The city of Richmond Department of Public Utilities energy conservation rebate will be ending soon. City of Richmond natural gas customers have until September 30, 2011 to take advantage of the rebates offered as part of this program. DPU’s energy conservation rebate program surpassed expectations, generating significant energy savings, lowering natural gas customer bills, and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.     

Richmonders again came out in support of the environment and initiatives in line with eco-friendly living at the RVAGreen Sustainability workshop at the Carillon in Byrd Park Thursday evening.

Mayor Dwight Jones said he was pleased to see more than 170 people for the event and joked that he needed to hold all of his public meetings at the Carillon to improve partipation. The Bike, Pedestrian and Trails workgroup was held there in Sept. 2010 and was regarded as a big success with 200 in attendance.

“We want to take the next step in our green initiatives,” Jones said.

Some 2,000 pounds of food waste each month will no longer be sent to local land fills, thanks to a New Year’s resolution to “Go Greener” by Hilton Garden Inn Richmond Downtown in the restored Miller & Rhoads building.

“While we are proud to be a participant in the Virginia Green program, we wanted to expand our efforts by adding composting in 2011,” said John Cario, general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn Richmond Downtown. Virginia Green, the state’s program to encourage green practices in tourism, has nearly 1000 participants, including more than 400 lodging facilities.

“To be the very first hotel in the region to compost food wastes is an exciting step forward,” said Tom Griffin of RVA Green Management Services, the hotel’s partner in developing the compost program. “This is a clear indication of how committed the management and staff of the Hilton Garden Inn are to its new ‘Green Program’ and its goals to reduce waste,” Griffin added.