INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis city leaders are taking on the task of "greening" the City-County Building in an effort to be more eco-friendly, as well as save money.

The city's Office of Sustainability issued a report last week following an intensive conference in June, during which experts and local leaders weighed options to bring the 47-year-old building more in line with modern efficiency standards.

The 28-story structure houses the offices of more than 2,000 people, including the mayor, the City-County Council and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, and has at least 4,000 visitors each day, mostly in the county court system.

"We picked the City-County Building because of the public interaction with the building," said Kären Haley, director of the Office of Sustainability. "It's a good educational tool, too. If we can make this building more energy efficient, anyone can do it."

Despite the massive scale of a proposed "green" overhaul, the process will start small, Haley said.

An energy audit will be performed for the building to chart everything from water usage and lighting density to the number of employees who carpool.

From there, leaders will price out the cost and potential savings of a "green" retrofit for the building.

The authors of the report estimated the city could save nearly $700,000 a year in operating costs by reducing electricity and water use, and possibly eliminating the use of steam.

But influencing employee and visitor habits could be one of the biggest challenges, and one of the biggest potential payoffs in the "greening" process, Haley said.

Experts estimate that changing employee behavior when it comes to things like recycling can net an energy savings of 10 percent.

Carey Hamilton, executive director of the Indiana Recycling Coalition, helped craft the CCB sustainability report, and said some "green" initiatives are already under way at the building, but that they have potential to grow.

"We have a real opportunity here to demonstrate an efficient waste and materials management system," she said. "Recycling one of the cheapest ways to reduce carbon emissions, and with 80 percent of the waste stream being paper (at the CCB), that's easily recyclable."

She said setting up a recycling infrastructure, designating who overseas the program and installing more containers throughout the offices and public areas will greatly contribute to the overall "green" plan.

While motivating employees from dozens of independent offices toward a common goal is daunting, Haley said she believes it's feasible, and that it will send a good message to the rest of the city.

"I think that will hit home with the public, that this just isn't city employees who can make changes, but everyone," she said. "And when city employees make changes and save money, it's public money they're saving."

Longer-term projects, like the installation of solar panels or the creation of a "green" roof, may be considered as the project moves on, Haley said. For now, leaders are working to gauge just how energy efficient the building is, and how far it needs to come.

Haley said she believes the momentum is there to push the multi-year project forward, even in the ever-changing political climate.

"No matter what administration is in charge," she said. "It's hard to say no to saving money and saving energy."

More Information:

Opportunities and Innovation: Indianapolis City-County Building

Indianapolis Office of Sustainability

Indiana Recycling Coalition