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Taking care of the natural resources we have has
been a topic of great concern. Tackling an issue as
large as the environment seems like a huge
undertaking. If we think of our environment as the
things we touch and use, it makes the task much
more manageable. In my house, my youngest
daughter is clearly the environmentalist. This 7½
year old is vigilant in her efforts to make sure we
recycle. She often chides...er...um...her...mother about
throwing away plastic items than can be recycled.
She approaches preserving the environment based
on her immediate surroundings. To that end...
| In case you did not know, Plano has gone green. |
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In January of this year the council adopted a citywide
policy on "sustainable building" to demonstrate the
city's commitment to environmental, economic, and
social stewardship. It states: It shall be the
policy of the City of Plano to finance, plan, design,
construct, manage, renovate, and maintain its
facilities and buildings to be sustainable.
In
everyday language that means the city is committed to
building and maintaining facilities with a priority on
protecting the environment. The City of Plano expects
this policy to yield cost savings to the city taxpayers
through reduced operating costs, to provide healthy
work environments for staff and visitors, and to
contribute to the city's goals of protecting, conserving,
and enhancing the region's environmental resources.
Plano looks to be a leader in establishing a
community standard of sustainable building.
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| What does it means to be GREEN? |
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To Live Green in Plano
means to
create a community in which we protect our
environment by make a uniform effort to conserve
resources. As a city, we will minimize waste and
reduce using toxic products and materials. We will
strive to have healthy ecosystems and sustainable
neighborhoods.
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| How can we all do our small part? |
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- Keep your car tuned – a well-
maintained
vehicle pollutes less and runs better.
- Change your oil and oil filter regularly and keep
your tire pressure and alignment correct – low
tire pressure wastes up to 5% of a tank of gas.
- Get out and go in – don't let your engine
idle for more than a minute (like in a drive-thru
line).
- Drive smoothly – jackrabbit starts use up
50% more gas than smooth starts.
- Refuel your vehicle after dark, when ground-level
ozone, a major component of air pollution, is least
likely to form.
- Don't top off your tank and make sure your gas cap
fits to reduce gasoline emissions that contribute to air
pollution.
- Travel at moderate speeds – your vehicle
pollutes less when driven at 55 mph than at 65 or 70
mph.
- Use environmentally safe cleaning products and
water based paints.
- Combine trips and errands by planning to cut
down on gasoline usage.
- Use fluorescent light bulbs in your home.
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| What will the City of Plano do? |
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We will encourage "Green Buildings" and using the
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) as the benchmark for measuring building
sustainability . The LEED Green Building Rating
System™ is a voluntary, consensus-based,
market-driven building rating system that is based on
accepted energy and environmental principles. It
strikes a balance between established practices and
emerging concepts. It contains prerequisites and
gives credits in five categories:
- Sustainable Site Planning
- Improving Energy Efficiency
- Conserving Materials and Resources
- Embracing Indoor Environmental Quality
- Safeguarding Water
There are four rating levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and
Platinum. The City of Plano is committed to creating
a "Bronze Level" environment for it's citizens.
I feel we are at the beginning of what will be a shift in
how we live. I imagine down the road there will be
larger sacrifices that we will all need to consider. For
now, the goal is to integrate environmental values into
our everyday activities so the practice
of "sustainability" becomes as natural to us as it is to
a 7½ year old.
For more information about the City of Plano
sustainability efforts please go to www.plano.gov.
HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE 4th OF JULY
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