SUSTAINABLE AUBURN

Cities are on the frontlines of climate change and local government has a responsibility to respond to these challenges. Sustainable cities are resilient and able to adapt to, mitigate, and promote economic, social, and environmental change.

The City of Auburn is committed to environmental protection at local level and is applying a "sustainability lens" when making decisions on purchasing, energy consumption and usage, vehicles, infrastructure and much more.

This StoryMap shows the city's recent investments, changes, and implementations and the associated cost savings and other benefits. These efforts began in 2013 with a conscious choice by city leadership. The impact is real and the efforts continue, with plans for further improvements...

The city has historically burned oil and diesel to heat and cool Auburn Hall and other city-owned facilities. Natural gas systems have now been installed - boiler conversions - in several major city facilities (Public Works, Fire, Recreation), which has helped the city realize significant cost savings, not to mention meaningful reduction in carbon emissions.

Lighting within city buildings has been converted to LED, along with enhanced control systems to maximize conservation and efficiency.

In 2018, the city purchased every streetlight from Central Maine Power and converted them to LED, and added "smart controls." The city's monthly streetlight bill was reduced by approximately 90%.

State-level rule changes have made it possible for Auburn to become one of the first municipalities in Maine to move to hydropower. Thanks to these changes, the city was able to enter into a "net energy billing credits agreement" with Eagle Creek Renewable Energy to purchase all of the electricity produced at their Hackett Mills hydroelectric facility on the Little Androscoggin River in Poland and Minot.

Approximately HALF of the city's electrical needs are met through clean, renewable hydropower, all of it locally generated at Hackett Mills.

A second "net energy credits agreement" has made it possible for the city to embrace solar power in the near future. As soon as 2022, additional power for city facilities and infrastructure - approximately 30% of our load - will come from a solar site under construction in Shapleigh.

By the end of 2023, 70-80% of Auburn's total electric load was sourced from clean, renewable LOCAL energy providers.

The City of Auburn has installed a total of 6 electric vehicle charging stations in the Mechanic's Row Parking Garage. Some are for public use, some are used to charge city-owned electric vehicles.

These chargers were installed using grant funding from Efficiency Maine. The hope is to make our downtown district a more welcoming destination and to encourage more people to consider driving energy efficient vehicles.

The city has begun to invest in clean, efficient electric vehicles. We currently have 4 fully electric vehicles, and we are working to expand our EV fleet. These vehicles are more efficient, require less maintenance, and boast zero emissions.

The geothermal heating and cooling system at the beautiful new Edward Little High School was initiated by the Systems and Sustainability subcommittee of the Building Committee. After evaluating various options for cost-effectiveness and long-term value, the committee selected the geothermal system as the most viable solution. Its inclusion was part of Question 2 in the city's bond referendum, which Auburn residents approved.

This state-of-the-art system features 130 wells drilled on-site, efficiently heating and cooling the school's approximately 270,000-square-foot facility. Its advanced design ensures sustainable climate control for the building.

Auburn Hall and Auburn School Department facility HVAC systems have been enhanced by AI technology. This is a solution that automatically adjusts for efficiency and comfort, resulting in less usage. The City of Auburn was the first in the state to implement this solution.

Our system uses self-adapting artificial intelligence technology to proactively optimize Auburn's energy consumption. Our greatest energy usage comes from our HVAC systems. Using deep learning, cloud-based computing, the system autonomously optimizes our HVAC in real time for maximum impact on energy consumption, carbon footprint and building operations.

Brightly Energy Manager stores all utility invoices for city and school facilities, including energy usage and cost so we’re able to track data and predict future usage and cost.

The Auburn School Department has a performance contract with EEI (Energy Efficient Investments, Inc.) to examine all of the systems in the school department buildings. They provide data and recommendations on heating/cooling systems, roofs, air quality, and electrical operations.

The Auburn School Committee approved the creation of a standing facilities subcommittee on 12/18/24. The creation of this subcommittee was from the recommendation of the previous facilities advisory committee. The purpose of the new standing committee is to have a dedicated subcommittee to provide oversight and strategic planning for the district’s projects and goals. The subcommittee will assess the district’s facilities and needs, examine enrollments, and develop comprehensive long range plans to provide to the School Committee.

One of the highest costs of home ownership is energy. In an effort to encourage residents to invest in clean, energy efficient home improvements, the City of Auburn was proud to offer the Sustainable Auburn Matching Grant Program .

Efficiency Maine offers financial incentives on the purchase of high-efficiency equipment. Through the Sustainable Auburn Matching Rebate Program, Auburn residents were able to DOUBLE their Efficiency Maine rebates!

The Auburn City Council designated $250,000 of Auburn's American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for the creation of this program. Another $200,000 was designated late 2022.

Over 30% of all trash in landfills consists of food waste. Composting that food waste is an easy way to make a huge difference.

In 2021, the City of Auburn announced our new composting program, establishing two locations for residents to drop off compostable materials: Auburn Public Works (296 Gracelawn) & the New Auburn Fire Station (181 South Main).

Adding this simple step as part of our community's environmentally friendly habits will go a long way in lowering greenhouse emissions, regenerating the soil, revitalizing water sources, and fostering food security into the future.

A Pilot Composting Program at Sherwood Heights Elementary School began in February of 2025. Data was collected through a  Food Waste Study  conducted by the University of Maine’s Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions. With robust support from teachers and custodial staff, Susanne Lee (study co-author and faculty fellow with the Mitchell Center) traveled to Sherwood Heights to introduce the program.

In the first weeks of the program students weighed and tracked the waste. Program leaders reviewed what was wasted with the students and advised how they could make better choices. The kids, who are called “Compost Champions,” now dump their milk in one bin, soak silverware in another (the school purchased actual silverware to get rid of plastic waste), and dump their food waste in another bin, where its weighed. Agri-Cycle Energy picks up the food waste tote weekly.

The Auburn School Department is proud to be one of seven projects in Maine selected for the USDA’s School Food System Innovation Grant. This initiative focuses on establishing a regional food hub in the Lewiston-Auburn-Lisbon area, connecting local farms to schools and improving access to fresh, Maine-grown foods in student meals. The "Full Plates/Full Potential" grant supports the School Department goal of increasing the sourcing and use of Maine-grown foods in school meal programs while addressing the logistical barriers related to sourcing, processing, ordering, and storing these foods. The funding will help us strengthen Maine's food supply chain, enhance school meal programs, and foster long-term partnerships between school nutrition programs and local farms, providing sustainable and replicable solutions for other school districts in the state and beyond. 

 LINK TO SCHOOL-BASED FOOD HUB 

The City of Auburn Public Works Department worked with the city's  Conservation Working Group  to build and plant a pollinator garden in 2024. The garden is located in Pettengill Park, near Auburn Recreation. Pollinator gardens provide several benefits, including supporting declining pollinator populations by offering food sources, enhancing biodiversity, improving ecosystem health, beautifying landscapes, and providing important educational opportunities about the vital role pollinators play in our food system. They help maintain a healthy environment by attracting pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, which are crucial for plant reproduction and food production.

The Maine Community Energy Redevelopment Program (MECERP), led by the Maine Governor's Energy Office (GEO) and the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) is designed to foster economic development across Maine by providing high-quality technical assistance to projects that unlock community energy assets for economic development.

On October 22, 2024, the Mills Administration announced that six communities in Maine - including Auburn - will receive technical assistance through MECERP to support locally-determined revitalization projects at current and former industrial sites to create good-paying jobs, drive local economic development, and meet state climate and clean energy goals.

The City of Auburn seeks to catalyze business attraction and industrial growth by creating a cohesive development vision for the land assets in or near the Forest Bioproducts Advanced Manufacturing Tech Hub Overlay. The Tech Overlay was created by the city to align commercial and industrial development with Maine’s state-level  Forest Bioproducts Advanced Manufacturing Tech Hub  designation by the Biden-Harris Administration.   Learn more about MECERP:  https://www.maine.gov/energy/initiatives/mecerp 

Auburn joined Maine’s Community Resilience Partnership, allowing us to apply for  Community Resilience Grants .

The city applied for and was awarded an  EECBG grant  (Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant) for $75,880 towards replacement of boiler at Auburn Hall & the Auburn Public Library.

Auburn Public Works installed their new salt brine system in 2016. Road salt needs liquid to create chemical reaction. Salt brine is sprayed to salt as it comes out of the truck. The cost is $.11 to $.15 cents/gallon, which is a huge savings compared to the city's previous use of magnesium chloride, which was $1.61/gallon. Since implementation in 2016, this change has led to significant savings:

Savings: $55,400/year x 9 years = $498,600

Best of all, salt brine is as effective as regular rock salt, but it is better for the environment and easier on vehicles. Our methods of salt usage mean that far less sand enters our catch basins, which in turn means less sand in our rivers, lakes and streams.

A big part of why Auburn's change to salt brine was so effective, is our Cirrus system. This is a computerized system in our Public Works trucks which is calibrated each year. The salt application stops whenever the truck stops, minimizing waste and environmental impacts.

All salt leaving each truck is metered at 200lbs of material per lane mile. Salt application rates are based on road and air temperatures (each truck is equipped with road temperature sensors) - the warmer the air, the less salt used.

One of Auburn's newest technologies is the use of weather cameras strategically placed throughout the city. Our Frost Vision Cameras are AI-enabled cameras that monitor our roadways, alerting the Auburn Public Works team when snow starts to fall or accumulate.

Our team is able to see road conditions and monitor air temps, road temps, dew points and access AI predictive forecasting. We have cameras located on Center Street at Fair Street and Minot Avenue at Hotel Road. This technology also gives us the ability to monitor conditions in other towns/cities who have the same setup, including Augusta, Lewiston, and Bath.

Nearly 10% of all household waste is textiles and each day, more than 1,000 pounds of clothing, shoes, and accessories end up in landfills/waste-to-energy facilities in every town & city in America. That's million of tons of clothing waste each year!

The City of Auburn is proud to announce that we have partnered with Veteran-owned, New Hampshire based  Apparel Impact  to install a free drop-off bin next to our existing recycling bins near Auburn Public Works on Gracelawn Road. Residents can drop off clothing, outerwear, footwear, linens, purses/bags, and accessories. These items don't need to be in "wearable" condition (but they must be dry with no odor and no mold).Apparel Impact will take care of the rest! They will reuse/repurpose the items that still have some life in them; "upcycle" some items into new clothing, shoes, bags, etc.; and "downcycle" extremely damaged items into rags, insulation, carpet, and more.

AI also has an incredible community outreach component, providing clothing, shoes, etc. to thousands of people in need, including kids, Veterans, and our most vulnerable community members. TONS of clothing, shoes, linens and accessories were diverted from landfills throughout the northeast by Apparel Impact in 2023 - 1,878 tons in Maine alone (6.9 tons in Auburn)!

In 2024, the City of Auburn rolled out new asset management software. Each city asset, from vehicles to park furniture to facilities, is identified. Maintenance and other costs are captured and tracked for each asset. Auburn Public Works also uses this system for their work orders.

Use of this asset management software provides benefits like improved cost efficiency through preventative maintenance, increased infrastructure reliability, enhanced visibility into asset lifecycles, better decision-making with data-driven insights, compliance with safety standards, and ultimately, improved community satisfaction by ensuring well-maintained public assets like buildings and roads. 

City staff are committed to adding efficiencies every time we do a project. Whether it's adding insulation as part of a roofing project, or selecting electric vehicles when replacing fleet inventory, our goal is to save money, reduce consumption, minimize our carbon footprint, and to offset expenses to help keep tax rates stable.

Our team is always researching sustainable practices and solutions for future construction projects. This includes seeking solar opportunities at existing and future facilities.

• Additional EV charging stations at the Auburn Public Library, Norway Savings Bank Arena & Auburn PAL Community Center. These will be grant-funded: $50K Community Action Grant through Community Resilience Partnership in June 2024, applied for $75K Community Action Grant in December 2024.
• Additional EVs in other city departments
• Explore other renewable energy solutions
• Increased public education
• Purchase of fully-electric boom lift ("manlift")

 Efficiency Maine website 

 Governor's Office on Policy Innovation & the Future 

 U.S. Energy Information Administration - Environment Issues & Trends 

 Maine Department of Environmental Protection - Sustainability