Washoe County has hired Brian Beffort to spearhead its sustainability program and further its efforts to reduce greenhouse gases.
Beffort joined Washoe County in February, after five and a half years as the local Chapter Director for the Sierra Club and more than 20 years working for other environmental nonprofits in the region Previously, he worked as the Outdoors Editor for the Reno Gazette-Journal and as Editor of Adventure West magazine, based in Incline Village. He holds master’s degree in Journalism and in Sustainability & Environmental Management.
Washoe County launched its sustainability program, based in the County Manager’s Office, to help the county meet its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. Beffort will lead these efforts by focusing on internal county operations as well as community-wide efforts.
“I’m proud that Washoe County is making significant progress in our efforts to reduce our environmental footprint, and now it’s time to create a coordinated, strategic program with a subject matter expert to oversee it,” County Manager Eric Brown said. “Brian is an expert in this area and will be a valuable asset to our team.”
Beffort is working with Washoe County Facilities and Fleet Services to identify some areas of immediate opportunity, such as energy-efficiency upgrades for facilities and replacing gas-powered fleet vehicles with electric ones. He will also be exploring ways to take advantage of the funding in the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act, both of which provide federal funding for green programs.
“Washoe County deserves real credit for being proactive, by monitoring its energy use and carbon emissions, so we know where we need to start and where we have the greatest opportunities for improvement,” Beffort said. “This program is thanks to the work of many county employees across departments who have been dedicated to sustainability for years. I’m grateful to be part of the team.”
Beffort’s work will be measured by the “triple bottom line” benefits the county delivers to the people, environment, and economy of the region. These triple bottom line benefits come when we replace old gas furnaces with efficient heat pumps, for example This reduces air pollution and energy costs, while improving health factors for all residents.
“We have a lot of work to do,” said Beffort. “But I’m excited by the opportunities we have to improve the quality of life here in the region.”
View Washoe County’s carbon emissions dashboard through NZero here: https://public.nzero.com/washoe/
