https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE Expo
    • Calendar of Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Co-op Solutions


Luis Moreira/Alamy Stock Photo

Article

Multiple benefits accrue to cities that embrace sustainability

Multiple benefits accrue to cities that embrace sustainability

  • Written by Michael Keating
  • 7th October 2022

You can count the ways that adopting green policies aid cities and counties, says Lisa Brown, senior director, Local Government, Sustainable Infrastructure for Johnson Controls. The firm produces fire, HVAC and security equipment for buildings. The company focuses on efficiency, controls and automation to help make the globe more sustainable.

“Investing in sustainability offers local governments the opportunity to not only create healthier and safer spaces, but also drive critical business outcomes while being fiscally responsible to taxpayers,” Brown tells Co-op Solutions. She urges public sector administrators to collaborate with capable and competent organizations as they opt in to green programs.

“One of the most beneficial strategies for local government leaders who are looking to invest in sustainable infrastructure is to leverage an experienced third-party partner through a procurement method such as a private-public partnerships (P3).” She explains that a P3 setup features an agreement that allows publicly funded organizations to collaborate with a partner and maintain a fixed cost.

Another potential method to get the sustainability ball rolling is to rely on performance contracting. Brown says that this method uses guaranteed energy savings to fund infrastructure improvement projects over a set period.

Both mechanisms, Brown explains, can help deliver good results. “Through these strategies, municipalities can retain much-needed capital and resources to make resiliency, sustainability and social equity improvements while making critical infrastructure updates.”

She lists some of the positive outcomes that are a result of these methods of partnering with experienced organizations. They include reduced costs, better performance, community alignment and more. In addition, these capital projects can be completed while simultaneously reducing carbon footprints through energy-efficient infrastructure.

Brown cites her firm’s work in southern Colorado as an example of how a local government can achieve sustainability targets. The Pueblo Housing Authority leveraged a performance contract with Johnson Controls to finance, operate and maintain a two-megawatt community solar garden that generates enough energy to power 200 households annually, as well as five additional public housing sites with onsite solar photovoltaic (PV) systems.

“By working with a third-party partner, the city of Pueblo was able to improve sustainability while also reducing costs for residents,” Brown explains. She notes that Pueblo benefitted from Johnson Control’s expertise at the local level and was able to transfer the risk and responsibility so that they could continue to focus on other pressing projects on hand for their constituents.

Brown’s conclusion: “By collaborating with a third party, local leaders can gain access to world-class technology and expertise, allowing them to reach their sustainability goals without impacting budgets.”

A Johnson Controls case study outlines how the company is helping to transform the Pueblo community. The firm has assisted the county, city and its housing authority improve the comfort and livability of their buildings while reducing the expenses of operating them. The collaboration has enabled each public entity to deliver their important services more economically.

According to the case study, all three entities independently selected Johnson Controls after issuing requests for proposals for a range of facility improvements geared to lower utility bills for each government. “For the county, city and housing authority, Johnson Controls is guaranteeing energy and operational savings generated by the new technology improvements that have been installed,” reports the case study summary.

Brown suggests there’s a procurement tool that can aid communities on their green and infrastructure initiatives. “Cooperative purchasing agreements play a crucial role in achieving sustainability goals in two ways. The first is that these types of agreements give local leaders access to world-class technology and expertise that can help them reach their sustainability goals. By working with a third-party partner, local government leaders can transfer risk to the partner, and lean on the partner to help them identify the most pressing issues and improvements that can be made to tackle both sustainability and infrastructure goals head-on.”

She adds that administrators can benefit in one more way by transferring a project to a partner: “Government leaders also have the opportunity to take a hands-off approach that allows them to continue to focus on other priorities like resiliency and social equity improvements.”

Cooperative deals, adds Brown, help local governments identify the most cost-effective methods to make their sustainability goals a reality. “The partner they have an agreement with can ensure that they are using their funds in the most strategic way possible so that they get the most out of them. When it comes to sustainability, these agreements can also pay for themselves through energy- and cost-savings as well as the retained capital.”

A search of the OMNIA Partners Public Sector cooperative contracts site shows almost 20 vendors offer contracts in the sustainability category. Grainger, HON, Toter and Schneider Electric are a few of the suppliers in the category.

Michael Keating is senior editor for American City & County. Contact him at [email protected].

Tags: homepage-featured-1 homepage-featured-2 homepage-featured-3 homepage-featured-4 Cooperative Purchasing Administration Procurement Co-op Solutions Co-op Solutions Procurement Article

Most Recent


  • sustainability
    Cities can achieve sustainability wins with micro transportation, green infrastructure and climate resilience planning
    In 2024, local governments will continue working on several sustainability targets, says Stephen McCauley, associate professor of teaching at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Mass. He says those targets and areas of interest include micro transportation, expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure and reducing battery fire risk in electric vehicles. He predicts municipal governments will […]
  • disaster
    Fast disaster recovery construction projects
    There is profound wisdom embedded in the age-old saying attributed to Benjamin Franklin, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” In today’s rapidly changing landscape, these words resonate with a heightened sense of urgency. The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) paints a stark picture in the United States: 2022 alone witnessed […]
  • technology
    The correlation between trust, transparency and technology with residents and their local governments
    Today, residents benchmark interactions with their local government against the experiences they have with consumer-facing brands. Digital self-service, immersive engagement experiences and streamlined communication are all on the table as municipalities seek to enhance civic engagement and foster trust with residents. Due to these evolving preferences and growing demands, local governments must look for ways […]
  • technology
    As they plan to buy new IT systems, agencies need to listen to their technology users
    When they acquire new technology, cities and counties need to consider how their workers will be affected, says Ed Bouryng, president of Reston, Va.-based Meta, a business transformation and cloud delivery technology organization that serves the public sector, education and other parts of the economy. Bouryng has worked in the technology and software solutions space […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • buying technology
    Cities need to look at total picture when buying technology
  • sustainability
    Procurement plays a vital role as communities work to achieve their sustainability goals
  • sustainability
    Sustainability initiatives take center stage in Florida county
  • purchase
    Buying smart solutions: Technology is now part of (almost) every government purchase

WHITE PAPERS


The Four Key Components of Successful Digital Transformation

22nd November 2023

Navigating Today’s Greatest Workplace Challenges

3rd October 2023

7 Resources to Level-up Your Federal Grants Administration and Compliance

5th September 2023
view all

Webinars


Grant Preparedness: Unlocking Funding Opportunities for Your Success

10th August 2023

2023 State of Public Sourcing: Taking Local Governments into a Bright Future

1st August 2023

Stop Playing with Fire: How to Manage Infrastructure Asset Risk So You Know You’re Covered

20th June 2023
view all

Podcast


Podcast: Disaster Management Symposium preview

13th October 2023

Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


Gallery: Top 10 domestic city travel destinations this Thanksgiving season

22nd November 2023

Gallery: 10 American cities that have seen substantial population growth in the last five years

6th November 2023

Gallery: 10 of America’s greenest large cities

24th October 2023
view all

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.