Howard  County  is  a  leader  in  the  environmental  movement  and  strives  tocontinually  increase  our  resource  production  and  sustainability  practices.  OurOffice  of  Environmental  Sustainability  works  in  partnership  with  all  otherCounty  departments  to  reach  new  levels  of  environmental  stewardship.  Thisalbum  highlights  our  efforts  to  date.  These  programs  and  accomplishmentshave  not  only  been  successful  in  reducing  our  environmental  impact,  buthave  also  brought  great  awareness  to  community  residents,  businesses  andthe  region,  resulting  in  behavior  and  lifestyle  changes  with  our  environment  inmind.  We  hope  you  find  this  album  equally  informational  and  inspirational  andwe  look  forward  to  having  you  join  our  efforts.  

Please  visit  LiveGreenHoward.com  for  more  details.

Welcome

Energy

Climate  Action  PlanHoward  County  was  the  second  county  in  the  country  to  sign  on  to  the  U.S.  Mayor’s  Climate  Protection

Agreement.    As  part  of  our  commitment,  Howard  County  completed  a  greenhouse  gas  inventory  of  County

operations  and  the  surrounding  community  and  committed  to  reducing  emissions  by  7%.  In  2010,  the  Howard

County  Climate  Action  Plan  summarized  the  results  of  the  2008  greenhouse  gas  inventory  and  presented  reductiongoals  and  future  actions  to  reduce  emissions  County-­wide.  The  County  exceeded  the  goal  of  reducing  emissions

from  County  government  facilities  by  7%  below  2007  levels  by  2012.  We  expect  this  will  be  reduced  even  more  in

the  coming  years  through  increased  energy  efficiency  efforts.

Energy

FleetHoward  County  operates  one  of  the  largest  alternative-­fueled  vehicle  fleets  in  the  state,  including  106  hybrid

vehicles,  and  five  electric  vehicles.  The  County  operates  five  charging  stations  for  electric  vehicles  that  areavailable  to  County  employees  and  residents  free  of  charge.

Energy

Government  Energy  EfficiencyA  pilot  project  to  test  performance  contracting  on  seven  County  buildings  with  the  highest  energy  consumptionreduced  energy  used  by  those  buildings  by  over  20%.    The  project  saved  so  much  energy  that  the  County  hasadded  all  other  buildings  to  the  contract,  fostering  maximum  energy  efficiency  in  all  County  facilities.  The  Countyinstalled  sub-­meters  in  40  buildings  to  analyze  energy  usage  and  inform  appropriate  adjustments  to  equipment.  Atracking  system  for  utilities  in  all  County  facilities  helps  the  County  verify  energy  savings  and  save  additionalrevenue  by  finding  billing  errors.  The  County’s  Energy  Dashboard  presents  daily  updates  on  energy  used  in  ourmost  energy  intensive  buildings  in  easy  to  understand  graphs.

Energy

Home  Energy  Audits

Howard  County  provided  1,200  free  home  energy  audits  for  County  residents.    These  comprehensive  audits

recommended  to  homeowners  the  most  cost-­effective  measures  to  reduce  their  energy  bills.  Using  information  from

the  home  energy  audits,  the  County  now  has  a  database  of  energy  efficiency  recommendations  specific  to  different

types  of  homes.    This  information  will  help  residents  find  cost-­effective  options  for  saving  energy  and  money.

Howard  County  Libraries  loan  residents  “Kill  A  Watt”  monitoring  devices  to  measure  the  electricity  consumption  ofappliances.

Energy

RenewablesThe  Alpha  Ridge  Landfill  gas-­to-­energy  system  generates  1  MW  of  energy  every  hour  –  enough  to  power  500

homes  for  a  year.  The  County  property  tax  credit  program  for  renewable  energy  systems,  such  as  geothermal  and

solar,  provided  565  credits  totaling  over  $2.5  million  to  make  these  systems  more  affordable  for  homeowners  to

install  and    kick  start  the  renewable  energy  industry  in  the  region.  Howard  County  established  recommendations  on

how  to  install  solar  on  historic  properties,  thus  preserving  the  character  of  the  structure  while  allowing  for  renewableenergy  generation.  The  solar  PV  system  on  the  East  Columbia  branch  of  The  Howard  County  Library  generatesenough  energy  to  power  913  homes  for  one  day,  and  avoids  emissions  equivalent  to  those  produced  by  2076  cars

in  one  day.  Solar  panel  arrays  installed  at  the  re-­purposed  New  Cut  Landfill  are  projected  to  supply  90%  of  nearby

Worthington  Elementary  School’s  energy  needs.

Energy

TransitHoward  County  Transit  operates  28  hybrid  vehicles  –  the  Azure  CitiBus  –  as  a  clean,  fuel-­efficient  alternative  to

conventional  shuttle  buses.    These  buses  have  efficient  features  such  as  engine-­off  at  stop  functionality  and

regenerative  braking.  Use  of  the  hybrid  Azure  CitiBus  as  part  of  the  County’s  fleet  improves  fuel  economy  by  up  to

50%  while  reducing  greenhouse  gas  emissions  by  up  to  30%.    This  environmentally  responsible  solution  further

saves  money  by  reducing  vehicle  maintenance  by  up  to  30%.

Water

StormwaterThe  READY  summer  jobs  youth  conservation  corps,  a  partner  in  Howard  County’s  stormwater  remediation  efforts,built  31  raingardens  that  manage  200,000  sq.  ft.  of  impervious  area,  exceeding  their  goal  by  80,000  sq.  ft.  In  2011,

the  County  conducted  two  rain  garden  workshops  for  residents  and  installed  30  residential  rain  gardens  in  the  Red

Hill  Branch  subwatershed.  Since  2010,  over  650  free  pre-­drilled  barrels  have  been  distributed  to  residents  during

Master  Gardener  demonstrations  and  the  annual  Howard  County  GreenFest.    Residents  then  use  instructions  and

guidance  from  the  Master  Gardeners  to  add  parts  and  make  them  into  rain  barrels.    A  partnership  with  a  local

hardware  store  makes  rain  barrel  parts  kits  available  at  a  reduced  rate  to  residents.

Water

WastewaterHoward  County’s  wastewater  treatment  plant  uses  a  state-­of-­the-­art  technology  Enhanced  Nutrient  Removal  systemto  make  it  more  energy  efficient  and  reduce  the  amount  of  nitrogen  released  into  the  environment.  Two  new  back-­up

generators  at  the  Little  Patuxent  Water  Reclamation  Plant  protect  the  plant  from  power  loss  as  occurred  during

Hurricane  Sandy.    Additionally,  the  plant  will  install  a  solar  energy  array  to  completely  offset  the  carbon  of  the

generators  and  partially  offset  the  carbon  emissions  of  the  plant.

Water

Watershed  ImprovementsSince  2007,  Howard  County  has  restored  3.25  miles  of  streams,  created  13  bioretention  facilities,  retrofitted  16

ponds  and  created  4  new  water  quality  facilities  through  engineering  projects  that  control  stormwater  entering  our

local  watersheds.

Green  Development

Green  Building  RequirementsHoward  County  law  requires  new  private  commercial  buildings  larger  than  50,000  square  feet  to  attain  US  Green

Building  Council  LEED  Certification  and  new  public  buildings  larger  than  10,000  square  feet  to  attain  LEED  Silver.  

Howard  County  government  is  proud  of  our  5  LEED-­qualified  buildings:  one  certified,  two  silver,  one  gold,  and  oneplatinum.

Green  Development

Green  Building  Tax  CreditHoward  County  provides  a  five-­year  tax  credit  for  new  green  commercial  buildings  that  attain  a  LEED  certification  of

25  %  for  LEED-­Silver,  50%  for  LEED-­Gold,  and  75%  for  LEED-­Platinum  rated  buildings.    To  date,    4  private

buildings  qualified  for  the  silver  level  credit  and  7  buildings  for  the  gold  level  credit.  Existing  buildings  earn  a  three-­

year  tax  credit  equal  to  10%  for  LEED-­Silver,  25%  for  LEED-­Gold,  and  50%  for  LEED-­Platinum  if  they  receive  a

LEED  for  Existing  Buildings  certification.

Green  Development

Green  Housing

The  Howard  County  Housing  Department  and  Housing  Commission  embrace  green  development  for  Howard  County

residents  across  the  economic  spectrum.  Monarch  Mills,  is  a  mixed-­income  community  built  to  Enterprise  GreenCommunity  standards  which  also  enjoys  a  clubhouse  expected  to  attain  LEED  Gold  status  in  the  near  future..  The

Cottages  at  Greenwood  ,  recently  recognized  in  the  Washington  Post,  are  affordable  single-­family  homes  built  tomeet  the  highest  LEED  Platinum  standards  and  offer  universal  design  features.

Green  Development

Green  NeighborhoodsHoward  County  Green  Neighborhoods  provides  incentives  for  environmentally-­friendly  residential  developmentincluding  everything  from  site  design,  to  stormwater  and  construction  waste  management,  to  material  use.  The  firstHoward  County  Green  Neighborhood  is  completing  construction  soon.

Economic  Development

Buy  LocalHoward  County’s  five  Farmer’s  Market  locations  offer  a  cornucopia  of  locally  grown,  raised  and  prepared  foods  atdifferent  locations  each  Wednesday  through  Sunday  from  spring  through  fall.  Howard  County  promotes  “CommunitySupported  Agriculture”  (CSA)  where  individuals  buy  “shares”  in  a  local  farm  to  enjoy  a  portion  of  the  fresh,  local  andoften  organic  produce  harvested.  Many  Howard  County  restaurants  work  closely  with  our  local  farms  to  serve

locally  grown  produce,  cheese  and  meat  in  our  Farm  to  Table  program.  Howard  County’s  Green  Business  Directoryshowcases  local  businesses  and  organizations  providing  products  and  services  to  better  our  community  and  the

environment.

Economic  Development

Green  Business  CouncilThe  Howard  County  Green  Business  Council  assembles  businesses  in  Howard  County  that  are  committed  tomaking  their  business  environmentally  friendly  and/or  providing  green  goods  or  services.  The  Green  Business

Council  hosts  regular  events  to  support  the  green  business  community  and  provide  networking  opportunities  to

connect  with  companies  looking  to  green  their  operations.

Economic  Development

GreenFestSince  2008,  Howard  County’s  annual  GreenFest  kicks  off  earth  month  throughout  the  County.  Each  year,GreenFest  draws  more  than  2,000  people  who  enjoy  workshops,  outdoor  activities,  opportunities  for  learning  about

local  non-­profits,  children’s  crafts  and  nature  play  spaces,  giveaways,  food  and  over  100  green  vendors.  In  the  last

three  years,  GreenFest  included  popular  opportunities  for  residents  to  donate  harder-­to-­recycle  items  resulting  in:.

300  used  bikes  for  Bikes  for  the  World,

Truck  loads  of  reusable  items  to  GoodWill  and  Habitat  for  Humanity,

Hundreds  of  shoes  for  Nike  ReUse-­A-­Shoe,

More  than  10  tons  of  electronics  for  recycling,

Dozens  of  eyeglasses  for  the  Lions  Club,  cell  phones  and  even  sewing  machines.

Waste

Clean-­UpsSince  2010,  about  5,000  20  Minute  Cleanup  volunteers  have  removed  litter  from  neighborhoods,  parks,  schools  andbusinesses  as  part  of  this  annual  spring  cleaning  project.  In  2012,  88  County  residents  spent  188  hours  collectingover  1,500  pounds  of  trash  and  1,000  pounds  of  recyclables  from  streams  and  open  space  around  the  County.Since  2000,  35.89  miles  of  waterways  and  52.2  acres  of  pond  area  have  been  cleaned  resulting  in  27,257  pounds  oftrash  collected  and  10,651  pounds  of  materials  recycled.  The  County’s  Adopt-­A-­Road  Program  participantscollected  nearly  1,500  bags  of  trash  over  the  past  year  from  135  miles  of  road.

Waste

Food  WasteApproximately  350  backyard  compost  bins  are  distributed  annually  to  county  residents  through  a  partnership  withthe  Master  Gardeners.  At  a  pilot  composting  facility  at  the  Alpha  Ridge  Landfill  in  Marriottsville,400  tons  of  materiala  year  is  diverted  from  landfills  and  produces  mulch,  topsoil  and  other  byproducts  to  be  sold  to  the  public  and  usedat  county  facilities.  In  the  first  phase  of  the  program,  1,015  participating  residents  set  out  an  average  of  9.5  poundsa  week.

Waste

Recycling95%  of  eligible  Howard  County  residents  recycle  approximately  110  tons  of  material  at  the  curb  every  day.  HowardCounty  collects  about  12,000  tons  of  yard  trim  for  recycling  every  year.  Since  June  2012,  14  tons  of  Styrofoamhave  been  recycled  at  Alpha  Ridge  Landfill.  County  residents  diverted  over  200  mattresses  per  month  at  Alpha

Ridge  Landfill  through  the  new  mattress  recycling  program.