KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
The city and borough governments in Kodiak are teaming with a local non-profit on a study that will tell them how much greenhouse gas emissions they’re creating, and eventually help them develop ways to reduce and conserve energy. KMXT’s Casey Kelly has more.
It’s called a baseline emissions inventory, and what it does is basically look at how much energy and waste local governments are using or creating with things like buildings, streetlights, wastewater treatment facilities, and so on. Once that’s done officials can look at ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Lisa Hupp has been hired by the Alaska Marine Conservation Council to conduct the study on behalf of the city and borough.
(Hupp 1 :29s “…does that have on climate change?”)
Hupp’s interest in the project stems from her work with groups like Sustainable Kodiak and her full-time job as the environmental coordinator with the Woody Island Tribal Council.
She’ll be using a model developed by the International Council on Local Environmental Initiatives, or ICLEI, a group that both the city and borough are members of. Homer recently used a similar model to develop an action plan of its own. But Hupp says Kodiak’s study will be tweaked to fit some of our specific needs. For example, most of the power used by the city and borough comes from the Kodiak Electric Association’s Terror Lake hydroelectric plant, and KEA has plans to put wind turbines on top of Pillar Mountain.
(Hupp 2 :20s “…decreasing our dependence on oil.”)
City Manager Linda Freed says the city’s involvement in the project is mostly to allow Hupp access to its records, so she can develop the baseline inventory. The borough is doing the same.
(Freed 1 :12s “…30th 2007, this past fiscal year.”)
Freed says it’ll be interesting to see what the study can tell the local governments about energy use and waste, and what types of reduction measures are feasible. However, she notes that the city has already taken some steps to reduce its carbon footprint.
(Freed 2 :34s “…as well as reduce our energy cost.”)
In addition to helping with the logistics of the study, the city and borough each kicked in 500 dollars to help pay Hupp for her work. AMCC is picking up the majority of the tab, which is about 6-thousand dollars, and there’ve been talks with Kodiak College about contributing as well. Hupp says while the study is intended to help local governments understand and reduce their emissions, she’s hoping that it will eventually lead ordinary citizens to do the same.
(Hupp 3 :13s “…step for a lot of us I think.”)
Hupp will be working about 20 hours a week on the project and expects to complete her work by the end of October. I’m Casey Kelly.
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