If you're ever in Cobb County, Georgia, don't be surprised if you find the public toilets without any water. It's not a drought you're in the middle of, it's just a waterless toilet - one of the many technologies counties nationwide are embracing to green themselves, according to recent studies by the National Association of Counties (NACo).

The fist study, entitled Local Leaders in Sustainability: Green Counties, comprises survey responses from 200 of America's most populous counties about the state of their environmental initiatives. The results are very encouraging.

According to the study, the prevalence of green initiatives at the county level has increased by 400 percent in the last three years. At present, nearly one-fifth of counties have green building programs in place, most of which are aimed at making county-funded construction projects more eco-friendly. However, only one-third of all counties had laws in place stipulating green building codes for commercial buildings.

A similar survey attempted to determine the ubiquity of green programs at the county level. The report from the NACo Green Government Survey includes information on 147 counties spanning through 40 states. It tackles various aspects of green government progress in green building, energy efficiency, climate protection, green fleets, waste management and water quality and conservation.

According to the study, 60 percent of counties sampled claimed to be working on energy efficiency issues. Of those, 12 percent stated they employ a green program coordinator while nearly half employ a public engineer to work on green projects.

As with any government, funding is always an issue. And the survey showed that 68 percent of counties would implement energy efficiency upgrades if more funding were available - an important statistic for state and federal governments to see.

Some counties are particularly creative in their efforts to green themselves. San Francisco, for example, banned traditional plastic bags altogether. And as mentioned earlier, Cobb County is bent on conserving water through waterless toilets.
   
Most counties have adopted similar habits, such as greater lighting efficiency, increasing education on environmental issues and strengthening recycling plans. When it comes to alternative energy, about 25 percent own and operate hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles while only 14 percent generate any form of alternative energy, with landfill gas use the most widely cited source.
   
These surveys illustrate that counties are still in the early stages of embracing environmentally-friendly solutions to management. They are slowly greening buildings, and claim to at least have a strong intent to increase green programs if given the right funding and leadership.

The important thing to note is that there is a growing trend towards embracing eco-friendly policies. But if funding remains a barrier to entry, state and federal governments will have to become involved to expedite the grassroots movement beginning to take root in America's 3,000+ counties.

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