The Virginia Municipal League’s Green Government Challenge
is a friendly competition designed to encourage implementation of environmental
policies and practical actions to reduce carbon emissions generated by local
government and the community.
The challenge has 11 categories and 30 action items. Earning between 100-124 points out of a possible 200 earns
certification as a Green Government. Scores of 125 points or higher earn
silver, gold and platinum levels of certification. This year’s competition
ended Sept. 10.
The city of Richmond first participated and became certified
in 2009, won the silver in 2010, and the gold in 2011. This year, the city has
been certified platinum. Joe Lerch (left), director of Environmental Policy for the Virginia Municipal League, presented the certification to Council President Kathy Graziano and Mayor Dwight C. Jones at the Dec. 10 City Council meeting.
Richmond City Council approved an ordinance that streamlines the permit review process for solar and vegetative roofs at its Nov. 26 meeting. The paper was co-sponsored by Mayor Dwight C. Jones and Councilmen Chris Hilbert and Charles Samuels.
The purpose of the ordinance is to encourage the use of green roofs by processing building permit applications within 10 business days and associated plumbing, electrical and mechanical permit applications within five business days.
The ordinance is 2012-201-199.
Solar and vegetative roofs result in less electricity used in the building. Vegetative roofs absorb rainfall and decrease the amount of run-off from the building, which supports stormwater management efforts.
The Richmond Tree Steward organization educates and trains people who wish to volunteer to work with the city's trees.
During 2012, the Richmond Tree Stewards accomplished:
Completion of a tree inventory for Battery Park and presentation of the information to the Friends of Battery Park for future planning.
Stop sign pruning in the Fan District, ensuring each stop sign was visible to drivers.
Watering approximately 200 newly planted trees in Byrd Park, Forest Hill Park, and Gillies Creek Park from May through September. Each tree was watered every two weeks unless there was at least an inch of rain during the previous week. Watering young trees is critical to their survival and good health.
Developmental pruning of young street trees. This pruning technique is necessary in order for some urban trees to develop a stronger and safer branching structure.
A planting project in Chimborozo Park that put approximately 200 trees in the ground. This project was lead by two tree stewards, supported by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. It was accomplished with the assistance of other volunteer groups.
As of mid-October 2012, approximately 2,250 volunteer hours have been recorded for the year.
The first city facility constructed as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building, a state-of-the-art firehouse, was recently opened at 2211 Semmes Avenue. Firehouse 17 is also the first new fire station in Richmond in 18 years and replaces the firehouse on Bainbridge Street that was built in 1917 for horse-drawn equipment.
The project included a $3.5 million federal grant and $1.4 million of city funding.
"As part of our RVAgreen sustainability program, we are committed to ensuring that any new city building totaling more than 10,000 square feet will be built to at least a LEED Silver certification standard," said Mayor Dwight C. Jones during the grand opening ceremony for the fire station. "We are committed to green buildings because they are cost effective, they operate as healthy places to work, and they are environmentally responsible."
The city's minimum requirement for the fire station was a LEED Silver certification, but Firehouse 17 was submitted for a LEED Gold certification. It incorporates many "green" features, including a heat pump that detects where in the building people are and allocates heat or air conditioning to those locations, extensive use of natural light, infrared heat that directs itself to people in the vehicle bay, and horizontal bay doors that can open and close in six seconds, letting vehicles in but keeping the cold air out. The toilets are even smart. With a touch of a button, you can allocate just the water you need to flush.
Fire Station 17 on Semmes Avenue is state-of-the-art
Motion detector outer lights come on only when needed with these high-efficiency, LED, shoebox style sight lights for the parking lots.
Large glass doors and windows let in natural light and warmth.
State-of-the-art high efficiency energy recovery heat pumps control heating and air conditioning, directing it to parts of the building that are occupied.
High efficiency compact fluorescent lights in the hallways save energy, use less wattage and last longer.
Sky lights and window panes near the ceiling let natural light in even to the interior of the building.
Exterior office walls are primarily windows for the solar heat and natural light.
Skylights illuminate inner rooms.
Hallway walls are glass, so the light from exterior windows reaches into interior hallways.
Motion detectors know when areas of the building are occupied and need heat or air conditioning.
Thermostats control the heating and air conditioning on a time schedule as well as an occupancy schedule.
Even the toilets are smart! You can press the green button and flush with a minimum of water, or press the brown button and flush with more water.
The garage bay has infrared heat that detects movement in the bay and directs the heat toward the person.
As a practical matter, the Chimborazo rain garden has little more than
symbolic value. A few square yards of vegetative buffer on a school
yard will do little in a city of 60 square miles to curb the problem of
urban storm water runoff, stream erosion and pollution in the James
River. But it's a start. And it's a visible example of taxpayer dollars
at work. The project was funded, with state assistance, by the Richmond
Stormwater Utility.
Mayor
Dwight C. Jones was joined by Virginia Clean Cities for the
opening of Richmond Omni Hotel's first public charging station for electric vehicles. The City
of Richmond has been an important partner in the Richmond Electric
Vehicle Initiative thanks in part to a grant from the Clean Cities Community Readiness and Planning for Plug-In Electric
Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure. "The RVAgreen
Plan supports electric vehicles and charging stations because they
provide options that are more economically competitive and
environmentally resilient compared to traditional vehicles," said Mayor Jones.
Ford
Motor Company chose Richmond as one of the first 25 "EV Ready" cities
in the country and a launch market for its all-electric Ford Focus model car.
"Electric
vehicles and infrastructure represent an opportunity for individuals
and businesses to advance energy, economic, and environmental security
through reducing petroleum,” said Alleyn Harned, executive director of
Virginia Clean Cities.
Prior to the official plug-in, Virginia Clean Cities hosted the Business Case for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Forumat
the Omni Hotel. The event provided an overview of electric vehicles and
presented the business case for installing electric vehicle charging
stations.
An added benefit of electric cars is the exclusive parking spaces near chargers!
Richmond Omni Hotel Manager Chris Alto, Michael Phillips, project manager of the Virginia Clean Cities Project, Mayor Dwight C. Jones, Alicia Zatcoff, sustainability manager for the city, and Jason Tucker, Richmond Ford sales consultant, at the Omni electric car charging station.
Richmond Grows Gardens, a citywide Community Garden Program, permits organizations to use vacant and underutilized city property for community gardens. Several locations currently offer community garden opportunities where residents can lease plots of land to have their own, personal gardens.
In addition, Richmond has a Children's Garden where children living in several of the Richmond Redevelopment Housing Authority communities work with volunteers to learn about gardening and local food production.
Did you miss the fall recycling event? City residents dropped off household electronic items such as computers, monitors, radios, fax machines, microwaves, and camcorders at a collection trailer parked at 3101 N. Boulevard on Oct. 20. (Our photographer even turned in her two broken coffee makers!)
There was a $7 recycling fee for televisions, and the event had televisions in abundance!
Recycling conserves natural resources, saves landfill space, and creates jobs for salvaging usable parts and metals for reuse. But better yet, it clears your home of dust-collectors and makes room for new technology that is more energy efficient!
Check out the RVAgreen Plan to see what the City of Richmond is doing to enhance recycling in our community and the Central Virginia Waste Management Electronics Recycling site to share with friends!
The Green Infrastructure Center will be hosting a series of workshops
throughout Virginia in mid-October and November to help planners and land use
policy makers understand and manage their natural assets.
APA CM credits will be provided at these workshops.There is a $20 fee for participants to
cover lunch. More information about the workshops can be found at http://www.gicinc.org/events.htm
One
workshop will be hosted at the University of Richmond on Nov. 29.
Congratulations Richmond! With your help and love of the James River, Richmond has been voted as Outside Magazine's "Best River Town in America!" Read the article on why Richmond was chosen.
Hollywood Rapid on the James River. Photo: Michael Hanson
We've come a long way since the '70s and '80s, and we would like to keep progressing. The office of Sustainability for the City of Richmond has outlined a plan to keep the James River and other open spaces in Richmond green, healthy and livable. As part of the RVAgreen: A Roadmap to Sustainability, the city has outlined the Richmond Riverfront Plan, the James River Park Conservation Easement and Green Space Along the James River as priorities in the coming years. Learn more about the plan by visiting the city's sustainability site.
Making local, healthy and sustainable food more
accessible is just one of the many objectives of the city’s sustainability
plan: RVAgreen: A Roadmap to Sustainability. Supporting an expanded network of farmer’s markets enable citizens to purchase fresh, local, healthy food
and assist local farmers, thus increasing and enhancing Richmond’s
economic development.
Richmond is home to a number
of farmer’s markets and the newest is the Carytown Farmer’s Market in the heart of Carytown. Located at the corner of S. Dooley and W. Cary, the market is open Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and sells fresh vegetables,
fruits, meats, cheeses, wines, and flowers from local vendors. The market runs through early November–rain or shine-and reopens in the spring.
Become a “Chesapeake Steward” with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The foundation is currently accepting applications for its Richmond area adult education course, VoiCes (Volunteers as Chesapeake Stewards).
The eight-week series of evening classes features a program taught by local professionals and experts focusing on the Chesapeake Bay and James River, water and wastewater issues, the watershed and citizen action. Participants are asked to perform a minimum of 40 hours of bay-related volunteer service to receive the full designation as a “Chesapeake Steward.”
RVAgreen encourages conservation and support of the natural world and natural resources including water resources. You can read more about how water conservation, stormwater and wastewater all interact in the city’s sustainability plan.
For more information about the Chesapeake Steward program please contact: Lori Kersting at (804) 780-1392.
During July 2012, the Richmond City Council voted on a resolution to adopt "RVAgreen: A Roadmap to Sustainability" as an official city plan. This resolution affirms City Council's support and commitment for the community based plan. You can read the resolution below. Res. No. 2012-R69-103 WHEREAS, the City of Richmond has taken significant strides toward its sustainability goals which are to ensure that residents have the highest quality of life possible while improving the local environment and enhancing economic development and job creation opportunities;and WHEREAS, the City received the silver award in 2010 and the gold award in 2011 in the Virginia Municipal League's Green Government Challenge in recognition of its sustainability achievements; and WHEREAS, in an effort to further the sustainability goals in the City of Richmond and its communities, the City's Administration, in collaboration with stakeholders, experts and members of the community, developed a sustainability plan entitled "RVAgreen: A Roadmap to Sustainability," a copy of which is attached to this resolution; and WHEREAS, "RVAgreen: A Roadmap to Sustainability" builds on existing sustainability efforts and priorities of the City of Richmond and its communities and local government best practices from around the country and is organized into five focus areas: Economic Development, Energy, Environment, Open Space and Land Use and Transportation; and WHEREAS, the planning process for "RVAgreen: A Roadmap to Sustainability" was funded by an Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant that the City received in 2010; and WHEREAS, the City Council believes that it is in the best interest of the citizens of the City of Richmond that the Council support the aforementioned sustainability plan and encourage its implementation to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND: That "RVAgreen: A Roadmap to Sustainability," a copy of which is attached to this resolution, is hereby adopted as the sustainability plan for the City. ******* Follow the link to view your copy of RVAgreen: A Roadmap to Sustainability
The VirginiaSustainable Building Network (VSBN) has named the City of Richmond as the Best
Green Organization for 2012. Each
year, VSBN highlights and awards “green” businesses, organizations, design
firms, and community programs that present the best “green” projects or
programs in Virginia. Alicia Zatcoff, City Sustainability Manager, accepted the
award on behalf of the City during
the VSBN Annual Meeting in Madison County.
The
Best Green Organization category recognizes an organization for its leadership
in promoting and advancing the principles of sustainable design, implementation
of sustainable practices, or adoption of sustainable programs or ordinances.
Richmond was recognized for its development of the RVAgreen Sustainability
Plan and the many accomplishments under the City’s RVAgreen Program.
“We
are very pleased to receive this recognition for all the hard work the City
Administration has put into making Richmond more environmentally, economically
and socially sustainable,” said Mayor Dwight C. Jones. “I am proud of the major
steps we have undertaken under the RVAgreen Roadmap. Together, in partnership
with the community and non-profits, we can follow this roadmap to improve the quality
of life for city residents and have a more sustainable community. ”
RVAgreen
efforts include:
Implementation of an anti-idling policy for City vehicles
Transitioning the refuse fleet to compressed natural gas
Building green alleys
to prevent run-off from polluting the James River
Building several new City
buildings, including four new schools, which are all pursuing a minimum of LEED
Silver certification
Hiring a Sustainability Manager
Making vacant City property available for community gardens
Hiring a Bicycle,
Pedestrian and Trails Coordinator to help guide the City towards becoming more
walkable and bike friendly
Working towards making the James River more
accessible to all residents
Virginia Sustainable
Building Network (VSBN) is the only statewide organization that brings together
representatives from diverse sectors who are interested in building healthy,
energy-efficient, environmentally friendly buildings and sustainable
communities.
VSBN's
mission is to promote environmentally sound—or "green"—building practices and
sustainable development in Virginia. These building designs, methods, and
materials save energy costs, reduce waste and promote recycling, reduce
environmental impacts and exposure to unhealthy substances, strengthen local
economies, and contribute to an enhanced quality of life.
The James River Association is embarking on a
project with The Chesapeake Conservancy and National Geographic Maps called
Envision the James and they need your help!
Envision the James is a multi-year, collaborative
project that seeks to engage communities and individuals around the James River
in creating a common vision for the river to benefit present and future
generations. As this initiative is community-based, it relies on feedback and
suggestions from interested residents, organizations and communities.
The best way to help now is to fill out a brief survey and let the organization know what your thoughts are on the
James River regarding recreational access, heritage tourism, wildlife, and
habitat conservation and restoration. Just click the link below.
There's a new smart phone app called RVA Parks. This easy to use app provides searchable information, maps and directions to city parks, playgrounds and community centers using the following search criteria:
· Athletic Fields
· Baseball/Softball Fields
· Basketball Courts
· Community Centers
· Lighted Areas
· Playground Shelter or park houses
· Restrooms
· Swimming/Spray Pools
· Tennis Courts
· Tot Lots, and Walk/Exercise Trails
The app can be download onto iPhones, iPads or Android phones from the Apple Store or the Google Play Store. To view a tutorial on how to use the RVA Parks app, visit: RVA Parks.
RVA Parks provides a new mobile medium to communicate with the City about the parks system. City residents can report issues by calling 3-1-1, logging into the Citizens’ Request systems online, or using the RVA Parks app. Provide the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities with feedback and report concerns by taking a picture and sending it by email directly from your smart phone.
Download the app, and find your favorite Richmond park today!
June 9, 2012 marked the 13th anniversary of the James River Cleanup event. Last year 960 people from across the state took time to clean up one of the nation's most historic rivers. Since the James has always been an integral part of the city of Richmond, return the favor and help clean its shores. On land and on water, volunteers made this year's event a success. Richmond had three clean up hub sites: Byran Park (4308 Hermitage Road), Pony Pasture (Pony Pasture Rapids), and Reedy Creek (4101 Riverside Drive). For more information about the clean-up event, visit the James River Advisory Council.
Now enjoy your work!
The Richmond Regional Planning District Commission has released Rivers of the Richmond Region: A Public Access Guide highlighting the many public access points to the rivers in the Richmond area. To download the guide, visit the Rivers of Richmond Region page and scroll to the bottom for the link.
Numerous
trail crews, volunteers and professional land movers have been hard at work
updating and developing new hiking and biking trails all around Richmond.
The Belle
Isle Skills Park, located under the Lee Bridge on the
southeast corner of Belle Island, is open. This new park is an addition to the 18 miles
of urban single track trails nestled into the James River,Forest Hill andByrd parks. Endorsed and recommended by the Mayor’s Bicycle Pedestrian and Trails Commission, the park hopes to enhance the Belle Isle area and embrace the sport
of offroad cycling.
According to the designers,
“the learning curve for mountain biking is steep and this area will help
beginners and intermediate cyclists practice new skills in a safe and
controlled environment.” Whether you’re a beginner or professional, pedal down to Belle Isle and prepared to be amazed.
The Cannon Creek Greenway
Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail Project is also open. This ongoing initiative encompasses the 1.9
mile area that comprises the Cannon Creek Greenway. The sidewalk and street
intersections of the Greenway’s bicycle and pedestrian trails now connect businesses
and the commercial corridor along E. Brookland Park Boulevard, allowing residential neighborhoods, schools, and community centers ease of access to
these businesses by bicycling or walking. This trail increases the social, economic, and physical revitalization of the Northside and Gateway
districts of Richmond.
City trails crew and volunteers have
finished two new loops in the woods behind the Carillon in Dogwood Dell. Each is
about a mile long, one for hiking and another for mountain biking.The best way
to access the new trail heads is viaPump HouseDrive just north of the toll booth for the Boulevard Bridge.
The purpose of the Sustainable and Green Procurement Policy is to encourage the purchase and use of goods and services that best align with the city’s fiscal, environmental, social equity, economic growth, and community enhancement goals. The policy stems from the provisions of the Mayor’s Order #2011-4: For the Establishment of a Green Government. This policy encourages the purchase of environmentally preferable products that reduce the overall negative impact on the environment. To this end, the policy promotes the purchasing of recycled materials and other environmentally preferable goods and services that protect human and natural resources, prevent pollution, reduce waste, conserve resources, and support environmental sustainability.
As local government employees, we are faced daily with the reality that many of the products we buy can cause damage to the environment and/or public health. By purchasing EPPs we look to reduce those impacts, some of which can be severe. By purchasing EPPs that are:
Made with a percentage of post-consumer recycled content instead of pure virgin products, we reduce the need to extract raw materials, such as petroleum, trees or metals, and in general use less energy and water.
Manufactured using fewer toxic ingredients, we minimize the hazardous impacts of those products during the manufacturing process (e.g. water/air pollution) as well as reduce the damage caused through accidental spills and improper disposal. We also reduce the risk to workers handling the products, and the risks posed to building occupants when the product is in use.
Energy efficient, we help to limit energy consumption, which in turn lowers our emissions of carbon dioxide (a primary greenhouse gas) and other pollutants such as sulfur dioxide (which causes acid rain).
The purchasing decisions we make effect our local environment and the health of our employees and residents as well as the global community. For more information contact:
Procurement Services 900 E. Broad Street, Room 1104 Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-5716
Mayor Dwight C. Jones invited residents and commuters to join him biking to work, May 18, 2012. Commuters gathered at Monroe Park at 7 a.m. a Bike To Work Day rally. Joining the mayor were members of his Pedestrian, Bicycling, and Trails Commission and cyclists from around the area who were participating in the 2012 City of Richmond Bicycle Commuter Challenge. After the rally, the group left for City Hall. Commuter convoys met at the several locations to join the rally at Monroe Park, departing from Ellwood Thompson's, Tricycle Gardens, Forest Hill Park, Bryan Park, Plant Zero, and the Laurel Park Shopping Center.
Spring is the perfect time to start a vegetable garden. Tomatoes, summer squash, okra, peppers, cucumbers and bush beans are delicious additions to any summertime plate, and always taste better fresh from the garden!
Recognizing the value of urban agriculture, the City of Richmond established the Community Garden Program called "Richmond Grows Gardens" to promote the development of community gardens throughout the city. Community gardens build and strengthen the community, provide economic benefits, increase social equity and promote environmental stewardship.
By providing access to affordable, nutritional foods, community gardening is among the most practical approaches to preventing and reducing obesity and associated diseases. Under the City's program, community gardens are created and maintained by Garden Groups and citizens. This helps the City decrease its operation and maintenance costs. Turning vacant lots into attractive gardens can also help neighborhoods more effectively attract and retain residents and businesses.
Urban agriculture improves the quality of life for urban residents by creating green spaces and enhancing the connections between garden participants. Community gardens can also provide environmental benefits including managing stormwater runoff by capturing and filtering water in the urban environment.
For more information or to start a garden of your own, visit the Community Gardens website.
The Green Infrastructure Center (GIC) helps communities, like Richmond, develop strategies for protecting and conserving ecological and cultural assets. Recently the GIC released the Bellemeade Walkable Watershed Report for the southside neighborhood of Bellemeade.
This neighborhood resides within the Bellemeade Creek watershed that flows into the James River and eventually the Chesapeake Bay. The watershed, like many urban watersheds around the country, is inundated with polluted runoff from yards, streets and parking lots. In order to protect the neighborhood watershed, and the James River and Chesapeake Bay, the City of Richmond prioritized this area for improvements.
The GIC held two community workshops to gather information and identify opportunities to infiltrate and clean rainwater, while simultaneously providing neighborhood amenities such as trails, trees and park enhancements. More information about the project is available here.
The Bellemeade Walkable Watershed is a part of a larger project to assess the city of Richmond's green infrastructure, this project was completed in 2010. To learn more, click here.
The Sustainability Plan is part of Mayor Jones’ Green Richmond Initiative, created to support the city’s sustainability goals. These goals are to improve the quality of life for residents, create a healthy environment and enhance economic opportunity in the city. The five focus areas of the plan are economic development, energy, environment, open space and land use, and transportation.
The City enlisted many groups and stakeholders in the development of the plan and hosted two community-wide workshops to gain input and insight into its implementation.
Build a Barrel – Save the Bay:
The city’s Department of Public Utilities (DPU) Stormwater Division partnered with Richmond Public Schools to educate students about storm water pollution. The Build a Barrel–Save the Bay project was targeted to elementary school students to provide each science classroom a rain barrel to construct and decorate. The Virginia Partnership for Meaningful Watershed Education awarded a grant to purchase the rain barrels and rain barrel kits for all 5th grade elementary school classes and for an additional 9 middle schools.
The Build a Barrel–Save the Bay Rain Barrel Project was a teaching tool for several areas of instruction. The rain barrel project was the beginning of science lessons on water conservation, watersheds, the impact of pollution and current laws and regulation on storm water runoff. Volunteers judged the decorated rain barrels and the top six were announced April 24, 2012 at the Science Museum of Virginia.
17th Street Farmers’ Market
The market opened for another exciting season filled with festivals, special events, and of course – fresh vegetables, meats, and baked goods! The 17th Street Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays and Sundays, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. – from April to November. For more information on the market, visit www.RichmondGov.com/farmersmarket.
City residents were encouraged to attend the Mayor’s Food Policy Task Force community forum to discuss and prioritize recommendations concerning access to quality, affordable, healthy fresh foods in the city of Richmond. The forum was held in April at the Carillon.
Residents learned about the action recommendations being developed by the Mayor’s Food Policy Task Force and discussed the impact that the lack of access to healthy foods has in the community. The action plan developed as a result of the forum will address identified needs to ensure that the city has a healthy and accessible environment for all.
The Food Policy Task Force is part of Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ Healthy Richmond Campaign created toimprove the health of city residents through addressing the disparities affecting access to health care and health resources in the city. The RVA Shoppers’ Shuttle that began in February 2012 is one of the preliminary recommendations made by the task force.
Through the support of the Green Richmond Initiative, the city has launched the Richmond Grows Garden program. The program encourages the use of city-owned parcels of land for the development of community gardens throughout Richmond.
Community gardens provide a wealth of benefits when operated efficiently, including environmental stewardship, economic prosperity, cohesiveness in communities and increased social equity among other immeasurable assets.
The City of Richmond defines "community gardens" as a portion of city-owned property used to grow fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, wood products and native or ornamental plants for non-commercial purposes, i.e. where there is no exchange of goods for monetary value. A "commercial garden" is defined similarly, but with products grown for sale.
Community garden parcels are available through an online application process, while commercial garden parcels are available through a lease negotiation with the city’s Department of Economic and Community Development. They require approval from City Council.
More information on the benefits of community gardens and the application process for obtaining a parcel of land can be found on the city's community garden webpage.
Did you know that an American home can waste, on average, more than 10,000 gallons of water every year due to running toilets, dripping faucets, and other household leaks?
Nationwide, more than 1 trillion gallons of water leak from U.S. homes each year. That's why the EPA's WaterSense program reminds Americans to check their plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems each year during Fix a Leak Week.
Mayor Dwight Jones encourages all residents to join with the city of Richmond in observing Fix-a-Leak Week, March 12–18, 2012.
They've been called bunkers, trenches, and a number of other colorful names, but the mysterious sidewalk objects of 14th and Main streets are just another way the city is turning green. These are bioretention planters and are essential in low-impact sustainable design.
Bioretention planters are designed to filter pollutants from rainwater runoff as well as provide ample room from greenery in cityscapes.
As rainwater flows through the sidewalks and city streets it picks up a variety of contaminants along the way, which can cause harm to the James River system. These bioretention planters are designed to reduce the amount of pollutants from rainwater runoff through a sustainable filtration system.
These planters didn't look empty for long. During the spring and summer of 2012, a variety of plant life filled them to the brim, which not only added aesthetics and filtration, but kept pedestrians from a misplaced step!
More than 75 participants gathered for the RVA Green Community Workshop, Feb. 16, 2012. Collectively the concerned citizens built action steps towards finalizing the RVAGreen Sustainability Plan. The productive evening began with an empowering speech from Mayor Dwight Jones welcoming and thanking attendees for being a part of the citywide green initiatives. The City provided an overview of the sustainability planning process and the draft framework to the group.
According to attendees, the most popular and productive segment of the night was the small group discussions. Each team spent about 40 minutes in facilitated dialogue reviewing the framework initiatives and having conversations about what roles they could play in the implementation of these ideas. There was equal enthusiasm from the members when asked which of the five focus areas -- Economic Development, Energy, Environment, Open Space and Land Use, or Transportation -- they were most excited about implementing. It proved the diversity of the group and the need for Richmond to have a comprehensive sustainability plan.
More information from the workshop is available here. For more information about Richmond’s sustainability initiatives or to be a part of the process, email RVAGreen.
ULI of Richmond presented Mayor Jones’ Bicycle, Pedestrian and Trail Planning Commission with their 2011 Vision Award for sustainable development. The commission’s mission is to find creative approaches that the city administration can take to promote bicycles and walking over typical modes of transportation, reduce vehicles on the road, enhance economic development, and improve the overall health of Richmond residents. Overall, the commission is working to address a number of public policy issues including public health, land use and transportation, economic development and to support the city’s sustainability goals.
The James River Green Building Council (JRGBC) honored Alicia Zatcoff at the Seventh Annual Green Building Leadership Awards. As the city’s first sustainability manager, Zatcoff received the 2011 Individual Leadership Award for her outstanding contributions to green building and sustainability in Virginia.
Zatcoff is leading the effort to create the first sustainability plan for the Richmond community and currently oversees the implementation of Mayor Dwight Jones’ Order for Green Government. This order is a sweeping initiative to create more efficiency and less waste in city government and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from government operations.
The city is going green and saving money at the same time by adding new solar trash compactors and recycling bins around the downtown area. City crews are installing a total of 44 side-by-side solar power trash compactors and recycling units. The solar compactors can hold almost five times more than a regular trash can. This means workers won't have to empty them as often, cutting down on labor and fuel costs. Each compactor will have a recycle bin next to it for both cans and plastic. The bins offer the first public recycling in the city of Richmond.
The city has spent approximately $200,000 from a federal grant to purchase the solar kiosks to help make Richmond a greener city.
After a year of planning and with the support of Mayor Dwight C. Jones, Virginia Clean Cities and the Department of Public Utilities, the City of Richmond has adopted the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to fuel their refuse trucks.
The city’s previous fleet of 36 diesel-fueled refuse trucks is now reduced to 25 CNG-fueled vehicles, provided by McNeilus Companies, Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company headquartered in Dodge Center, MN.
The CNG fueling station located at 3502-3506 North Hopkins Road houses the entire new fleet, eliminating trips required for refueling of the previous diesel fleet.
The trucks are larger than the previous ones and were sized so that the Department Public Works could go from five-day-a-week routes to four-day-a-week routes, saving on labor costs and fuel costs.
City employees are working hard to implement Mayor Dwight C. Jones' Green Government Order calling for city agencies to create more efficiency and less waste in city government and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from government operations.
Under the Green Government Order, city government is, among other things:
Creating an Energy Management Plan to reduce electricity and fuel use
Implementing a Green Procurement Policy
Developing an anti-idling policy for city vehicles
Implementing a Telework and Alternative Work Schedule Initiative designed to achieve a goal of 20 percent of eligible workers engaged in telework or alternative work schedules
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