My green initiatives are saving you, the Oakland County taxpayer, millions of dollars and bringing millions in investment to Oakland County. In July, 2011, Oakland County International Airport (OCIA) will open the nation’s first green general aviation airport terminal. The terminal will utilize solar, wind and geothermal energy; LED lighting; top of the line insulation technologies on the roof, walls, doors and windows; and will feature a living wall – a vertical arrangement of plants that form a wall, watered by rain from the roof, which not only is aesthetically pleasing but will remove pollutants from the air.
Executives and employees from nearly every Fortune 500 company land at OCIA each year. The terminal will welcome these job providers and decision makers with the message that Oakland County embraces innovation and leading edge technologies. OCIA’s new terminal will be the county’s first LEED certified building. It was built without using any money from the county’s general fund. User fees and federal grants paid for its construction.
Alternative energy is the second fastest growing area in my Emerging Sectors program. A total of $345 million has been invested since 2004 creating more than 3,000 jobs and retaining more than 800. With the proximity of so many high-tech alternative energy companies, Oakland County will play a significant role in the new Southeast Michigan Advanced Energy Efficiency Center for Excellence – also known as Cleantech – an alternative energy business incubator launching this year in Troy. Cleantech will bring business, educational and government entities under one roof to promote research, development, commercialization and manufacturing of advanced energy efficiency products and technologies.
Meanwhile, I have adopted energy efficiency policies and devices on the county’s government campus which have saved Oakland County taxpayers more than $4 million since 2005. Inspired by the significant savings, I launched my OakGreen Challenge in 2010, encouraging and providing resources for Oakland County businesses, local governments and residents to reduce their energy consumption 10% by the end of 2012. Because Oakland County had already reached that goal, I raised the bar for my Facilities Management team to reduce energy consumption on the government campus 15% by 2015.
My Facilities Management team formed a Green Team, responsible for identifying and implementing energy saving procedures and devices in county buildings. The National Association of Counties recognized the Green Team in 2010 with an award of excellence. The Green Team conducted an energy audit on the government campus. Using a federal grant, my Green Team will energy efficiency retrofit many county buildings, saving Oakland County taxpayers an additional $400,000-$500,000 a year on utility costs.
In addition, we are partnering with Lawrence Technological University to determine the return on investment of the installation of geothermal energy on the county’s west government campus to save taxpayers more money on utility costs. Among the Green Team’s other achievements include an Energy Star rating for the county’s Executive Office Building where I work.
Finally, my Green Infrastructure Vision for Oakland County was among three programs from around the nation recognized with a first-of-its-kind award at the National Green Infrastructure Conference in 2011. My vision is a collage of local open space efforts among its 61 communities, intended to guide and coordinate local and multijurisdictional preservation efforts. The process takes a broad-based ecosystem approach to planning for the protection and stewardship of sustainable biological diversity. The vision also provides a roadmap into the future and creates opportunities to connect to the land through trails, parks, open space and waterways.
Join my #Elite40, Charles DeVries, at @AutomationAlley's Annual Golf Outing 6/25 at The Inn at St. John's in Plymouth. 
