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Winning Counties of NACo 2008 Green County Competitions Announced
Monroe County is Listed Among Winners
Counties Promote Energy Efficiency – Pledge to change 72,000 light bulbs while 6,000 pledge to “drive smarter”
Five counties are being recognized by NACo, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR program, the Alliance to Save Energy, Office Depot, and AutoZone for their leading efforts in promoting energy and fuel efficiency among their county employees and residents.
Sixty-five counties from 26 states participated in one or both of NACo’s 2008 green county competitions - the Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR Campaign and the Drive $marter Challenge – that ran from July 1 to November 30.
Winning counties were determined by the percentage of the county population taking the pledge and were categorized in small (population less than 50,000), medium (population 50,000 to 250,000) and large (population more than 250,000) categories.
The winning counties for the Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR Campaign are: Durham County, NC (large county category); Riley County, KS (medium county); and Fluvanna County, VA (small county). These counties will each receive 1,000 free compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) to distribute throughout their respective communities next year, courtesy of Office Depot.
The winning counties for the Drive $marter Challenge are: Greenville County, SC (large county); Monroe County, FL (medium county); and Fluvanna County, VA (small county). These counties will receive 1,000 free bottles of fuel additive to distribute next year, courtesy of AutoZone.
Through the Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR Campaign (www.energystar.gov/changetheworld), 7,135 county employees and residents throughout the country pledged to replace 72,199 incandescent bulbs or fixtures in their homes with a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) that has earned the government’s ENERGY STAR label. This will help prevent more than 2.5 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, save more than 21 million kilowatts in energy, and save over $2 million in life time energy costs. ENERGY STAR estimates that these NACo pledges join nearly 2 million others in preventing over 3 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. Employees and residents also pledged to participate in other energy efficient
activities such as ensuring their home is sealed and insulated, and choosing to purchase ENERGY STAR appliances and products.
In the first year of the Drive $marter Challenge, 5,964 county employees and residents took the challenge to improve gas mileage and reduce the emission of harmful pollutants. NACo counties’ efforts contribute to over $23 million saved, including over $7 million dollars of gasoline saved, and prevent nearly 81,000 metric tons of CO2 from being released into the air. The Drive $marter Challenge, sponsored by the Alliance to Save Energy, features an interactive Web site (www.drivesmarterchallenge.org) where users enter the make, model, year, and number of cylinders for their vehicle and receive individualized tips to reduce their gasoline consumption and cost.
The competitions will begin again in the summer of 2009 – stay tuned!
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