SILVER SPRING, MD—On Thursday, January 19, M-NCPPC-Montgomery Parks will brief the Montgomery County Planning Board and Park Commission on its Resource Conservation Plan.
“The Resource Conservation Program has helped us reduce electricity, natural gas, water and propane usage, leading to significant savings for the Department,” said Mary Bradford, Director of Parks. “It’s important that we continue to ensure our park system is energy efficient, not only to save money, but to protect the environment.”
The Montgomery County portion of M-NCPPC created a comprehensive energy management program in July 2003, contracting with CQI Associates as a consultant for energy, recycling and green parks programs. The estimated cumulative savings from July 2003 through June 2011 is $2,491,995 from this program. In Fiscal Year 2011 alone, the Resource Conservation Program helped reduce utility consumption and costs by 21%.
The goal of the Department’s Resource Conservation Plan is to increase energy and water efficiency while serving the citizens and patrons of Montgomery Parks. The plan sets out specific goals and programs to improve operations and maintenance practices through efficient use of electricity, natural gas, propane and water at over 415 parks and hundreds of facilities.
Thursday’s presentation will highlight accomplishments as of December 2011 and will outline energy and water conservation plans for Fiscal Year 2013. Accomplishments through December 2011 include a water conservation program that reduced irrigation water usage, review of all bills to remove duplicative and incorrect charges, new LED lights at Olney Manor Recreational Park, and programmable temperature controls and highly efficient HVAC units at Parkside Headquarters and Saddlebrook Park Police Headquarters.
In Fiscal Year 2013, the Department will focus on developing a model comprehensive energy management and green parks program plan for Brookside Gardens and Wheaton Regional Park. The Department will also seek additional grant opportunities and continue to implement recommendations from the County Executive’s Cross-Agency Resource-Sharing Committee (CARS).
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Contact:
Abbi Irelan
Marketing and Public Affairs Manager
M-NCPPC, Montgomery Parks
(301) 495-2532