Oakland County is observing Earth Day with a tree-planting program, emphasizing emission-cutting goals, helping with safe drug disposal and a recycling event on Saturday.
The county is planting 500 trees, including native evergreen, deciduous shade and flowering varieties, around the main campus at 1200 N. Telegraph in Pontiac, and at the South Oakland Office Building and South Oakland Health Center. The initiative started April 8.
On average each tree will remove an estimated 48 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air each year, based on U.S. Department of Agriculture figures. That’s 12 tons of carbon dioxide a year, said county spokesman Bill Mullan.
“There are several benefits to planting these trees such as air purification, oxygen generation, and reduction of the heat island effect,” said Mark Baldwin, the county’s chief of landscape services. “The biggest benefit I see is that people like trees and it makes them happier when they see more trees.”
The trees are 7 to 15 years old and from suppliers in the upper and lower peninsulas.
County Executive Dave Coulter said sustainability is a daily practice and that planting trees and reducing fleet fuel consumption are just two “proactive steps to protect our environment and build a more resilient future.”
The county’s sustainability goal is to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2035 and reach net zero carbon emissions for operations by 2050.
“Each action we take impacts our environment – big and small,” said Chief Sustainability Officer Erin Quetell, adding that the changes are planned so they also create a more-accessible, safe, and enjoyable county campus.
Another program recognizes the county’s switch to electric vehicles, which has reduced fuel consumption by 123,000 last year alone, averting the release of 2.46 million pounds of carbon dioxide. That is one step closer to the county’s sustainability goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The county’s fleet of more than 900 vehicles produce 15% of the county’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The strategies for cutting fuel use include adding to the county’s fleet of 10 electric and three hybrid vehicles. The county replaces vehicles every five years to improve fuel efficiency and requires wheel alignments every 12,000 miles, reducing fuel consumption by 2%.
County buildings cover nearly 2 million square feet and produce 76% of the county’s greenhouse gas emissions. County facilities management officials are working with Quetell’s office to plan decarbonization, energy efficiency and future building electrification.
As for recycling, the sheriff’s office will join Southfield and its police department, and the Oakland Intermediate School District to host a drive-thru event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at Southfield’s municipal parking lot, 26000 Evergreen Road. Drivers should use the north roundabout entrance to the municipal parking lot. Volunteers will remove items being recycled or donated.
County residents can bring prescription drugs for safe disposal, and up to four boxes of personal documents for shredding, along with non-perishable food, clean, gently used clothing and used bicycles.
“It’s a pleasure to join with our partners and sponsors to provide an Earth Day celebration event that takes old and unnecessary drugs out of homes and our waterways while also shredding personal information that could be used in identity theft,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the bikes will go to the Re-CYCLE for Kids program, where they’ll be refurbished and passed along to children who need them.
The non-perishable food donations will go to Metro Food Rescue and Lighthouse of Oakland County. Clothing donations are for the Baldwin Center in Pontiac.
Anyone participating can also get:
• Free walk up Narcan training and prescription drug storage boxes (ACHC)
• Free seed packets
• Free radon test kits (Oakland County Health Division)
The event has multiple sponsors: Oakland County Health Division, Vibe Credit
Union, Christ Church Cranbrook, the Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities, DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Learn more at https://www.oakland.k12.mi.us/newsroom/events/earth-day.
Learn more about the county’s sustainability efforts at oakgov.com/sustainability.
