Interim Report
City of Salem Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory May 2004

History

On September 12, 2002, at the request of Mayor Stanley Usovicz, the Salem City Council unanimously passed a resolution to make Salem a City for Climate Protection (CCP). Sponsored by the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), this program has brought together over 550 cities and counties worldwide (140 in the United States) in a global effort to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and promote energy efficiency, while also reducing municipal expenses. Other local cities and towns involved in this initiative include Somerville, Medford, Brookline, Cambridge, Newton, Arlington, and Gloucester. To read reports of other cities go to www.massclimateaction.org. Local action is making global change.

The Overview of Our Campaign

The CCP Campaign consists of five milestones, which each City commits to completing. The five milestones are:

• Milestone One: Conduct a Baseline Emissions Inventory for all municipal operations and the entire community

• Milestone Two: Set an Emissions Reduction Target

• Milestone Three: Develop an Action Plan that describes initiatives the City intends to take in order to reach its emissions reductions target

• Milestone Four: Implement the initiatives in the Action Plan

• Milestone Five: Monitor Emissions Reductions

Salem Alliance for the Environment (SAFE), which initially brought the Cities for Climate Protection campaign to the Mayor's attention, is working closely with the city to support its efforts to achieve these goals.

Milestone One

Under the direction of Dr. John Hayes of the Geography Department of Salem State College and SAFE, two SSC interns, Ben Walsh and Darryl Stafford, completed a GHG emissions inventory for our municipal operations in February 2004. The inventory collected energy use data for calendar year 2002, which will provide Salem's baseline for future reductions in energy use, GHG emissions, and costs.

Walsh and Stafford compiled data on all energy resources used by the city, including gasoline and diesel fuel, electricity, natural gas, oil, and propane. The data show how much the city spent on these energy sources as well as how many BTUs (British Thermal Units) were used, and how many tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) were emitted into the atmosphere contributing to global climate change.

Walsh and Stafford studied three major sectors of city operations: building operations, vehicle fleet, and streetlights. Specifically, data was collected for the following areas:

Buildings

• Fire Department

• Library

• Park Department

• Parking Department (municipal parking garages)

• Police Department

• Public Property (public housing)

• Public Services Department

• School Department

Vehicles

• Cemetery Department

• Council of Aging

• Department of Public Works

• Electrical Department

• Fire Department

• Health Department

• Park and Recreation Department

• Public Property Department

• School Department

Streetlights

• All city lighting

• Mall/other lights

• Streetlights

• Traffic Signals

Energy Use Analysis

Overall, the data indicates that the city spent over $1.5 million on energy resources in 2002. The great majority of this money was spent on lighting and heating of municipal buildings ($1.2 million). By far, the greatest resources go to our school buildings, which consumed almost 1 million kilowatts of energy, spending over $1,000,000 on electricity alone. Other large energy consumers included the municipal parking lots, public services department, police, and library. Overall, city operations emitted over 13,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, thereby contributing to global warming.

Having completed the first half of Milestone One, SAFE is now geared up to undertake a community level (residential, commercial, transportation, and industrial) inventory. Data for this effort is available through Mass Electric, Keyspan, and other energy providers. SAFE will also need to determine the amounts of solid waste and recyclables that both the municipal operations and the rest of the community generate to determine GHG emissions associated with their disposal.

Greening Salem

While in the midst of its energy audit, Salem began its efforts to reduce GHG emissions.

In November 2003 the City, SAFE, and Mass Electric, a National Grid Company, unveiled their collaboration to bring the most energy efficient, cost-saving, and environmentally friendly lighting to the City of Salem Municipal Parking Garage at 1 Liberty Street.

The total cost for replacing or upgrading the garage's 391 fixtures was $96,438. National Grid provided $57,863 in rebates towards that total cost and the city's costs became $38,575. At current electricity costs, annual savings to the city were calculated at $21,887.04, representing a 56% reduction in electricity usage. The city's share of the cost of the project is being paid through on-bill financing and the payoff will be completed in 1.76 years, with the annual savings of $21,887.04 then going back into the city's general fund. Currently, the municipal garage at Congress and Derby Streets is undergoing a similar retrofit.

City Electrician John Giardi also initiated the process of changing all of the city's traffic lights from incandescent bulbs to light emitting diodes (LED), which will translate into significant savings to the city. In 2002, the city spent $38, 676 on traffic signals. Giardi continues to explore other cost-saving strategies.

Mayor Usovicz's insistence that the high school switch from electric to natural gas heat will result in significant reductions in GHG emissions and annual costs. Additionally, the city along with SAFE is assessing sources of funding and new strategies for further improving energy efficiency of our municipal operations. Participating Cities for Climate Protection share strategies through local, statewide, national, and international networks. Mass Climate Action Network continues to provide resources to SAFE.

The vast majority of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from the city of Salem are produced by residents and commercial enterprises. Thus, while completing the community level inventory, SAFE is kicking off a campaign called 1-2-3 and More. Residents are asked to make a pledge to sign on to the campaign.

• Step 1: Residents are asked to reduce their thermostats by 1 degree in the winter (a reduction of 3% fuel or electricity use) and raise their thermostats by 1 degree in the summer (reduction of 5% electricity).

• Step 2: Residents are asked to reduce their driving speed by 2 miles per hour when over 60 mph (reduction of fuel consumption 1.5-2% for every MPH slower driving).

• Step 3: Residents are asked to replace 3 light bulbs with compact florescent (CFL) bulbs (reduction of electric use by 25% over normal incandescent bulb for same light output; CFLs last 10 years).

• More represents a further commitment of residents to purchase energy from renewable sources such as wind, hydropower, biomass, and solar through Mass Electric's Green Up campaign. By purchasing the green energy option, residents provide more green power for the grid (the green energy does not go directly to their homes). SAFE is partnering with the non-profit Mass Energy Consumer Alliance to promote their green option New England GreenStart to Mass Electric customers.

Finally, for the past five months Linda Haley has been the SSC and SAFE intern working in City Hall. Haley is working with Mayor Usovicz to set up a Energy Task Force that will set targets for reducing the Salem's GHG emissions and reducing costs.