City of Milwaukee
Sustainability Newsletter
Summer 2022
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Message from the Director | |
Read the NEW Milwaukee Green Events Guide | |
Update: City Green Fleet Saving Fuel and Money | |
The Environmental Collaboration Office and City Fleet managers created an Interdepartmental Electric Vehicle Planning Group to transition the City’s fleet to electric or other lower emissions and alternative fuel vehicles.
Last year, the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) began the transition to hybrid vehicles. To date, MPD has purchased a total of 44 hybrid and 15 fuel-efficient vehicles. At the fuel price of $5 per gallon, each hybrid vehicle saves MPD $2,500 in fuel costs annually and burns 500 fewer gallons of gas per year when compared to non-hybrid vehicles.
Currently, the transportation sector accounts for 21% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the City of Milwaukee. To reach our targets, we need more clean fuel vehicles on the road to reduce emissions. The City of Milwaukee is doing its part to reduce pollution and GHG emissions from its fleet and lead by example.
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Find Resources for a Healthier, Greener Home | |
Did you know that most people spend 90% of their time indoors? | |
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The ECO Healthy Home Guide was developed through a U.S. EPA Environmental Justice Grant in collaboration with the Milwaukee Health Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, Walnut Way Conservation Corporation, and AmeriCorps.
The guide offers a variety of ways to make your home a healthier and greener place for you and your family to live. It includes information on lead, asthma triggers and allergens, carbon monoxide, smoking and vaping, chemical safety, pests and pesticides, radon, mold, and energy.
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Recap: The Green & Healthy Schools Conference | |
The Environmental Collaboration Office proudly sponsored the 6th Annual Green & Healthy Schools Conference on August 5 at Vincent High School. We appreciated the chance to talk with educators, residents, and community organizations about our programs and current projects, as well as learn from them about the great work being done to support schools.
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ECO Director Erick Shambarger presented alongside Linda Frank, Nature in the City Working Group Chair for the Milwaukee City-County Task Force on Climate & Economic Equity, during the Local Climate Change Actions panel. Attendees learned how Milwaukee is working toward climate resiliency, preparedness, and a more equitable approach to addressing the climate crisis.
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One of the 10 Big Ideas as part of the City's forthcoming Climate & Equity Plan is Protecting and Restoring Nature in the City and includes recommendations to expand the Green & Healthy Schoolyard Redevelopment Program from five school projects each year to ten.
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Additional recommendations as part of the Nature in the City idea include: protecting environmentally sensitive lands (including areas along lakes and rivers), implementing the Branch Out Milwaukee Campaign, and green-cooling commercial lots. | |
This public-private partnership leverages private capital to supply upfront funding for the improvements and collects payments through a voluntary municipal special charge (City Ordinance 304-26.5). The special charge is attached to the property, not the owner, and is paid back through a direct billing system over time. Projects are designed so that the annual energy and other savings pay for the special charge, providing a net positive cash flow over the life of the upgrades.
Recently, the Marlow Hotel received $2.5 million in financing. The Marlow Hotel classifies as a high-performance building in the PACE Program. With energy savings that exceed the state code by over 20%, it is the first project to take advantage of the new PACE Program Pathway that encourages property owners to build greener buildings. The upgrades are expected to save the property owner $217,555 a year on utility bills, nearly cutting their annual utility costs in half.
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Attend an Upcoming PACE Informational Webinar | |
PACE Program Guideline Updates - Version 3.2
Wednesday, August 24, 2022 from 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Join the Milwaukee PACE Program Team for a FREE webinar to learn about recent updates to the City of Milwaukee's PACE Financing Program Guidelines.
The passing of 2021 WISCONSIN ACT 175 changed the PACE program standards by removing some requirements and adding eligibility for new types of building improvements. Presenters will walk you through changes to the guidelines:
- Addition of reliability, resiliency, and stormwater as eligible project types
- Removal of the savings guarantee mandate and savings to investment ratio (SIR) requirement
- Addition of floodplain ordinance compliance for resiliency projects
During the webinar, presenters will also highlight the unique aspects of the program, like the additional program benefits for High Performance Buildings, explore the current trend toward PACE financing for resiliency projects and discuss how you can take advantage of PACE as a financing mechanism.
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Green Stormwater Infrastructure Funding Opportunities and Updates
Wednesday, September 28, 2022 from 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
The goal of this webinar is to discuss how you can use PACE and other funding sources to finance different types of green infrastructure projects on commercial properties to achieve necessary stormwater management goals. These projects can help reduce localized flooding, erosion and water pollution.
The Milwaukee PACE Program Financing Team will also share project examples and discuss the City's Green Infrastructure goals.
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Options to Fund EV Charging Infrastructure
Wednesday, October 12, 2022 from 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Electric vehicles (EV) are becoming increasingly prominent on our roads, and as charging stations become more and more affordable, commercial property owners are beginning to realize the significant benefits of installing charging stations at commercial sites beyond sustainability.
The addition of EV charging equipment means property owners leveraging C-PACE won’t just be using the clean energy financing mechanism as a tool to improve their financial position in the near term, but also to modernize their buildings and position them more competitively in the future. Whether building tenants are commercial or part of a multifamily building, properties with charging stations can lead the way, as the EV market continues to grow.
Webinar attendees will learn about how to use the Milwaukee PACE Financing Program to finance the commercial EV infrastructure, among other financing options including utility pilot programs and other emerging opportunities.
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Register for a Climate & Equity Plan Info Session |
Join colleagues and community members for virtual information sessions hosted by the Education and Outreach Work Group of Milwaukee’s City-County Task Force on Climate and Economic Equity. Learn where Milwaukee is at in the Climate and Equity Plan process, more about the coalition's work, and how community members can get involved. You will receive an email with the Zoom link after you register.
Sign up for one of the four information sessions being held this August:
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Subscribe to the email distribution list for the Education and Outreach Work Group of Milwaukee's City-County Task Force on Climate and Economic Equity's Our Future Milwaukee Coalition for updates.
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Follow Us On Social Media for Updates | |
Don't forget to follow the Milwaukee Environmental Collaboration Office on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Search using @ecocitymke. | |
City of Milwaukee
Environmental Collaboration Office
200 E. Wells St., Room 603
Milwaukee, WI 53202
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sustainability@milwauke.gov
milwaukee.gov/eco
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