Amanda Bird is on a mission to achieve net zero energy at the Santa Cruz (California) Wastewater Treatment Facility.
To Bird, senior wastewater treatment operator and interim operations supervisor, that means obtaining all the power needed to run the facility from renewable energy sources.
“We’re trying to do this through a range of renewable options,” she says. “Here at the facility, we burn methane gas created by our treatment process to generate electricity. We have solar panels as well that help provide power during the daytime.” At night, the facility sources power from external green energy producers.
“We’re not at net zero yet, but 90% of our power
