iLona Major is looking a little green and it has nothing to do
with her health.
The big push for environmentally friendly practices, sustainable
development and communities has given Major a rare opportunity: to
research “green” products or ideas, test them out in her personal
life, then bring her findings back to the City of Lone Tree to put
into daily practices.
Her goal is to help the community become more environmentally
aware, healthy and energy efficient, as simply as possible.
“It’s amazing how much already is in place [in the city],” Major
said. The city’s comprehensive plan, zoning codes and type of
building contain some green concepts.
“Good practice is already in place,” she said.
It’s Major’s job to educate city officials about new
economically sound and energy-driven concepts.
If one was to drive past the Major residence he or she would
probably find a clothes line strung up out back, a recycling bin in
the driveway and a rain sensor attached to the side of the house.
There’s also a compost pile nearby.
The compost has produced some gigantic tomatoes, Major said.
The rain sensor has helped conserve water. When it rains, the
contraption communicates with your irrigation system, causing it to
stay off until the lawn has dried. Although the sensor still is
undergoing some level of experimentation at the Major residence,
it’s a concept that might be feasible for the city in the
future.
The push for sustainability has to start at a local level, Major
said. At least that’s what she heard as a mom attending energy
conferences with green experts and government officials.
“As a mom, I wanted to know how I get the sustainability concept
out to the general public and be understood,” she said. “That’s
where my passion comes from.”
Passion led Major to her position as the city’s sustainability
coordinator about a year ago.
“I was curious. I became very passionate about green building
and was trying to find an outlet for that,” Major said.
Her first project with the city was to take inventory of
sustainable practices in each department and compare them to the
U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement.
“I just needed an indicator of where we were at,” she said.
Her first project at home was to replace all her major
appliances with energy efficient ones. As a result of buying green,
she saved about $1,600 in manufacturer rebates.
Now she’s taking on citywide recycling. The city already funds
recycling pick-up for single-family households, but most residents
aren’t taking advantage, Major said, adding she might be the only
house on the block with a recycle bin.
Her goal is to push through council’s budget the funds to
provide residents with wheeled recycle bins to make the practice
easier.
Her personal habits also are changing. She’s stopped buying
plastic water bottles, purchases products in accordance with fair
trade practices, and she even carries a green handbag made from
recycled material. The pen in her planner is made from recycled
plastic.
“It’s finding stuff like this that is so much fun,” she
said.
Finding is really all Major can do at this point, however. Green
practices, guidelines and laws are still to be determined and Major
said she feels she’s right in the thick of the development.
“It’s a very large topic and everyone is still researching and
learning, “she said. “But my goal right now is to figure out how we
facilitate the green effort. How do we narrow it down, focus on the
one goal and formulate that intention to move forward.”
Visit the city’s Web site under the Living menu at
www.cityoflonetree.com for more information on green efforts.