How Broward County Made It Easy Being Green

Fort Lauderdale is located in Florida's Broward County.

Fort Lauderdale is located in Florida's Broward County. Richard Cavalleri / Shutterstock.com

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By Michael Grass

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Watch how this South Florida government is saving millions of kilowatt hours every year.

South Florida’s Broward County, a jurisdiction of 1.8 million people just to the north of Miami, likes to say that it went green long before it was fashionable. The county government launched its first environmental preservation programs in the 1970s and took steps to curb its greenhouse gas emissions in the late 1990s.

“We’ve put a lot of programs in place to deal with some of these issues and our sensitive ecology,” Broward County Commissioner Kristin Jacobs says in a county video feature on its green efforts that she recently posted on her YouTube channel. “We’ve come a long way and there’s still much more to do.”

The county government upgraded lighting in 4 million square feet of its facilities, including the replacement or retrofitting of 4,000 exit signs. Those efforts have resulted in energy savings of 21 million kilowatt hours per year, according to the video.

It reduced its outdoor maintenance energy footprint by “naturescaping” its landscaping, which has saved 325,000 kilowatt hours annually. On its roads, the county switched its standard traffic signals to LED traffic signals, which has resulted in energy savings of 12 million kilowatt hours annually.

“Now we’re looking forward: Solar power to power county buildings, attracting energy sustainable businesses to spur economic development involving businesses, residents [and] our schools,” says Broward County Commissioner Stacy Ritter. “We’re at the dawn of a green culture in Broward County and it’s exciting to be part of it.”

Take a look:

(Richard Cavalleri / Shutterstock.com)

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