[cid:image001.jpg@01CE6D02.F00B7D10] News Release www.piercecountywa.org<http://www.piercecountywa.org> [cid:image002.jpg@01CE6D02.F00B7D10] <https://www.facebook.com/pierceco> [cid:image003.jpg@01CE6D02.F00B7D10] <http://www.twitter.com/pierceco> [cid:image004.jpg@01CE6D02.F00B7D10] <http://www.youtube.com/piercecountytv> [cid:image005.jpg@01CE6D02.F00B7D10] <http://pinterest.com/piercecounty> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 12, 2013 Pierce County charts a sustainable path Three years after creating its first Sustainability Plan, Pierce County continues to make steady progress towards reaching its 2015 Sustainability Goals. By tracking its use of energy, water, fuel, recycling and other natural resources, we can report that Pierce County has saved more than $1.65 million in the first three years of the Sustainability program. "Sustainability is a fancy word for good government," said County Executive Pat McCarthy. "We are using fewer natural resources, which saves money for vital community services. We have only started down this path, and already we are making tremendous progress." All 3,000 county employees play a role in making Pierce County government run more efficiently. "Pierce County employees are making better decisions about how we operate the county," said Ryan Dicks, Sustainability Manager. "We realize that we can provide county services in a cleaner and more effective way." Highlights from the 2012 Sustainability Report<http://www.piercecountywa.org/index.aspx?NID=3389> Pierce County has: * Reduced energy use by 13% at its owned buildings since 2009. * Increased recycling in our buildings by 47.8% since 2009. * Reduced paper use by 20.8% since 2009. * Reduced fuel use by 3.6% since 2009. * Increased ORCA Card transit trips by 6,019 (a 25.8% increase) over 2011. * Reduced water use in our facilities by 3.9% since 2009. * Trained 87% of Pierce County employees to consider sustainability in their jobs (up from 78% in 2010). MEDIA CONTACTS: Ryan Dicks, Pierce County Sustainability manager 253-798-8603 rdicks@co.pierce.wa.us<mailto:rdicks@co.pierce.wa.us> ###