INDEPENDENCE - Buchanan County administrators are joining the ranks of those who look at green as the new gold.

Supervisors this week passed a policy establishing a series of eco-friendly guidelines. The hope is to save some cash while becoming more energy efficient. The effort is spearheaded by the county's green team, an appointed group with members representing all of the county departments and including two citizens.

"It allows each department to know the philosophy of the county is we should be as efficient as possible," said Dan Cohen, green team chairman and county conservation board director.

Buchanan County began looking at ways to be more energy efficient first as a cost-savings effort. Slowly, though, officials moved into other realms, said Supervisor Mike Ferreter, who came up with the green team.

Ferreter said the goal so far has been to focus on energy efficiency. A few doors have been replaced and eco-friendly carpeting put down. All the paper used in the courthouse is also now made from recycled materials, and there are drop boxes for recycling and disposal sites for things like batteries and light bulbs.

The policy passed Monday outlines a broader set of green guidelines. County departments are encouraged to use green products and allowed to spend up to 10 percent more on those items. In some cases, departments can spend more than 10 percent if the environmental boost is "extreme."

All departments are also asked to look at purchasing or using the most fuel-efficient vehicles. According to the policy, county employees should use vehicles practical for a task, like taking a car to a meeting instead of a pickup.

Cohen said the team is encouraging department heads to also look at how much an item costs to own and operate over the long term instead of just the immediate sticker price.

"Most of these purchases, when we're talking about environment and efficiency, it's not a payback in immediate dollars. But in the long term, it saves the taxpayers quite a bit of dollars," Cohen added.

Buchanan County isn't alone in pondering its environmental impact but may be the only one in Iowa to set up a team within its government to examine the issue, said Marian Riggs-Gelb, executive director of the Iowa Environmental Council.

"Personally, I'm not aware of any other counties," she said.

Riggs-Gelb said Story County and the City of Des Moines have incorporated eco-friendly practices into their building and purchasing plans. She serves on the Des Moines Parks and Recreation Board, which was involved in developing some of those plans.

In the future, the Buchanan County team will look at ways to drastically increase the efficiency of the courthouse, such as installing a geothermal heating and cooling system.

"That's a lofty one," Ferreter says.

Buildings at Fontana Park already have such a system. The new county jail, which will be constructed adjacent to the courthouse, may also have a geothermal system.

Contact Josh Nelson at (319) 291-1565 or josh.nelson@wcfcourier.com.