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- 2008 Summit Participant

 

Host City of Albuquerque City of Albuquerque
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Climate Innovation Invitational

Congratulations to Santa Rosa, California, winner of the 2008 Climate Innovation Invitational! The city was honored for their cutting-edge Aquatic Biomass to Fuel project, one of 29 entries. The award was presented Thursday night, May 15 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the ICLEI Local Action Summit.

Winner:

2nd Place:

3rd Place (Tie):

 

Winner:

Santa Rosa, CA – Aquatic Biomass to Fuel
The City of Santa Rosa’s Aquatic Biomass to Fuel project (ABF) is designed to demonstrate a way for municipalities and agriculturalists to meet impending regulations while treating wastewater in an environmentally sound and economically sensible manner.

The primary innovation of ABF is the combination of a variety of inexpensive technologies to create cycles within cycles of pollution reduction and energy production. ABF’s unique design of channelized wetlands breaks new ground, as does the harvesting of aquatic vegetation grown in wastewater for methane production. Our aquatic vegetation is selected for a combination of ease of harvesting and nutrient removal, and our use of algal mats for these reasons is an important innovation. Much research has focused on the use of planktonic algae for nutrient removal, but the harvesting step is extremely energy intensive, involving centrifugation, and this adversely changes the energy balance of the whole procedure. Additionally, the method of non-food crop biodiesel production we are investigating, in situ transesterification, is a novel technique under investigation by the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. It has not been previously applied to aquatic vegetation, and holds much promise.

Due to the simplicity of the technology involved, it will be easy for other communities to adopt this program. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) has recently awarded the City a grant to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach. Upon completion, we intend to facilitate the transfer of this technology to both wastewater treatment facilities and agriculturists, thus magnifying the greenhouse gas reductions achieved by this technology. If implemented throughout California, we estimate that this technology could reduce GHG emissions by 80,000 tons each year.

Second Place:

Austin, TX – Zero Energy Capable Homes Initiative (ZECH)
The “Zero Energy Capable Homes” program requiring new single-family homes to be zero net-energy capable by 2015. These homes will be 65% more efficient than homes built to the Austin Energy Code in effect in 2006, and it will be cost effective to install renewable on-site generation and become zero energy homes.

Third Place (Tie):

Chicago, IL - Waste-to-Profit Network
Under the leadership of Mayor Richard M. Daley, the Chicago Waste to Profit Network was launched in late 2006 to benefit Chicago-area businesses through a multi-industry collaborative approach to identify and realize opportunities for cost savings and innovation. The goal of the Chicago Waste to Profit Network is to promote business collaboration to find new ways of transforming business waste into more profitable and innovative uses.

Ashland, OR – Solar Pioneer II
The City of Ashland, which operates a Municipal Electric Utility, is offering our customers the opportunity to invest in a 63.5 kW solar electric system to be installed on a City building. Ashland was authorized to issue Clean Renewable Energy Bonds to finance the community solar system. CREB bond holders receive federal tax credits in lieu of interest, enabling Ashland to borrow at a very low interest rate. Ashland will also pass through the State of Oregon’s 50% solar income tax credit to the Bank of the Cascades who will pay the City 33.5% of the system’s installation cost for those credits.

About the 2nd Annual Climate Innovation Invitational
Has your community identified a cutting-edge approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions? Have you successfully designed a program that has slashed emissions or saved significant money? Is it something that few other communities have attempted but that could easily be adapted elsewhere?

Any local governments that have implemented innovative climate action programs in their communities are encouraged to enter the 2nd Annual Climate Innovation Invitational.

By sharing programs, plans, policies, and best practices, we hope to facilitate dialogue and make it easier for others to implement green practices. The Climate Innovation Invitational, brought to you by ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability, U.S.A, is a contest designed to bring innovative climate protection ideas to others. By working together, we can solve global warming. If everyone comes to Albuquerque ready and willing to share best practices, success stories, and innovative ideas, we’ll all go home informed and inspired to enhance our commitments and advance our climate protection goals.

History
The 2007 winner of the inaugural Climate Innovation Invitational was the City of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ann Arbor took home top honors for their exceptional design and implementation of energy-efficient white LED street lighting. Ann Arbor received $1,000 and the opportunity to present at the Sundance Summit: A Mayor’s Gathering on Climate Change in September. More information: https://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=6843

The city was honored for its plans to switch the downtown street lights to LED lights, which use just a fraction of the electricity, in the next few years and is considering expanding the program across the city. The cost of the change will be paid back in energy cost savings within less than 5 years. A recent study by city officials in Ann Arbor found that about 25 percent of its energy budget was spent on traffic signals and streets lights, and of that almost all of it was due to street lighting.

Ann Arbor had tough competition from other entries, including: Chapel Hill, NC (Fare-Free Bus Transit), Chattanooga, TN (Green Asphalt), and the Florida Keys (Regional Network).

Judging

  • All qualified entries will be a judge by a panel to be named in April that will include several ICLEI members and ICLEI staff.
  • Entries will be judged based on the following criteria: innovation; ability for other communities to adopt the measure, policy or program; emissions reductions, cost savings and other benefits achieved.

Award

  • The winner of the 2nd Annual Climate Innovation Invitational will be announced at the Climate Oscars at the ICLEI Local Action Summit.
  • The winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize and promotion on the ICLEI website, e-newsletter and to press.

Entry Guidelines

  • Applicants can fill out the entry form here, including a 250-500 word description of the projects and photos if applicable.
  • Entries are due May 2, 2008.   
  • A representative of your jurisdiction must be registered as a participant at the ICLEI Local Action Summit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, by May 2, 2008, and be present to be eligible to receive the award.
  • All entrants will be invited to present their projects at a shared booth in the Green Market Place at the ICLEI Local Action Summit.
  • Entries will be judged based on the following criteria: innovation; ability for other communities to adopt the measure, policy or program; emissions reductions, cost savings and other benefits achieved.