As you’re browsing the Internet today, you may notice a few more articles on the environment than you normally would. This is because today is “Blog Action Day“, a day for all bloggers to write articles on one topic. This year’s topic is the environment and participating blogs and websites will be posting stories targeted to their everyday audience on that subject. Continue reading below on one way the city of Orlando is working towards a better tomorrow.

Last spring, through the efforts of Mayor Buddy Dyer and staff members representing virtually every city department and function, the Green Works Orlando environmental action agenda was created to layout short- and long-term plans for keeping Orlando environmentally friendly. Within this plan, five “pillars” were identified as the foundation for the efforts - Energy Efficiencies and Green Building, Transportation, Sustainable Infrastructure and Conservation, Green Spaces, and Advocacy and Education.

One of the more notable projects that will take advantage of the Green Works Orlando plan is the new venues project, which includes a new events center, performing arts centre and updates to the Citrus Bowl. These facilities will be designed, constructed, and operated according to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System^TM. This system has become the nationally accepted benchmark and gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance.

In addtion to this major project, the city is also putting effort into some less obvious ways to save energy. For example, the City of Orlando is converting every stop light and pedestrian signal from incandescent bulbs to LED technology. Since LEDs consume 80% less energy and have a lifespan that is six times longer than the current bulbs in use, the city estimates savings of $27,000 per month.

It’s not just the efforts of the city that will make a difference in Orlando’s ability to stay “green”, however. Projects like the Florida Coastal Cleanup, which aims to clean the shorelines of five lakes within city limits, will allow everyone the opportunity to get involved. Residents are urged to volunteer their time and energy to ensure that future generations of Orlandoans are able to enjoy the city’s natural landscapes.

Locals are also encouraged to reduce their impact on the environment by following a list of ten items for cutting energy use at home. This list includes swapping out the current light bulbs in your house with the more efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), turning down the temperature of your water heater to 120 Fahrenheit or below, and planting a tree. The full list is available on the Green Works Orlando website and also identifies the significant savings in energy costs that you could expect over the course of a year.

Overall, the city has put together an excellent plan for becoming more environmentally friendly. The results of this plan may not be immediate in all cases, but long-term goals are often achieved with slow and steady work. We all have a part to play in keeping Orlando beautiful and the Green Works Orlando team should be a great role model to follow.

For more information and links to articles relating to the environment, visit the Blog Action Day website.

Popularity: 3% [?]