Did you know?

Fact: Idling for just 30 seconds burns more fuel than turning off the car and restarting it.
Tip: Turn the ignition off at long stoplights and other lengthy hold-ups. And rather than using the drive-through, just park and go in.
Fact: Even high efficiency vehicles can release nearly a pound of CO2 for every mile driven.
Tip: Pick up weekend groceries after work and pick a day off to leave the car in the garage all day.
Fact: In North America, fruits and vegetables travel an average of 1,500 miles before reaching your dinner table.
Tip: Choose local produce, which cuts back on energy used in transportation and usually guarantees a fresher product.
Fact: If all computers sold in the United States meet the Energy Star requirements, the energy savings would be about $2 billion each year, the equivalent of taking 3 million vehicles off the road.
Tip: Make your next computer Energy Star.
Fact: Up to 50 percent of the average household's energy consumption goes to heating and cooling the home.
Tip: Lower the thermostat by 10 degrees when no one is home and save 326 pounds of CO2 over the course of the year.
Fact: In the summer, half of the energy consumed in the U.S. goes to powering our air conditioners.
Tip: Turn up the thermostat as the weather warms up. You'll save 3 percent on energy costs for every degree raised over 72 degrees.
Fact: Clothes dryers typically use almost 1000 kilowatt hours of energy each year.
Tip: When shopping for a new dryer, choose one that has a moisture-sensing feature and shuts off automatically when clothes are dry.
Fact: Hot water can consume over 20 of the typical home's energy budget.
Tip: Replace your electric hot-water heater with a tankless model, which consumes a third of the electricity.
Fact: Heating cooking oils to their smoke point can cause unwanted air contaminants in your kitchen.
Tip: Cook with oils that can handle high (445 to 510F) heat without smoking, including sunflower, sesame, canola and almond.
Fact: Indoor chemicals contribute to allergies, asthma, birth defects, and learning disabilities in children.
Tip: As few as 15 houseplants in an average-size home can offer a significant reduction in the number of indoor contaminants.
Fact: Every year, the U.S. uses 100 billion plastic bags consuming about 12 million barrels of oil.
Tip: When shopping at the grocery store, or even at the mall, bring a reusable bag.
Fact: Packaging makes up a third of all garbage tossed in the U.S.
Tip: Whenever possible, look for packaging made from recycled materials, and always check the plastic code to make sure the package is recyclable.
Fact: The U.S. is the #1 trash-producing country in the world at 1,609 pounds per person per year, 3/4 of which is organic garbage that can be composted.
Tip: Compost.
Fact: Global wine production and distribution emits roughly the same amount of greenhouse gasses each year as one million passenger vehicles.
Tip: The bigger the bottle, the smaller the carbon impact per ounce. Look for 1.5 liter (L) magnums, which hold eight glasses
Fact: A typical office generates about 1.5 pounds of waste paper per employee, per day.
Tip: Think before you print. Send documents electronically.
Fact: During dry months, 40 percent of the average household's water consumption goes to outdoor watering.
Tip: Gather rainfall in a rain barrel connected to the gutter system-and use it to keep the lawn and garden green.
Fact: Americans spend up to 10,000 times more per gallon for bottled water than they do for tap.
Tip: Save money by investing in a reusable water bottle, such as a BPA-free stainless steel bottle.
Fact: Every second, the US consumes 1,500 plastic water bottles. An estimated 38 billion of these end up in landfills each year - enough to circle the globe 150 times. Just as disturbing: a single 1-liter bottle of water requires 3 to 5 liters of water and 1/4 liter of oil to manufacture and takes 700 years to decompose.
Tip: Tote your own water in a stainless steel, BPA-free bottle.

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The Office of Sustainability works with all City departments and the community to optimize resource use efficiency and improve economic, environmental, and social well-being.

The Office of Sustainability (OS) was implemented in FY 2010 to further implement Resolution 160-06 A opens in a new window endorsing the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

What is “Sustainability”?

A community is sustainable when it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Areas of Focus

Click on the below links to find out more information on the Office of Sustainability’s areas of focus. In addition to the topics below, the City of Columbia Strategic Plan provides guidance on important objectives of Columbia City Council. More information on the City of Columbia Strategic Plan

Climate Action

On June 17, 2017, Columbia City council passed resolution R-83-17A opens in a new window, reaffirming the commitment of the City of Columbia to take action to reduce climate pollution; authorizing participation in the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy and taking steps to create a Climate Action Plan. View Greenhouse gas emission inventories, climate impact research and current efforts for reducing climate pollution in Columbia.

Energy

The city of Columbia is fortunate to have a municipal-owned electric and water utility that is at the forefront of energy conservation programs and renewable energy procurement and production. Successful programs for demand-side management, renewable energy, and data disclosure help Columbia achieve our goals of reducing carbon emissions.

Internal sustainability

The city of Columbia is committed to “walking the talk”. If we are to encourage our customers to be good stewards of our resources we must also be good stewards of our resources. We do this through evaluating our own energy usage and making improvements, building our facilities to LEED standards, and making sure our employees work in a healthy indoor environment.

Materials and Resources

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! The City of Columbia operates a solid waste utility that is responsible for trash and recycling collection. We offer curbside recycling to make it easier to divert your waste from the landfill. You can also sign up for composting workshops and volunteer with our Recycling Ambassadors program.

Sustainable Economy

The third E in the triple-bottom line of Environment, Equity, and Economy; a sustainable economy is one that flourishes without negatively effecting the quality of life of its citizens. To help promote sustainability in our businesses, the City of Columbia established the Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement awards. Given every year on Earth Day, the awards recognize businesses and organizations that walk the talk for Sustainability.

Sustainable Land Management

The city of Columbia Stormwater Program helps educate local residents about what stormwater is, how it becomes polluted, and how individuals can help protect our local streams, creeks and recreational waterways. The City’s Community Conservation program works to protect and restore Columbia’s native habitats through public education, conservation assistance programs, and by implementing best management practices on our public lands.

Transportation

How we get from location to location in our community has an effect on the environment. Non-motorized transportation and mass transit help keep traffic to a minimum and give us all cleaner air to breathe.

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