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High Performance Cities
High Performance Cities

A Guide to Energy-Saving Policies for Urban Areas
The Apollo Alliance
Kate Gordon
Director, Apollo Resource Center
gordon@apolloalliance.org
(608) 265.5899
ICLEI Local Governments for
Sustainability
Susan Ode
Outreach Director.
sode@iclei.org
(510) 540.8843 Introduction
A
s energy and fuel costs rise, state and local governments lead
the way towards energy independence in America by employing
strategies ranging from using biofuels in fleet vehicles to retrofitting
public buildings to meet minimum energy efficiency standards. In
doing so, state and local governments not only help the environment,
they also help themselves by cutting energy costs, relieving pressure
on tight budgets, and demonstrating the essential value of public
investment in new energy technologies.

Local governments control a remarkable amount of resources
millions of buildings, cars, buses, and dollars of tax revenue and
influence even more through building codes, zoning restrictions,
and transportation/parking policies. City officials, by virtue of their
leadership positions, can also exert influence on the private sector
and can bring together diverse interest groups to achieve common
goals. Because of their control and influence over such a wide array of
resources, convincing local governments to invest in high-performance
infrastructure can drastically reduce energy use in communities across
America.

There is no one model for building a high-performance city. In this
document, we bring together a number of different strategies that can
be used individually or in concert to reduce energy use and achieve real
energy savings savings that can be reinvested to fund even more
significant clean energy programs in the future. Included in this Document
Buildings, Operations and Purchasing
1.
Purchasing
2.
Operations
3.
Energy Audits
4.
Green Building Standards
5.
Green Building Incentives for the Private Sector
6.
Updating Building Codes
Renewable Energy Development
1.
Solar Troughs/Small PV
2.
Geothermal Heat Pumps
3.
Landfill Gas
Transportation
1.
Resizing and Greening City Fleets
2.
Incentives for Efficient Car-Use
3.
Smart Growth Policy
4.
Improving Mass Transit
5.
Upgrading Traffic Signals and Street Lights
Financing Strategies
1.
Bonding Initiatives
2.
Revolving Funds
3.
Pension Fund Investments
4.
Energy Savings Performance Contracts
5.
Point-of-Sale Energy-Efficiency Upgrades
About the Authors (see back page)
For more information on all of these suggested policies and financing options, please visit the Apollo Resource Center at
www.apolloalliance.org/strategy_center. d, High Performance Cities High Performance Cities, 1
Buildings & Operations
1
Purchasing
What Cities Are Doing Now
In 1993 Santa Monica, California implemented a Toxics Use Reduction Program,
which included the trial of less-toxic or non-toxic alternative custodial products. The
results of the pilot led the city to develop bid specifications for low- and non-toxic
products from custodial product vendors. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
wrote a case study detailing the citys program, which is available at www.epa.gov/
opptintr/epp/pubs/santa.pdf.
For more information Contact:
Dean Kubani, City of Santa Monica (310) 458.2227 dean.kubani@smgov.net
In June 2001, the City of Chicago, Illinois partnered with Chicago Transit Authority,
Park District, and 48 surrounding municipalities to purchase green power, beginning
with 3% in the first year and climbing to 20% over the next five years. The awarded
bidder was Commonwealth Edison with the Environmental Resource Trust (ERT); the
utility will sell green tickets that are certified by ERT. Profits from the initial sale will
be used to form a trust fund that will finance the development of more renewables
capacity. Phase 1 of the project cut greenhouse gas emissions by 45,530 tons and
saved 116,644,000 kWh.
For more information Contact:
Steven Walter, City of Chicago (312) 744.4106 swalter@cityofchicago.org
I
n addition to owning and regulating large amounts
of real estate, buildings, and transportation
infrastructure, city governments also purchase an
immense number of products everything from
paper to paint, motor oil to heating, ventilating, and
air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. Through their daily
purchases, governments exert substantial power over
the market. Therefore, by instituting green purchasing
requirements, cities can instantly create a stable market
for high-performance products.
2
Operations
What Counties Are Doing Now
In 2001, King County, Washington formed a Green Building Initiative to encourage
and promote the use of green building practices in all buildings that the county
constructs, remodels and renovates. King County recently partnered with the
National Development Council and the U.S. Green Building Council to renovate the
King Street Center, which houses 1,450 King County employees. The building is
now gold certified under LEED-EB standards and energy savings are expected to be
$100,000 during the first two years of operation.
For more information Contact:
Katie Spataro (206) 263.6037 katie.spataro@metrokc.gov www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/greenbuilding/builtgreen
C
onstructing buildings in a sustainable manner is just
one component to building a high-performance city.
Building operations how a building is run day-to-day
often have an even greater impact on energy use
and the environment. The U.S. Green Building Council
is in the process of developing sustainable building-
operations guidelines that capture both a buildings
physical systems (equipment, design, land use, etc.) and
also the way the building is occupied and operated by its
managers (waste management, temperature monitoring,
commuting programs, etc.). For more information, visit:
www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=141. 2, High Performance Cities
Buildings & Operations
W
hile energy audits can help existing buildings
become more efficient, implementing green
building standards for city-funded projects ensures that
future buildings will be efficient and environmentally
friendly. Green buildings are certified using the LEED
rating system (www.usgbc.org/LEED) or a comparable
certification system that measures the full environmental
impact of a building.
4
Green Building Standards
5
Green Building Incentives for the Private Sector
3
Energy Audits
C
ities control a large number of buildings and must pay
for energy use in all of them. As energy prices rise
and become less stable, a citys energy costs represent
a great opportunity for local governments to save money
and help the environment. Conducting an energy audit on
city-controlled buildings allows cities to inventory current
energy use and identify the most cost-saving and efficient
retrofits available for these buildings.
What Cities Are Doing Now
The City of Flagstaff, Arizona recently contracted with a company called APS Energy
Services to conduct an audit of city-facility energy use.
For more information Contact:
Rebecca Sayers, City of Flagstaff Environmental Services Supervisor


(928) 779.7678

www.flagstaff.az.gov
G
reen building makes sense for both public and
private buildings. Employees in green buildings are
more productive and the environmental benefits of
green building are shared throughout the community.
For that reason, it is wise for cities to encourage
private developers to adopt these principles. This can
be accomplished through property tax incentives, city
grants, or modifications to the citys zoning regulations.
What Cities Are Doing Now
The City of Seattle, Washington requires all city-funded projects over a certain size
to meet LEED Silver standards. To do so, the city operates an interdepartmental
group of City employees, called the Green Building Team, which acts as resident
experts on elements of green building.
For more information Contact:
Richard Gelb richard.gelb@seattle.gov
What Counties Are Doing Now
Arlington County, Virginia established a green building incentive program in 1999
to encourage the construction of more environmentally friendly office buildings. The
program rewards developers and companies that construct LEED certified buildings
with permission to add extra density or height beyond what is typically allowed
under the countys zoning standards to their structures.
For more information Contact:
Randy Bartlett (703) 228.3711 rbartlett@arlingtonva.us www.co.arlington.va.us High Performance Cities, 3
Buildings & Ope