Sponsored Content from CCMF Foundation Circle Sponsor Keenan & Associates

Bowerman Landfill ribbon cuttingRecently, Keenan joined with 12 youth delegates of the California YMCA Youth & Government Program and KCOMM to help celebrate the opening of an innovative electrical power generation initiative in Orange County. The Bowerman Landfill Power Project in Irvine is now extracting methane gas from the existing landfill to generate up to 160,000 megawatt/hours of electricity while avoiding 53,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

The YMCA Youth & Government delegates led the flag salute at the ceremony and helped to guide the event attendees around the venue. These young people also posed some of the most insightful and probing questions about the sustainability of the new power generating technology! Their knowledge of the social, environmental and economic issues involved was impressive and they showed their personal concern for the future. The participation of these young people from throughout the state in the Bowerman Power Project opening was greatly appreciated.

The cost-effective, clean energy that will benefit the customers of the Anaheim Public Utilities is an excellent example of what can be accomplished when the right resources of both public entities and private enterprise are brought together to solve community problems. Much has been discussed about rebuilding crumbling infrastructure, but we must do it responsibly. Brookings Institution recently wrote that “sustainable infrastructure mitigates (greenhouse gas) emissions and builds resilience to climate change. Delivering sustainable infrastructure at scale will require strong public policy leadership and active private-sector engagement.”

Bowerman Landfill project

The Bowerman Landfill Power Project is the most advanced of only a few landfill gas-to-energy projects in the country. Joint efforts led by Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer, Montauk Energy and Caterpillar, among others made this one happen. With cooperation between the public and private sector, this solution can be applied in many more communities.

Public-Private Partnerships hold a lot of promise to help solve other great issues facing California, the nation and the world. Opportunities to bring innovation to risk management, campus security, and healthcare may lie in public-private partnerships.

Tim Crawford is Vice President, Marketing for Keenan and has served on the Board of Directors for California YMCA Youth & Government for six years. Keenan was the Presenting Sponsor of Youth & Government’s Model United Nations Summit, April 28 – May 1.