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Hillsborough County achieves Platinum LEED certification, first in Florida third in nation

mosaicF4tampa1 In: Hillsborough County achieves Platinum LEED certification, first in Florida third in nation | Our Santa Fe River, Inc. (OSFR) | Protecting the Santa Fe River

 

mosaicF4tampa1 In: Hillsborough County achieves Platinum LEED certification, first in Florida third in nation | Our Santa Fe River, Inc. (OSFR) | Protecting the Santa Fe River
City of Tampa and Hillsborough River entering Tampa Bay. Photo by Jim Tatum

No this is not the Santa Fe River nor even is it Alachua County, but the City Tampa and Hillsborough County have the leadership required to merit this designation, third in the nation and a model for the rest of Florida.

This is not something new, as we must commend our leadership also for restoring the waters of Tampa Bay to a purity equal to around 70 years ago.  Unfortunately, Pinellas County bordering the bay on the west seems bent on polluting it again with its unwarranted and unnecessary sewage spillages.  Not all but way too many of these “accidents” are the result of incompetent oversight of employees and contractors.

Kudos also to Kelly Hayes who, by the way, was not born and raised in the waters of  Tampa Bay, but on dry land in the City of Tampa.

Read the complete article here in Florida Politics.

Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum


 

Hillsborough County achieves Platinum LEED certification, first in Florida

Hillsborough is also only the third county in the U.S. to receive the certification.
b1c78e63449c026f7855cbf04a72b8ed?s=46&d=mm&r=g In: Hillsborough County achieves Platinum LEED certification, first in Florida third in nation | Our Santa Fe River, Inc. (OSFR) | Protecting the Santa Fe River  By Kelly Hayes

on December 28, 20

Hillsborough County became the first county government in Florida to achieve the Platinum LEED for Cities and Communities certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

The certification recognizes work by the county to safeguard the environment and enhance the quality of life for residents, businesses and visitors.

The Platinum designation is the highest rating that can be obtained in the LEED Cities and Communities program, and Hillsborough is only the third county in the U.S. to reach it.

LEED is the world’s most widely-used green building rating system. The Cities and Communities certification looks at a wide range of areas.

The certification process judges how well applicants integrate sustainability into all aspects of the community, including environmental stewardship, fiscal responsibility and overall community prosperity. The review considered areas such as energy and water conservation, land use, solid waste management, community heritage preservation, cultural and recreational opportunities, social services, partnerships, equitability and innovative projects.
Hillsborough County’s application included five years of data and information provided with the support of county departments and community groups.

The county has worked to implement an array of sustainability initiatives, which helped it achieve this certification. Those include:

— Reducing energy use and costs by operating a chiller plant that makes ice to help cool buildings, adding solar to county facilities and using LED lighting in buildings, parking lots, sports fields and all traffic signals. Neighborhood and corridor street lighting are transitioning to LED.

— The Resource Recovery Facility converts burnable waste into electricity, which generates power for several county facilities and about 35,000 homes. Reclaimed water is also used at the facility, and metals are salvaged.
— Hillsborough County’s wastewater treatment achieves a higher water quality than over 90% of the wastewater plants across the U.S.

— Continued fleet transition to electric and alternative-fuel. Seven electric vehicle charging stations are available to the public at county facilities.

— A county-sponsored Solar Energy Loan Fund, which offers low-cost loan and project assistance to residents for energy efficiency upgrades and other sustainable home improvements. So far, the program has provided $1.6 million in loans.

The LEED certification process was also a catalyst for the county to begin developing a Community Sustainability Action Plan.

b1c78e63449c026f7855cbf04a72b8ed?s=150&d=mm&r=g In: Hillsborough County achieves Platinum LEED certification, first in Florida third in nation | Our Santa Fe River, Inc. (OSFR) | Protecting the Santa Fe River

Written By Kelly Hayes

Kelly Hayes studied journalism and political science at the University of Florida. Kelly was born and raised in Tampa Bay. A recent graduate, she enjoys government and legal reporting. She has experience covering the Florida Legislature as well as local government, and is a proud Alligator alum. You can reach Kelly at kelly@floridapolitics.com.

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1 Comment

  1. Thanks for letting us know that Hillsborough County has achieved Platinum LEED Certification. How wonderful for that county to be first in Florida and third in the U.S. to achieve wonderful leadership regarding energy and environmental design. Thanks, Our Santa Fe River organization for sharing this information. Perhaps Florida’s other counties will enhance their energy and environmental design efforts. Jim, you took a beautiful photo of the City of Tampa and the Hillsborough River!

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