Archive for May, 2009

The Carbon Footprint Numbers

With all the talk about carbon footprint, and with the City of Tallahassee moving aggressively toward reducing our already low carbon footprint through energy conservation, it is time to define carbon footprint in terms everyone can understand. 

First, we have reported here that due to the use of natural gas we have one of the lowest carbon footprints in the country. But what does that mean in terms that we can understand?

For each kilowatt hour of electricity generated, approximately 1.2 pounds of CO2 emission is created. A home that uses 1,000 kwh per month would generate approximately 1200 pounds of CO2 emissions per month.

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City Hoards Millions During Recession, While Leon School Board Cuts 150 Teachers

So you think the City of Tallahassee spends millions on electric utility conservation programs? Wrong! The City of Tallahassee collects millions for conservation programs.

A data request by Tallahassee Reports indicates that the City of Tallahassee budgeted close to $15.5 million to various conservation programs for fiscal year 2008, which began on October 1, 2007.

At the end of fiscal year 2008, the City of Tallahassee had expended less than $1 million on conservation programs. This left approximately $14.5 million that rolled over to fiscal year 2009.

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Saudia Arabia – The Rest of the Story

The Mayor of Tallahassee, John Marks, is currently in Saudi Arabia on a seven day trip to develop business opportunities and exchange ideas. It has been reported that the trip will be at no expense to American taxpayers.

However, a discussion with the Mayor’s Office indicated that the Mayor was joined by an administrative assistant and that both the Mayor and the assistant will receive their normal pay while on the trip even though the US Conference of Mayors is the reason why the trip is taking place.

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City Budgeting – a Tale of Perverse Priorities

Our recent analysis of spending on “green” programs has documented the clear priority of city leadership in achieving the “living green” dream.

Green expenditures in the fiscal year 2009 budget include $10 million for smart meters, $7 million for energy conservation, and $300,000 for the creation of the green department. These 3 programs total $17,300,000 in spending in fiscal year 2009.

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