Morning Sentinel
An energizing experience
Colby student spent summer looking at Waterville's energy use
By AMY CALDER
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 09/13/2007

WATERVILLE -- The city may be just a tiny speck on the globe, but it can do its part to help curb global warming.

Steve Erario is helping to make that happen. A Colby College sophomore, Erario spent the summer studying the city's energy use and is making recommendations on steps to take to reduce consumption and corresponding greenhouse gas emissions -- and ultimately save taxpayers money.

"First things first -- we want to see the government implement reduction measures," said Erario, 19, of Wilton, Conn.

Erario worked with city officials, as well as municipalities outside Waterville to see how they try to reduce energy use and decrease emissions, he said.

He studied both government and community use, but focused on Waterville government. He considered both short- and long-term solutions, such as turning off lights and establishing a recycling program, respectively.

Global warming, he said, is the result of having too high a concentration of greenhouse molecules in the atmosphere, which leads to trapping of excess heat over long periods of time. Greenhouse gases are molecules present in the earth's atmosphere that influence the earth's temperature.

Among Erario's recommendations for city government: Switch light bulbs from incandescent to fluorescent; turn lights off when not in use; switch from regular electricity, coal and natural gas to wind power.

"More lighting retrofits could happen within city government," Erario said. "A big area where we could save a lot of money is to establish building occupancy policies: Leave a room, turn off a light, put thermostats at a set temperature and make sure windows are closed when air conditioning is on. We don't have any concrete policies."

Erario said the city already is heading in the right direction by switching school bus fuel from regular diesel to a less-polluting 10 percent diesel mix, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Also, the Public Works Department switched from sodium halide lighting, which takes a while to heat up, to T-12 fluorescent tubes which are much more efficient, he said.

Erario's internship was possible with a $4,500 grant from an anonymous Winslow donor, he said. Cool Cities, an organization run by the Sierra Club, provided Erario technical support and helped him connect with other communities. International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives-Local Governments for Sustainability, Central Maine Growth Council and Kennebec Valley Council of Governments also helped him, he said.

His work, called the Waterville Sustainability Project, included Mayor Paul R. LePage's signing of the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which supports the Kyoto Protocol, an environmental treaty which has not been ratified by the U.S. government. The Kyoto Protocol requires that greenhouse gas emissions be reduced from 1990 levels by seven percent by the year 2012.

Waterville's community emissions for 2006, which included those from residential, commercial, industrial, transportation and waste management activities, totaled 283,841 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas emissions, making up 97.7 percent of the city's emissions, according to Erario. City government emissions, which included those from all operations including buildings, vehicles, employee commuting, streetlights, water, sewer and waste, was 6,948 tons, making up the remaining up 2.3 percent, he said.

Erario said he did not compare Waterville's use and emissions to those of other communities.

He spent 35 to 65 hours a week researching and used a special software program to estimate energy use and emissions. In the process, he had to learn how City Hall works and dealt with many city officials.

"Everyone was excellent -- awesome," he said. "I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to work with this summer."

Erario and City Manager Michael Roy, his direct supervisor at City Hall, met Wednesday afternoon to review the project. Roy said he plans to appoint a special panel to look at Erario's recommendations and how they can be implemented.

Erario will continue to work with the city in an advisory capacity, according to Roy. He said Erario took on a project that needed to be done but for which the city did not have the manpower.

"Steve did, I think, an excellent job in finding out what other communities in Maine are doing and trying to relate that to Waterville," he said.

City Planner Ann Beverage also worked closely with Erario. She said that since his arrival at City Hall, she found herself turning off lights all the time.

"His recommendations will be good for both the environment and the city's financial situation," she said. "We can make some improvements and help the environment at the same time."

Beyond that, she said she enjoyed working with Erario, who was very enthusiastic about the project.

"He's such a great kid; I think very highly of him," she said.

He has presented his project to city officials and plans to speak to the Waterville Rotary Club Sept. 29.

Amy Calder -- 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com

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