Las Vegas, NV CELEBRATE Employee Program
Type: Program
Status: Ongoing
Source File: http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/sustaininglasvegas/16027.htm
Description:
CELEBRATE stands for City Employees Lowering Energy costs By Recycling And Tracking Efficiency. In April 2007, the Planning & Development Department created the city’s first CELEBRATE committee, which resolved to reduce the department’s greenhouse gas emissions by changing its internal operations.
In July 2007, the CELEBRATE committee introduced the “Planning & Development Department Sustainable Action Plan” with targets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 150,536 pounds over the next year. The department could achieve this goal through simple changes such as purchasing paper with 50 percent post consumer content (9,339 lbs), reducing paper usage by ten percent in a year (2,308lbs) and powering down personal electronics, computer printers and monitors, and turning off lights (123,458 lbs). To promote the effort, a CELEBRATE campaign was created that included work station posters, recycling containers, weekly e-mail updates and a 'brown bag' video series to increase awareness of sustainable issues.
In late summer 2007, the CELEBRATE program was expanded to include a committee in each city department as well as a management committee made up of the deputy directors of all departments. This committee will review city operations on a broader scale, while the departmental committees will continue to review and improve the efficiencies of their own internal operations.
As CELEBRATE grows, employees are finding unique ways to promote sustainability. The Planning & Development Department hosted two CELEBRATE events in 2007, the “Trick My Trash” contest and a “Funky Gunk” collection drive. The “Trick My Trash” contest challenged employees to decorate paper recycling boxes using a theme of “sustainability” or “recycling.” The “Funky Gunk” collection drive provided employees an opportunity to bring recyclable hazardous materials from home to the Development Services Center for later disposal at the Republic Services Recycling Center. Both of these activities educated employees about sustainability, recycling and the environment.