Partner Profile

Clark County, WA
Location	Vancouver, WA
Organization Type	Govt. (Local, Municipal)
Percentage Green Power	10%
Organization-wide Purchase	Yes
Partner Profile Named for Captain William Clark of Lewis and Clark Expedition fame, Clark County is one of the fastest growing regions in Washington state and in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan region. Beginning in 2002, the County began purchasing renewable energy certificates to match 10 percent of its power needs. In addition to its green power purchase, the Board of Clark County Commissioners voted in April of 2008 to borrow $7.8 million to finance 35 energy conservation and renewable energy projects, including the installation of photovoltaic and solar thermal panels on the roofs of several county buildings. The debt will be paid off with the money taxpayers will save over the next 20 years, which is estimated to be $350,000-$450,000 per year. Guaranteed lower utility expenses and operational savings from these projects will be used to fund the needed infrastructure improvements and will essentially cost the county nothing. These renewable energy programs will help lower the County's total carbon emissions by 16 to 20 percent. "Governments must model the behaviors they want to see in the community they serve----conserving energy and generating renewable energy are behaviors we would like to see much more of in our county" said General Services Director Mark McCauley.