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DEP Home > Innovation > Governor's Carbon Challenge > Participants

City of Waterville is Committed to Action to Achieve Sustainability

 

The City of Waterville is one of a growing list of municipalities in Maine committed to action to achieve sustainability. Waterville has agreed to achieve a citywide 5% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2010 in the Governor’s Carbon Challenge program, followed by a 7% reduction by 2012 under the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. 

An anonymous donor from central Maine kindly provided funding for an intern from Colby College to look at issues of sustainability in Waterville.  In 2007, the intern completed a greenhouse gas inventory and action plan.  The City also created a Sustainability Committee, with an established membership and guidelines for implementing further action over the months and years to come—addressing energy use and sustainability issues in the government and community at large. 

Accomplishments to date include:

  • The historic Hathaway shirt factory is being revamped into a new urban community center, improving the urban community and reducing sprawl.
  •  A “Sustainable Waterville” report has been delivered to the local Rotary Club and efforts to add greenhouse gas and energy education components to the local school curriculum are moving forward. 
  • The City is developing a comprehensive municipal building energy policy addressing energy efficiency improvements and purchase of only Energy Star equipment and appliances. 
  • The City is in the process of considering a switch to biodiesel mix for public works, fire, and other vehicles that run on biodiesel.  School busses currently run on a biodiesel mix: 5% biodiesel (B5) in winter; 20% (B20) in summer. 

The Governor’s Carbon Challenge is a voluntary goal-setting program in the Office of Innovation to assist communities, businesses and other organizations accomplish their greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.  For more information, please contact the Office of Innovation at 287-4432 or www.maine.gov/dep/innovation.