Our little section of Oregon is doing its part to cut back on global warming

The concern over global warming has not gone unnoticed in the mid-valley. Governments, institutions and private developers in the region are taking steps to conserve energy, from recycling to using energy-saving lights to exploring biodiesel-fueled vehicles.

Oregon State University will take it a step farther by creating about half the electricity needed to power the campus. The university has just begun work on a new energy center, which will cut by 38 percent the amount of energy used to heat and power the campus.

Brandon Trelstad, OSU's sustainability coordinator, said the center will generate electricity through natural gas-powered turbines. The heat generated with the electricity will be used to heat the buildings on campus.

"Our biggest contributions to global warming are our natural gas and electrical use," Trelstad said. "By making electricity on campus, and efficiently using natural gas, we'll reduce our global-warming gases extensively. Also, the energy center will be configured to easily transition to renewable fuels like biodiesel, and perhaps even someday biomass, when these fuels become more financially competitive."

The university also is working on a lighting project at Bexell Hall, which, along with other energy-conserving practices, should cut that building's electrical use in half.

In addition, OSU President Ed Ray last week signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment pledge, which requires the university to launch a two-year planning process to move toward becoming "climate-neutral." That means OSU will either emit no greenhouse gases or will offset any emissions through energy credits and other methods.

Other entities, like Greater Albany Public Schools and Samaritan Health Services, are switching to energy-efficient lighting. Samaritan, Hewlett-Packard and Benton County are also installing sensors that shut off the lights when there's no movement in the room. GAPS, Linn County and Albany also are changing their landscaping practices to save water and reduce the amount of landscaping waste.

Corvallis and Benton County are buying biodiesel fuel to supplement diesel in their vehicles, and Linn County has a contract to buy this fuel. Biodiesel is a clean-burning fuel made from natural oils like soybean oil, and it's mixed with regular diesel to run in diesel-burning engines.

Highlights of what's being done around the mid-valley also include:

Greater Albany Public Schools

The school district will use recycled building materials when it builds its new school east of Interstate 5 next summer. The school will use as many "green" design strategies as possible, including treating storm water on site to minimize runoff and using materials with low emissions of volatile organic compounds.

The new school, for grades 3 through 8, is being paid for through $55 million in voter-approved bonds. Bond money also is paying for some energy-efficient lighting, plumbing and windows at other Albany schools, and other projects are under way using funds from grant programs that promote energy efficiency.

The district has seven "Oregon Green Schools," all of which have recycling programs that meet standards set by the statewide, nonprofit corporation that created the program. The schools are Oak, Tangent, Liberty, Periwinkle and North Albany elementary schools, along with Memorial and North Albany middle schools.

In 2005, Weyerhaeuser paid for five buses in the district's 65-bus fleet to be fitted with diesel oxidation catalysts to reduce air emissions, Business Director Russell Allen said. Five more buses to be acquired this fall will meet 2007 federal-emissions standards, with cleaner exhaust systems.

Superintendent Pat Bedore also just bought a hybrid car, but that was a personal decision, she said: "I love just sailing by gas stations."

City of Albany

The city expects to boost the number of trees it plants each year and will encourage private property owners to do the same. More drought-tolerant grass is being planted in parks, and vegetation is being planted along creeks and drainage ways to cool the water.

At the new library, the city plans to apply for grants and tax credits to buy more energy-efficient appliances and fixtures.

The new wastewater-treatment plant was designed to use energy-efficient equipment and treatment processes to cut down on the use of chemicals. This will result in a a cutback in the amount of sludge produced, and it will eliminate the production and burning of methane gas.

When the hydropower plant is reactivated at the old water-treatment plant on Vine Street, the facility will provide renewable energy, which is supported by the Oregon Energy Trust.

The Albany Police Department in 2005 purchased a hybrid Toyota Prius to save on gas and to be environmentally friendly. The administration car, which has no specialized police equipment, is used mostly for in-town trips and out-of-town training.

In the last 18 months, the vehicle has been driven more than 17,000 miles.

Linn County

"Our main focus is about reducing our cost of energy," said Russ Williams, general services manager at the county. "We're auditing systems to find the best practices, can we do it simpler or easier? We're also trying to do things with the fleet, to get better mileage with the fleet. We're buying more fuel-efficient cars and cars that can be converted to biodiesel when it's affordable."

The county signed a contract in 2005 with Oregon Bio Fuel Engineering Co. of Portland to buy biodiesel from the company as soon as it starts making the fuel. County Roadmaster Darrin Lane said the contract allows the county to buy the fuel at a price 10 percent below what biodiesel sells for in Eugene.

Benton County

At Benton County, employees are encouraged to use county-purchased transit passes and ride county-owned bicycles for errands.

The county is also purchasing electricity generated from landfill methane gas and replacing worn vehicles with electric/gasoline hybrids. It will also remodel the Gerber Building at the fairgrounds to meet "green-building" codes.

Corvallis School District

The Corvallis School District has found that being environmentally sensitive and responsible is saving it money.

Noel Mingo, energy manager with the district, said Linus Pauling Middle School and Corvallis High School were both built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council. In order to meet those standards, the buildings featured a variety of energy-efficient and sustainable elements, from reflective roofs that dissipate heat, to reflective white pavement parking lots, to installation of energy-efficient mechanical systems.

Mingo said the district saved money on energy costs, and reduced its use of fossil fuels at the same time.

The new buildings also used 10 percent recycled materials, and 20 percent materials acquired regionally, reducing the transportation costs and energy needed to bring in materials.

The district is looking for grant money to fund a bus-pass program for staff members. The schools offer recycling programs and teach sustainability issues to students.

Linn-Benton Community College

Linn-Benton Community College has been working toward long-term sustainability and green building for several years.

"Although it isn't LEED certified, we built North Santiam Hall to LEED standards," Nicholson said. "For example, we can operate the heating and cooling system for each floor independently, so we don't have to run an entire building if we're holding only one class somewhere."

Other earth-friendly projects on the campus in recent years include: Reinstalling a high-efficiency water chiller for the air-conditioning system and replacing various system controls with more efficient units.

Samaritan Health Services

Samaritan, which includes a retirement center, five hospitals and a network of 150 medical providers, is taking many steps to reduce its impact on the environment and global warming.

Those steps include: replacing equipment at the end of its life with "smarter" systems, designing new buildings to optimize natural lighting, implementing company-wide paper and toner-cartridge recycling and buying paper towels and toilet paper made from 95 percent recycled material. Housekeeping is also saving about 7,000 gallons of water a year by using "micro mops."

"We truly believe that we can make a difference in our communities by the choices we make," said Scott Carroll, the plant engineering manager at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis. "If the highest standard of practice is to be green, to be sustainable, I want us to be there."

The Corvallis Clinic

Jeff Brandt, facilities-services manager for the Corvallis Clinic, said the clinic is constantly looking at all opportunities to increase the efficiency of its buildings.

Two recent projects in the Asbury Building have updated air-conditioning and boiler systems to increase efficiency, for which the clinic received tax credits and rebates.

In 2008, the clinic is planning to launch an energy-conservation project for the Asbury Building. That would include energy-efficient lighting and temperature-control systems.

The clinic is also hoping to install solar energy panels at the Philomath Family Medical Center. This would reduce usage of electricity, utility cost, tax liability and the "carbon footprint" caused by taking energy from the grid. The project must go before the board of directors before it can be implemented.

The clinic and Corvallis also have an agreement whereby clinic employees can ride the bus free to work.

Weyerhaeuser

Weyerhaeuser has "committed to reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent above a 2000 baseline by 2020," according to spokesman Mike Moskovitz. That is the equivalent of taking 700,000 vehicles off the road for one year.

Weyerhaeuser plans to meet its carbon-emission reduction goals through: Improving precision application of fertilizers to increase tree growth, working with its building subsidiaries to enhance green-building programs, improving transportation efficiency among its employees and making the company's buildings more energy-efficient.

Much of the energy used in the company's manufacturing processes comes from biomass, which is a carbon neutral process "that offsets the need for fossil fuel."

On Thursday, Weyerhaeuser announced that it had reached an agreement to work with Chevron to research whether wood fiber and other cellulose-based materials can be converted into biodiesel.

Weyerhaeuser has been involved with climate-change research since the 1990s. Through regionally adapted tree-planting practices, Weyerhaeuser manages its forests to reduce risks associated with disease, pest infestations, and drought. The company works with Oregon State University and the federal and state governments to develop long-range plans to address fire and insect risks.

ATI Wah Chang

"We work very hard every year to reduce our energy costs and consumption," ATI Wah Chang spokesman Jim Denham said. "In doing so, we reduce carbon emissions. Energy is one of our largest costs."

In recent years, ATI Wah Chang has installed several new pieces of air pollution treatment equipment that represented "quite a large investment" to the company, Denham said.

Hewlett-Packard

With about 2,800 employees, Hewlett-Packard's Corvallis campus is Benton County's largest industrial employer and one of its largest emitters of air pollution. At the same time, the company has taken numerous steps to reduce its environmental impacts, both locally and worldwide.

HP environmental engineer Jim Hoy said those steps include increasing the purchase of renewable power, performing an energy audit, installing specialized equipment to destroy PFCs used in the wafer-fabrication facilities, promoting bus and bicycle transportation among employees, and joining an EPA-sponsored program to lower greenhouse gas emissions to pre-1995 levels.

On a company-wide basis, Hoy said, HP has been working to reduce electricity use at its plants since 1999.

"Over the next five years, HP's goal is to reduce energy consumption by another 15 percent," Hoy said.

The upgrades are not cheap. Hoy estimates the company has invested several million dollars in emission-reduction and energy-efficiency measures at its Corvallis campus in the past few years.

On the other hand, there's also a financial incentive. Most of the improvements are expected to pay for themselves within two or three years by reducing costs.

Outlying communities

The Lebanon and Sweet Home water-operations facilities have recently engaged in energy conservation programs which might inadvertently reduce global warming, according to officials in those cities.

In Harrisburg, city officials are discussing how to build a new city hall and community center. Mayor Bobby Duncan wants the new building to be a "green" building, said City Administrator Bruce Cleeton.

New construction

Two buildings on the OSU campus have LEED ratings through the U.S. Green Building Council. The Iron Works development in downtown Albany, which will include office space and housing, is being built to receive the same certification.

Glen Rea of Albany, whose company is building the seven-unit Riverview Townhomes project as part of the Iron Works project, said the townhouses should receive a gold rating from the Green Building Council when they're completed.

Rea said the project should score points in the council's rating system for its compact development, indoor water and irrigation systems, air filtering and contaminant controls, among other things.

Ian Rollins, Cathy Ingalls, Alex Paul, Carrie Petersen, Jennifer Moody, Steve Lundeberg, Bennett Hall, Theresa Hogue and Mary Ann Albright contributed to this story.