Howard County Opens Office of Environmental Sustainability

By Joseph Patrick Bulko, STAFF WRITER

On March 10, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman signed Council Bill 12-2008, officially creating the county's Office of Environmental Sustainability (OES). Set to formally launch on July 1, the new office will serve as the point of contact and resource for residents, businesses and institutions seeking information regarding eco-friendliness, while enabling stakeholders to participate in the process.
Unlike some other jurisdictions, "Howard County didn't have an environmental office," Ulman said. "We needed a coordinating body to pull everyone together to ensure that environmental values are trickling all through county government. This new Office of Environmental Sustainability makes sure we're all on the same page."
On the necessity to address environmental issues at the local as well as the national levels, he said, "It's incumbent on all levels of government. There's a tremendous absence of leadership at the federal level. It's important for states and counties to step into the void."
Ulman said the county already has a number of environmental companies, some of which are involved in solar power retrofit and others constructing green buildings.
"I do think the next wave of economic development [and associated technology] will be related to environmental solutions - alternative energy sources, for example," he prophesied. "It's an exciting area - doing the right thing and improving the budget and bottom lines."
He noted that the county receives $55 per ton for recycled material. "It's not only the right thing to do, but it also saves us money."

Issues and Recommendations
"The office was created on the recommendation of the Commission [on the Environment and Sustainability], which determined that a small coordinating office is the most effective strategy to promote the culture of environmental sustainability," said Joshua Feldmark, OES administrator.
The leading goal of the new office is "to implement the goals of the commission, to develop a model green community," he said. "The spark for the initiative came from County Executive Ulman. He's striving to make the environment a signature piece of his administration."
Feldmark was the executive director or the commission, which submitted its report last August. The document identified several issue areas: Air and water quality, health, energy, open space and land preservation, and green building. Recommendations to improve air quality include protecting and enhancing existing forests, as trees are cost-efficient suppliers of clean air, and reducing pollutants by encouraging transit use, telecommuting and carpooling to reduce vehicular traffic.
Water quality recommendations include strengthening existing protections for streams, wetlands, steep slopes and forests, and updating housing subdivision regulations to require environmental site design techniques. Creating a countywide pesticide management policy and otherwise preventing toxic substances from contaminating groundwater are some of the approaches offered to avoid degrading residents' health.
Reducing greenhouse gases, committing to renewable sources for electricity generation, and reducing the use of non-renewable transportation fuel are among the commission's energy recommendations. The commission recommends adopting the eco-friendly LEED certification standard for all public and private commercial buildings to reduce energy and resource consumption.
The land acquisition goal would require the preservation of as many lands as necessary or possible to complete the green infrastructure that provides desired ecological services and human health benefits for the county. Land planning goals include implementing regulations, procedures and incentives for the conservation of lands that cannot be acquired or protected by easement.

Taking the LEED
Regarding which level of government should be pushing environmental initiatives, Feldmark said, "I can't say that any one [level] is more important than any other. The residents of Howard County will feel major impact of our over-consumption of fossil fuels - energy bills continue to skyrocket. Storm water management and water quality are local issues" that can be handled best at the county level.
Through the OES, the county's role involves "helping and facilitating the right markets for renewable energy," he said. "We're a major purchaser. We can ease the way for small businesses and homeowners to get into the [green] market by bringing prices down."
For example, by choosing to run the county vehicles on alternative fuels, the county can help create a local market for such fuels. "We've bought hybrids for our fleet," Feldmark said.
"Last year, we passed legislation requiring all buildings with 30% or more of their funding coming from the county, and 10,000 square feet or larger, to meet the LEED Silver Standard," he said. The law also applies to private buildings large than 50,000 square feet, and there are cash incentives for meeting LEED building standards.
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a third party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

Building the Ranks
Initially, the OES staff will consist solely of Feldmark, but other personnel "will be phased-in in subsequent budget years when we have the resources," he said.
A permanent Environmental Sustainability Advisory Board will aid him by offering advice. "I meet regularly with environmental folks from other county government agencies," he said. "We review and discuss issues."
The process will include "partnerships with private sector groups, business groups, the community college, the library and [various green organizations]," Feldmark added. "The partnerships are as broad and wide as the environmental issues themselves."