Scranton, PA – From expanding COLTS programs to offering an e-cycling day, Lackawanna County Commissioners Michael J. Washo, Corey D. O’Brien and A.J. Munchak are taking significant measures to conserve energy and encourage recycling in county operations and in the community at large.

“Conservation doesn’t start in Washington, D.C. or Harrisburg, it starts in communities like ours,” Commissioner O’Brien said. “Changes, like switching to energy efficient vehicles and lower wattage light bulbs, can add up to a significant energy savings when everyone works together.”

“We’re trying to do our part to conserve energy, which will help overall efforts to lower our country’s dependence on foreign oil,” Commissioner Washo said. “We hope that the residents of Lackawanna County will follow our example and look for ways in their own lives to reduce energy usage.”

“We teach our children to conserve. What better way can we show our children’s children the path to conservation?” Commissioner Munchak said.

Transportation

• Replace Gas-Guzzling Cars. The county is preparing to sell several county vehicles. The proceeds will be used to buy energy efficient vehicles to replace the aging fleet.
• Purchase Energy Efficient Vehicles. The Commissioners will adopt a resolution to purchase energy efficient vehicles whenever possible to reduce energy consumption.
• Institute New Vehicle Policy. The new policy will require that employees who are assigned county vehicles follow all maintenance requirements to ensure that vehicles perform at the highest energy efficient levels.
• Join Fuel Cooperative. COLTS has recently partnered with Luzerne County to form a fuel cooperative that will result in lower gas prices. The Commissioners are exploring other possibilities for cooperative purchasing.
• Expand the COLTS Ride-To-Work Program. The program provides evening transportation to job sites and is geared toward low to moderate income individuals, although those with higher incomes can use the service if they pay full fare. COLTS is in line for federal funds to increase the number of buses from one to three and expand the service to include industrial parks outside of the city.
• Increase Bus Routes and Availability. The Commissioners are working with the County of Lackawanna Transit Authority to study the feasibility of increasing the number of bus routes and the amount of bus availability to encourage greater use of public transportation.

Facilities

• Expand Employee Recycling. The Commissioners will direct county employees to recycle paper, bottles and cans in all county buildings.
• Purchase New Recycling Bins. Smalls bins that slide under desks are on order to encourage greater employee recycling. Also, several recycling stations with separate compartments for newspapers, trash, bottles and cans will be installed near Administration Building elevators as a first step to broader recycling efforts.
• Install Motion-Activated Light Sensors. Sensors are being installed in the County Administration Building that will shut lights off after 15 to 30 minutes of non-use to conserve energy.
• Install Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs. All exit signs in the County Administration Building were switched from 7 and 20 watt light bulbs to 2 and 4 watt LED lights. A total of 222 bulbs were changed through the program. Office light bulbs will also be replaced with energy-efficient bulbs as they burn out to reduce the county’s energy consumption.
• Turn Off Lights and Computers. In addition to the light bulb changes, all unnecessary energy uses will be eliminated.
• Lower Heat and Air Conditioning Use. County building thermostats for air conditioning will be set no lower than 72 degrees and thermostats for heating will be set no higher than 68 degrees to increase energy conservation.

Community Recycling Efforts

• Sponsor Electronic Equipment Recycling Events. Residents will be able to drop off old computers, telephones, fax machines and electronic games for recycling that normally would be dumped in a landfill.
• Provide Education. Accelerate efforts to educate county citizens concerning recycling, composting and energy efficient living.

Land Use and Planning

• Encourage Energy Conservation Planning. Integrate energy consumption and sustainability considerations into land use, development and transportation planning.
• Emphasize Green Construction. Encourage developers to utilize recyclable building materials and to recycle building waste materials.

Coordination of Energy Conservation Agenda

• Hire Energy Conservation Deputy Director. The administrator will oversee, plan and implement county energy conservation efforts in addition to monitoring vehicular and facility energy consumption.