Department of Natural Resources saves (you guessed it) natural resources, and $$, with volunteer “Green Team”
Graph indicates how well water is heated in solar thermal tanks at the DNR before lunch time on a January day. The red bars represent water temperature, the "T" represents the temp. sensor.
As if having the state appointed responsibility of protecting and preserving South Carolina’s precious sea life wasn’t enough, a group of employees at the DNR’s Marine Resources Division has volunteered to “greenify” the entire complex. The Green Team, appointed by Deputy Director Robert Boyles, consists of four men who have put in endless unpaid hours to reduce the DNR’s footprint. Why? Well if you’re going to be the entity responsible for protecting South Carolina’s marine resources, why not go all the way? The concept is simple: If one of the greatest threats to marine resources (and all SC natural resources for that matter) is the burning of fossil fuels, reduce the use of fossil fuels. And so they have. The Green Team, created in 2007, has already installed solar hot water, a rain recovery system, replaced a few older vehicles with hybrids, and has initiated creative recycling and waste reduction improvements. They are investigating more solar options, looking at biodiesel trucks, and experimenting with running the off-shore research vessels on biodiesel. The four gentlemen have completed energy and transportation audits of the entire massive complex, and are in the process of conducting waste/recycling and water usage audits as well. The immediate low-cost to no-cost changes made will save approximately $40,000 annually. According to team member Mike Arendt, some of these simple changes were “to encourage people to use artificial light when available, use desk lamps with CF bulbs in lieu of overhead lights, and to make sure to turn off lights and appliances in offices/hallways/bathrooms when not in use.” Being that 77% of all the hours in a calendar year occur when people are not at work, turning off lights and appliances when not in use is essential. Accordingly, there is a concentration on creating awareness among the more than 200 people who work at the complex. The team members adamantly state that it is truly a division-wide effort.
Being the passionate individuals that they are, these men make sustainability a way of life on and off-the-clock. To power his Mercedes, Jason Powers filters and dewaters waste oil from restaurants (which must save him several thousand dollars a year in gas.) While we conservatives pull out our credit cards at gas stations, Powers has driven the length of the country pulling over at restaurants to claim their used oil for his car’s consumption. Arendt, the team member who orchestrated the energy audit, has installed a rain-water collection system on his home, solar hot water and more. His home improvements have reduced his electrical usage by 30%. “It was seeing these incredibly favorable results in my own home that led to my involvement with the Green Committee and specifically the infrastructure energy audit.” Randy Beatty and Robbie Meyer, who have been with the DNR for more than 20 years, have been making their own upgrades to the complex since the 90’s. Their efforts prior to the advent of the Green Team make them essential advisors to the group since they bring with them imperative base knowledge.
The team’s efforts don’t stop here. Their second mission is to mentor the creation of Green Teams in all of South Carolina’s DNR complexes. The amount of money saved by taking these measures should be enough to quickly convince the other divisions to do the same. Besides, (as Arendt points out the obvious) “As our agency mission statement reflects, we are tasked with being ‘stewards of natural resources.’ Thus, leading by example on the eco-front is very important.” Once the success of the Green Team is made public, they will surely serve as inspiration to organizations and businesses throughout the Lowcountry to follow suit in creating their own, magnificent Green Teams.
If you’d like to receive an energy audit on your home or business, you can contact the following:
Thanks for spreading the word about this program, and its results. I’m glad to know the South Carolina DNR walks the walk, and the evidence of energy savings, reduced footprint, $$ savings, etc. are concrete examples for the rest of us. (I wish solar hot water was less expensive to install, but the more folks who can do it, the less expensive it will get for the rest of us.)
Thanks to the Green Team for their efforts!
Fiona
By: Fiona Dudley on January 31, 2010
at 6:15 pm