As our second year implementing our One Climate Future plan wraps up, we’re taking the time to reflect on progress we have made toward our big climate action goals in 2022.
The ambitious, overarching goals – such as reducing community-wide greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050 and running 100 percent of municipal operations on clean renewable energy by 2040 – require work in four focus areas: buildings and energy, transportation and land use, waste reduction, and climate resilience.
These big goals trickle down to daily work in the sustainability office, where we draft ordinances, create programs and campaigns, and connect our residents to sustainability through written outreach and events. This week, we’re sharing our 2022 sustainability highlights and a sneak peek of the initiatives the sustainability office is rolling out in 2023.
Buildings and Energy
Julie Rosenbach, in October, stands near a recently completed solar array on top of South Portland’s capped landfill. Rosenbach is sustainability director for the city of South Portland. The array, known as “landfill west,” along with the existing solar array at the site, will generate an estimated 5.8 million kilowatt hours of electricity each year, offsetting 63 percent of the city’s electric load. Gregory Rec photo/Press Herald
1. Two solar projects were completed in 2022. The 12,746-panel solar farm (comprising Landfill East and Landfill West) on the city’s former landfill and the rooftop array on the Community Center are projected to offset 65 percent of the city’s municipal electricity use, advancing us toward our climate action goals and saving taxpayers more than $20 million over the 40-year lifespan of the panels.
2. On Sept. 1, South Portland launched Electrify Everything!, a city-sponsored rebate program for electric heating and cooling, vehicles, e-bikes, and lawn care equipment. Through Electrify Everything!, households at or below 100 percent of area median income can get up to $2,000 on top of Efficiency Maine and other rebates. More than $46,000 in rebates to more than 65 households has been given out since the program launched, but don’t worry, there is plenty left.
To learn more about Electrify Everything!, visit www.southportland.org/electrify.
Transportation and Land Use
1. South Portland launched a public awareness campaign about idling reduction in the city. You can find the visually-compelling signs at schools, parks, and other locations throughout the South Portland.
Remember, Idling is Fuelish and Exhausting.
2. The city has partnered with Revision Energy to install 36 EV chargers on city properties. We are in the process of selecting sites and drafting license agreements for each.
3. The sustainability office received grant funding to complete a street design technical manual to make our roads accessible and safe for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers.
Waste Reduction
1. To get residents thinking about single use plastic consumption, the South Portland Sustainability Office planned and executed a “Plastic Free July” campaign, encouraging residents to avoid consuming plastics for the month of July. Our office regularly received emails asking us questions about plastics or sharing their own plastic-free alternatives.
2. The sustainability office received grant funding for a South Portland Electric Tool Library, launching next spring.
Climate Resilience
1. Sustainability staff worked with the US Army Corp of Engineers, NOAA, FEMA, and other Maine Silver Jackets partners to develop a dynamic flood inundation model. The model will produce flood inundation maps with dynamic details that can be overlaid with building and infrastructure footprints to facilitate climate-resilient planning.
We received grant funding to make this model interactive, coming in 2023.
2. We partnered with eight organizations to develop and get grant funding for an upcoming project launching in 2023, to help residents make their yards more resilient without using pesticides or fertilizers.
Community Engagement
We aim to engage our community in everything we do. In 2022 we hosted and attended community events such as South Portland’s Springfest and GoGo Refill’s Earth Day celebration, wrote the Our Sustainable City column in the Sentry every week, a column in Amjambo Africa every month, and developed outreach plans and strategies to ensure consistent community engagement.
Through these efforts, we had the opportunity to connect with residents who either attended an event or reached out after reading a column – a definite highlight of our year.
What’s to come
The past year consisted of applying to grants, coordinating project partners, and tireless planning for 2023 projects. Keep up with the sustainability office in 2023 for updates on these new programs and projects.
Learn more
Interested in learning more about advancing toward our One Climate Future goals? Visit www.oneclimatefuture.org/progress to see our progress towards meeting our ambitious climate action goals. Our 2022 dashboards will be completed early 2023, but until then, peruse the progress we made in 2021.
Our Sustainable City is a recurring column in the Sentry intended to provide residents with news and information about sustainability initiatives in South Portland. Follow the Sustainability Office on Instagram and Facebook @soposustainability.
Mia Ambroiggio is a part-time South Portland Sustainability Office staff member. She can be reached at mambroiggio@southportland.org.
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