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Green Works Orlando Green Updates March 2010White House Environmental Advisor Visits OrlandoNancy Sutley, environmental advisory to President Barack Obama, visited Orlando on Monday to view Fire Station 1 and the sludge to power plant at Iron Bridge. The new Fire Station 1 is one of six “green” fire stations in the City. Sutley also visited the City’s Super Critical Sludge Oxidation Plant at the Iron Bridge Water Treatment Facility. The Super Critical Sludge Oxidation Plant is a pilot program that converts wastewater sludge into clean water, electricity and hot water. This “Green Power Reactor” is a one-of-a-kind facility in the United States and is weeks away from beginning live testing. As part of her Orlando agenda, Sutley also learned how federal funding is being used in Orlando to make homes more energy efficient, saving residents money on their power bills. The new “Downtown Orlando Treemissions” project was unveiled on April 1 by the Downtown Development Board (DDB) to show how even a small effort can have a big impact on the community. More than 300 small trees were planted on prime future retail space to help reduce car emissions. “We want to raise environmental awareness on this, the first day of the month that celebrates both Earth Day and Arbor Day,” said DDB Executive Director Thomas C. Chatmon Jr. “It’s no coincidence the location is at the corner of two important tree-named roads: Orange Avenue and Pine Street.” Live oaks, magnolias and hollies, 330 trees in all, have been positioned on the northwest corner of Orange and Pine. The significance: It takes about three trees to offset the carbon emissions of the average car. That means 330 trees will be equivalent to taking 100 vehicles off the streets of Downtown Orlando, Chatmon said. All of the trees were donated by the Orange County Extension Service, a partnership of Orange County and the University of Florida. Earth Hour Recap
On Saturday, April 27, the City of Orlando celebrated Earth Hour by turning off lights at City facilities and encouraging residents to do the same. Earth Hour began four years ago in Australia and has quickly spread around the globe as a symbol of energy and environmental conservation. The following sister cities and Orlando organizations participated in Saturdays event: City of Orlando Sister Cities: Curitiba, Brazil; Guilin, China and Valladolid, Spain. Other Participating Orlando Buildings/Businesses: Angelbilt Building, Bank of America, Beachcombers Bazaar, Citrus Center, CNL, College Park Yoga, Colonial Guy, Fairwinds Building, Foster Productions, Gallery At Avalon Island, Gateway Center, Highwood Properties, Mother Falcon Clothing, Nora's Lake Ivanhoe Wine and Cigars, One Orlando Center, Orlando City Hall, Orange County Courthouse, Orange County Administration Building, Orlando Utilities Commission, Saint Lawrence Title, Suntrust Building and The VUE at Lake Eola. Earth Hour was part of the City’s Orlando Green Works program, which promotes sustainability and conservation. For more information, visit cityoforlando.net/greenworks. |
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