Green Dayton

An Overview of City of Dayton Sustainability Initiatives

Spring 2009
Completed & Ongoing
Initiatives
_____
 • Dayton started curbside
recycling collection in 1990.
• In 2008, Dayton collected
3,067 tons of recycled
waste.
• Every ton of paper that is
recycled saves 17 trees.
• The energy saved when we
recycle one glass bottle is
enough to power a
conventional light bulb for
four hours.
• Recycling benefits the air
and water by creating a net
reduction in 10 major
categories of air pollutants
and eight major categories
of water pollutants.

Solid Waste Recycling

 • In 2005, the City of
Dayton implemented a Fuel
Conservation Policy to
reduce fuel consumption
and save money on fuel
costs. Unnecessary idling of
vehicles and equipment is
strictly prohibited.

• Annual fuel consumption

from 2006 to 2008
decreased by 345,860
gallons (or 26.4%).

Anti-Idling/Fuel Conservation Policy

 • Dayton has purchased
some hybrid vehicles and
continues to research
alternative-fueled vehicles,
including Compressed
Natural Gas.

Alternative Fuel Vehicles

 • Since 2006, Fleet
Management has been
reusing waste motor oil that
is drained from City vehicles
during routine
maintenance.

• Fleet has the capacity of

storing approximately 2,500
gallons of waste oil for
reuse in a water boiler
heating system. This
system has been used as a
secondary heating system
in order to reduce heating
costs.

• The system offers a

potential annual savings of
$10,000 to $20,000.

Used Oil for Heating

 • In 2006, the Dayton
Department of Water
completed a baseline carbon
emissions estimate for all
its activities.

• The baseline estimate

involved a complete
inventory of all utility
components, a review of
operational efficiency, and
identification of cost and
energy reduction
opportunities.

Carbon Footprint
Water Department
 • Lime utilized in the
drinking water softening
process is recycled for reuse
in the water treatment
process, and the excess is
applied to land to enhance
the quality of farm fields.

• In addition, the lime is a

potentially valuable product
for which we continue to
look for reuse customers, to
save disposal costs.

Lime Recycling/Reuse
 • The Dayton Wastewater
Treatment Plant generates
600,000 cubic feet of
methane gas per day.

•This gas is utilized as fuel

for boilers that provide both
heat for buildings and heat
for processes. In addition,
the plant has the ability to
generate 2,160 kw of
electricity with the
methane. The electric
generating facility is used
for peak electric loadings.

Alternative Fuels, Methane Recapture

Boilers and Electric Generating Facility
 • In the Department of
Water, an initiative to
upgrade the energy
efficiency of pumps and
motors has been underway
for a number of years.

• The pumps and motors are

utilized to pump water and
wastewater at treatment
plants as well as to deliver
water and remove
wastewater from residences
and businesses.

Energy-Efficient Pumps and Motors

 • The nutrient trading
program involves utilizing
upstream management of
farm fields to reduce
nutrient loadings to Dayton-
area rivers and streams, in
lieu of energy intensive and
high cost plant removal.
The program is a market-
based approach for
protecting and improving
water quality. Trading
involves two basic steps:

1) Setting a goal for the

total amount of
nutrients that enter
waters in a watershed.
2) Allowing sources to
trade in ways that
meet local and
watershed-wide water
quality goals.

Nutrient Trading at
Wastewater Treatment Plant
 • At Kittyhawk Golf Center,
ultrasonic devices are used
to reduce algae growth in
ponds (recharge lagoons).
These will be replaced with
solar aeration units.

• Solar-powered security
cameras in the Water
Department well fields save
energy and allow wireless
downloading of photos onto
laptop computers.
Currently, there are six
solar-powered cameras in
operation, with plans to
install more.

Varied Solar Power Applications

 • In 2008, Dayton’s Water
Department began an
awareness campaign to
promote drinking City of
Dayton tap water.
• Dayton pumps more than
23 billion gallons of water
annually and is a regional
supplier to more than
400,000 Dayton and
Montgomery County
residents.
• Drinking tap water saves
the energy necessary to
produce plastic water
bottles, which requires the
equivalent of 17.6 million
barrels of oil.
• Water from the tap costs
less than one cent per day,
while the average consumer
of bottled water spends
more than $400 per year.

Water Department
Community Outreach
 • The Children’s Water
Festival is an annual event
promoting sustainability and
life-long green practices.

•The theme for the 2008

festival was “Go Green” and
the 2009 festival was
themed “Take Back the
Tap.”

• 1,000 or more fourth

grade students attend the
festival yearly.

Children’s Water Festival

 • In 2007, the Dayton City
Commission approved the
Sustainable Practices Policy,
which sets direction and
guiding principles for the
City’s energy use and
development of sustainable
practices.

• The policy followed Mayor

Rhine McLin’s signing on to
the U.S. Conference of
Mayors Climate Protection
Agreement in 2005.

Sustainable Practices Policy

 • In 2008, the City’s Cool
Energy Team developed an
Office Guide for City
employees to provide
guidelines for energy use
reduction in City offices and
operations.

• The Office Guide was an

outgrowth of the City’s
Sustainable Practices Policy.

City of Dayton
Office Guide
• The City of Dayton joined
the Energy Star network to
assist in developing a
carbon footprint and
assessing building
efficiencies and water and
wastewater treatment
process efficiencies.

•Energy Star also offers

educational resources to
outreach to the public and
business communities.
 Current
Initiatives
_____
 • The City of Dayton has
entered into a 10-year
performance-based
improvement and
management services
contract with Honeywell
International (beginning in
2009).

•The program will allow for

an average of $420,000 in
energy and operating cost
savings annually.

• It includes professional
energy management
services in concert with
lighting retrofits, building
envelope work, mechanical
systems replacements,
building controls, traffic
lighting (LED) retrofits and
more.

Energy Performance Contract

 • The new (opening June
2009) Creative Technology
Accelerator Building at Tech
Town will be LEED-certified
due in part to its geothermal
heating and cooling system.

• Dayton’s Office of Economic

Development and its
development partners intend
to incorporate this and other
renewable energy initiatives
into additional facilities at
Tech Town.

• With the presence of the

massive Great Miami Buried
Valley Aquifer, Dayton’s
geothermal energy potential
is virtually unlimited.

Geothermal Well – Tech Town CTA

 • The City of Dayton is
exploring conversion to
compressed natural gas
(CNG) for portions of the
municipal fleet.

•CNG is a cleaner, more

efficient fuel and is less
expensive than conventional
fuel. There is a particular
emphasis on converting
diesel fueled vehicles.

• Components of this
conversion program will
include some dedicated CNG
vehicles and some duel fuel
vehicles as well as at least
one quick-fill fueling station.

Conversion of Fleet to
Compressed Natural Gas
 • A 2,000-sq.-ft. GreenGrid
modular green roof system
is to be installed at Dayton’s
City Hall, at 101 W. Third
St.

• To be planted primarily
with low-growing, hardy
sedum, the green roof
filters and slows storm
water runoff and reduces
electric loading.

• The green roof and its

“DAYTON” inscription will be
visible from nearby high-
rise buildings.

Schematic of Proposed Green Roof

O – Roof drain to Storm Sewer Not Open to Public

City Hall
Green Roof
X – Doorway to roof area Escort Required
 Potential
Initiatives
_____
Biofuels

Additional Methane
Gas Reuse
Prairie Parks/Switch Grass
Solar Farm at Water
Supply and Treatment
 Low Impact Development/
LEED Certification

Geothermal Farm at Tech Town

 Recycle-Reuse
Policy for
Additional Deconstructed and Wind Applications
Solar Demolished
Applications Structures
 Additional
Green Roofs City Reforestation

Green Purchasing
Policy
 Financing/Partnership

The City of Dayton is pursuing a wide variety of opportunities for funding and
collaboration for green initiatives that are economically sustainable for the City
organization and the Dayton community.
Dayton City Commission
Rhine McLin, Mayor
Dean Lovelace
Joey Williams
Matt Joseph
Nan Whaley

City Manager
Rashad M. Young

Dayton’s sustainability initiatives are

implemented with the support of the City
Commission’s Environmental Advisory Board
and the Cool Energy Team, an employee
group.
 Thank You
For more information, contact the
Office of Public Affairs at 937-333-3616 or
cityhall@cityofdayton.org

www.cityofdayton.org