This month, we interview Maggie Theriot, Director of the Office of Resource Stewardship, Leon County, FL.
What are you working on right now that you are most excited about?
Leon County supports the
Community Carbon Fund, a local carbon offset program that provides energy efficiency improvements at social service non-profits, allowing local offsets to have a local impact. The improvements reduce our community’s carbon footprint, allow the service agencies to spend more dollars serving clients, and employ local contractors. The improvements are projected to reduce carbon emissions by 72 metric tons annually.
I'm also excited about the
Leon County Sustainable Demonstration Center (PDF link). We achieved net-zero status through retrofit of a 50-year old building transformed from an office work site into a Sustainable Demonstration Center. The building features a 60-kw solar array, a 17-ton geothermal heating and cooling system, and a 40,000 gallon rainwater collection system. Thousands of people visit this center annually and get a first-hand look at this technology. The next phase of the Center is focused on smaller internal improvements and workplace sustainability practices..
What do you want to know from others in SSDN? What provocative questions do you have for your colleagues around the Southeast?
Leon County has recently transitioned our curbside collection service to single-stream recycling. Do SSDN members have any success stories of educational campaigns that help to increase recycling rates?
Answer here. Examples could include personalized outreach for specific sectors such as health care providers, shopping centers, commercial office etc.
What led you to this work?
I was raised in this community and have always had a high level of pride for the place I call home. This led me to a career in local government, first in the budget office and later in building operations. An intricate understanding of our governmental operations, combined with my Masters in Urban & Regional Planning gave me a great foundation for a future in Sustainability. When Leon County launched their Sustainability Program, it was the perfect fit for my passion to have a meaningful impact on my home town.