Growing a culture of sustainability throughout a city can be logistically difficult without hiring a sustainability director, but cities can begin making strides within their current operating systems. With the planned renovation of the Field Operations Campus, Glendale is currently presented with a unique opportunity to decrease its impact on climate change while creating new avenues for cost-savings and visibility for Glendale’s sustainability initiatives. Through its partnership with Project
Cities and graduate students from SOS/PAF 545: Organizations, Sustainability & Public Policy, Glendale decided to develop plans to incorporate sustainability into the renovation plans for its Field Operations Campus. The students spent the semester researching best practices and analyzing data to devise cost-effective solutions for this renovation and other municipal buildings. Students focused on four key areas of opportunity: green buildings, energy, landscaping, and purchasing.
These strategic areas offer a wide array of urban sustainability opportunities. While using green building practices and on-site
renewable energy is a highly visible and symbolic way for local governments to display their commitment to sustainability. It also indicates to local taxpayers that Glendale is consciously saving money by way of reducing energy costs and using tax dollars more efficiently. Sustainable landscaping is a low-cost strategy to increase the aesthetic and functional value of the facility, improving the employee experience and optimizing the quality of the local environment. Sustainable purchasing
is a low-visibility yet critical action for a municipality to internalize sustainability policies and operations. Sustainable purchasing enables the city to engage employees in everyday sustainability practices, harness new and innovative business partnerships, and save taxpayer dollars.