City to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Fairfield?s greenhouse gas emissions are below national averages, but still need to be reduced to reach levels generally accepted as sustainable.

Sustainability coordinator Scott Timm reported the findings of Fairfield?s recently completed greenhouse gas emissions inventory during Monday?s meeting of the Fairfield City Council. The inventory, funded by the city?s Iowa Power Fund grant, is one of the first steps toward fulfilling the objectives outlined in the Fairfield Go-Green Strategic Plan.

?This is an important piece of work for the city, as it will help us to measure our progress toward greenhouse gas reduction,? Timm said.

Amy Greenfield, who helped conduct the inventory, explained data regarding six greenhouse gases was methodically collected for the city?s residential, commercial, industrial and government sectors.

?We had to be very careful to follow all the guidelines that [the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives] provided for us, and this involved interacting with all of the city departments and taking inventory of all the different emission sources within the departments,? Greenfield explained. ?We kept track of employee routes to and from work everyday and emission from that, as well as emissions from the buildings themselves.?

All of the greenhouse gases were then converted to a carbon equivalent.

The study measured Fairfield?s emissions at 144,971 metric tons in one year or 15.73 metric tons per capita ? a metric ton is equivalent to roughly 2,205 pounds.

The national average is 19.6 metric tons per capita. However, worldwide the average is 4 metric tons per capita and sustainable emissions are estimated at 2 metric tons per capita, Timm said.

For the complete article, see the Wednesday, July 28, 2010, printed edition of The Fairfield Ledger.