all goods and services purchased for building maintenance and operations
• Brian Pippin, JEA conservation coordinator, will provide train-the-trainer training on conservation throughout the city
• Parking Facilities and Enforcement is beta testing solar powered parking meters in several locations in the downtown area