Cool City

Richmond is a Cool City and is undertaking several new measures to be a good steward of Mother Earth. The following is from a city press release and reminder how we can all contribute.
Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities J. R. Pope chairs the Cool Cities Committee and is making several energy-saving advancements.

New push button lights have been installed at the Department’s Byrd Park, Westover and Fonticello tennis courts and at the Byrd Park ball fields, which can be turned on by citizens when the facilities are in use, and then will automatically turn off. This will reduce the demand for electricity, as well as potentially save the Department thousands of dollars in energy costs.

The Department is also installing motion-sensor lights, tankless hot water systems and waterless urinals at the its community centers; using T-8 energy-saving lights, initiating the use of 40 percent recycled materials in park signage, and installing “big belly” trash cans in city parks.

The push-button lights at Byrd Park mean that the lights will no longer be on when the courts and ball fields are not in use. The Department estimates that for every hour the lights are not on, 72,000 kilowatts of electricity will be saved. In addition, this could amount to a cost savings for the Department of approximately $1,900 a year at Byrd Park, and the Department plans to continue to install the systems at its other athletic fields.

Converting the city’s wooden park signage to plastic signs made with 40 percent recycled materials will save approximately 100 trees; each waterless urinal will save an estimated 40,000 gallons of water annually.
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