GETTING GREENER: A new report from the Homewood-based Green Resource Center of Alabama suggests that our state made significant improvements in its environmental friendliness in 2009. The GRCA Green Report 2009 (PDF) highlights weatherization efforts, a project to build a mile of new oyster beds in the Gulf of Mexico, energy efficiency improvements at state prisons and a new green building at Auburn University that will save 40 percent on energy costs compared to other buildings, among other developments.
The new LEED Gold-Certified Gorrie Center at Auburn will save the school $400,000 in energy costs annually, the report states. A $2.5 million upgrade of heating systems in eight Birmingham recreation centers is expected to save the city $250,000 annually in energy costs. Other highlights in the extensive report include the Vance-based Mercedes-Benz plant, which is building Mercedes first hybrid (an M-Class), an Alabama Coastal Cleanup which saw participation from 4,400 volunteers, and a $12 million grant to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management from President Obama’s stimulus package to upgrade drinking water protections around the state.
The expanded home weatherization effort is also a result of federal funds. According to the report, 800 homes were weatherized in 2009 and 6,500 homes are expected to undergo the same energy-saving upgrade through 2012.
To be sure, Alabama has a long ways to go in terms of caring for its environment, but it’s always nice to know that real, significant efforts are being made. If you’d like to read the report (and there’s a ton more items in the actual report), you can do so here (PDF).
The new LEED Gold-Certified Gorrie Center at Auburn will save the school $400,000 in energy costs annually, the report states. A $2.5 million upgrade of heating systems in eight Birmingham recreation centers is expected to save the city $250,000 annually in energy costs. Other highlights in the extensive report include the Vance-based Mercedes-Benz plant, which is building Mercedes first hybrid (an M-Class), an Alabama Coastal Cleanup which saw participation from 4,400 volunteers, and a $12 million grant to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management from President Obama’s stimulus package to upgrade drinking water protections around the state.
The expanded home weatherization effort is also a result of federal funds. According to the report, 800 homes were weatherized in 2009 and 6,500 homes are expected to undergo the same energy-saving upgrade through 2012.
To be sure, Alabama has a long ways to go in terms of caring for its environment, but it’s always nice to know that real, significant efforts are being made. If you’d like to read the report (and there’s a ton more items in the actual report), you can do so here (PDF).
sunny2011
