Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Time for Cincinnati to 'Leed' by example

CHRISTINE ROBERTSON | COMMUNITY PRESS GUEST COLUMNIST

Last month, Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory joined hundreds of mayors across the country by signing the U.S. Mayors Climate Control Protection Agreement.

The signatories of this agreement vow to employ logical environmental policies to abate energy consumption as well as cost. "Policies include promoting 'green buildings,' increasing the fuel efficiency of city vehicles, incorporating energy efficient technology in city buildings, and promoting alternative forms of transportation." It is an important step to reduce pollution contributing to global warming and to encourage the use of alternative energy supplies.

"Signing this agreement is an important step in the greening of Cincinnati, we are sending a message that these issues are real and that we must pay attention to them. It is time to take proactive steps to improve and protect the environmental health and safety of our city," Mallory was quoted in a press release the same day.

As Council Member Laketa Cole points out in the same release, "Working to create an environmentally friendly city is important now more than ever. This is not only a global warming issue, or a fossil fuel issue, but it is also a public health issue."

Nearly 35 years after the enactment of the Clean Water Act in 1972, many of our nation's waterways are still not safe for swimming and fishing. With gas prices rising to over $3 a gallon, U.S troops stuck in Iraq, and growing attention on the urgency of global warming, accentuated by the release of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" last month, the idea that the economy, the environment and social equity are not three separate issues but one, is slowly becoming more mainstream.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) the national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings, is slowly becoming a household name, not only in the progressive coastal states, but here in the Midwest.

"LEED emphasizes state of the art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality." (USGBC.org).

In an effort to combat today's No. 1 sources of water pollution, stormwater runoff and combined sewer overflows (CSOs) -- stormwater best management practices (BMPs) such as, porous concrete, green roofs, rain barrels, vegetated swales and rain gardens are surfacing around the country at astonishing rates.

Sanitation District 1 in Northern Kentucky has turned its site into a pilot program for Stormwater BMPs, where they plan to monitor the results on both water quality and quantity. The Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) has also chosen to include porous concrete in their recently constructed park and ride.

Cities around the United States have begun to research, advocate and incorporate Stormwater BMPs into government policy; creating incentives for residents, spearheading educational campaigns and mandating them for new development.

CSO-plagued cities, such as Boston, Minneapolis and Chicago have all chosen to "LEED by example" by retrofitting city hall with a "green" or vegetated roof.

With more than 14 billion gallons of sewage overflows in Hamilton County, and growing concern over air and water quality, it is time for Cincinnati's public officials to jump on the bandwagon, and take a stand in the fight for a vibrant economy, a healthy environment and an equitable quality of life. It is time for Cincinnati to LEED us by example.

Copyright 2006, CommunityPress.com