Maricopa County is getting hotter and deadlier
Step up now to join county government efforts to save our unique environment
Maricopa County is growing exponentially, thus we must think about how to ensure this growth is sustainable. For years, ● people have come here to escape miserable winters, stifling humidity, or skies that never seem to let the sunshine through. The phrase “Valley of the Sun” is a badge of honor, albeit less so during the excessive summer heat. ● Maricopa County has always been hot but it’s getting hotter. Every year, we seem to set new temperature records. In 2017, at least 155 people died from heat-related causes. With extreme heat comes more trouble with ozone and air quality. County government can be part of the ● solution, in both practical ways and in terms of leadership.
Maricopa County’s physical footprint grew more than 5 percent from fiscal year 2011 to fiscal year 2017, but in that time, the county’s annual energy use (electricity and natural gas) decreased by nearly 10 percent.
We’ve done it by putting solar thermal systems in our jails and solar panels on top of other county buildings.
We’ve automated energy controls so that we’re using electricity more efficiently.
We’ve worked with our partners, NRG, to expand the chilled water loop under the streets of downtown Phoenix, cooling off buildings in the city’s core for less money than we’d spend if we tried to do it ourselves.
We’ve used “daylight harvesting” in our newer buildings so that we lean on the sun more, and artificial lighting less. In other words, this is a way to reduce overhead lighting by dimming or switching off automatically when there is enough natural light in a room.
Long-term trends show a 3.1 percent decrease in ozone air pollution in Maricopa County over the past 20 years, and our Air Quality Department has played an important role.
Outreach efforts such as the “Commit to One Day” summer ozone campaign encourage residents to make small changes to improve quality of life for everyone.
To that end, the county—in partnership with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality—created the Mow Down Pollution Program.
The goal is to reduce air pollution from gasoline-powered lawn mowers. People who recycle their gas-powered mower can get a $150 vouchers towards the purchase of a new electric or battery powered lawn mower.
This lawn mower replacement program launched on June 4 and is available to all Maricopa County residents. In less than two months, more than 1,000 people have submitted applications and more than 600 gasoline-powered mowers have been recycled.
If we can meet our goal of recycling 2,500 gasoline-powered lawn mowers, we can reduce 21 tons of air pollution.
One of my priorities as chairman of the Board of Supervisors is to emphasize the County’s ability to lead on issues that are bigger than any single government, organization, or field of discipline.
That’s why the board recently asked Arizona State University President Michael Crow to help us ensure a future with cleaner air, fewer heat-related illnesses and deaths, and greater investment in energy innovation.
At this point, there’s no formal agreement between Maricopa County and ASU but talking is the first step. There is no magic bullet but possible approaches include expansion and integration of agriculture into more neighborhoods, buildings designed to lessen nighttime heat and smart clothing that adapts to the changing heat index.
Everyone needs to step up — leaders in the public, private, and non-profit groups — to share our vision of a sustainable and world-class community.
Past generations have looked after us, starting with the Hohokam, whose canals gave us accessible water and farmable land. Now it’s our turn.