Oct. 9--EL PASO -- The 20-year environmental plan passed by the City Council last month will guide the city's efforts to conserve energy, water and other resources, build environmentally friendly buildings and serve as an example to the rest of the community.

"If we want to change the world, we need to make sure our own house in is order," said Marty Howell, who oversees the city's conservation efforts.

The plan calls for reducing the city government's energy consumption by 30 percent by 2014, implementing 20 renewable-energy projects by 2015 and getting 20 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020.

Howell said the city now spends $1 million a month on electric, natural gas and water bills.

The plan is a loose set of goals, Howell said, designed to guide city employees and city policy on how to save resources.

The City Council, however, asked that an annual report on the plan's progress be presented at the council meeting closest to Earth Day, which April 22.

"So they're expecting us to act on it," Howell said.

General Services Director Stuart Ed and his department will play a big role in carrying out the plan.

"We're one of the largest employers in the community; we'll make a good example of how it can be done and at the same time save money," Ed said.

The city has already been doing a good job of recycling and saving energy and water, Howell said.

"But my job is to pull it all together and make sure we have a strategy," he said. "We want

to do the right thing but also educate the community about how well it worked."

Bill Addington, a board member of the local and regional Sierra Club, said that he's glad to see the city thinking about conservation but that the plan doesn't go far enough.

"It needs more measurable goals; otherwise, it's just a big wish list," he said.

The city is now constructing four so-called green buildings -- the new Cielo Vista branch library and three Sun Metro transit terminals -- that will meet standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The city is also about 80 percent finished with an extensive project to improve energy efficiency, Howell said.

The city hired Johnson Controls, a global company specializing in energy efficiency, to be the general contractor for the $14.7 million project.

Solar panels installed at seven city-run indoor pools are expected to save the city about $1.5 million over 10 years.

The rest of the project includes installing 6,600 energy-efficient traffic signals at 350 intersections and upgrading 53 buildings to be more environmentally friendly.

The overall savings from the project is expected to be $20.3 million over 10 years.

"And we'll keep saving every year after that until the equipment needs to be replaced," Howell said.

David Burge may be reached at dburge@elpasotimes.com;546-6126.

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