Light To Guide Our Feet Victory Bulletin - Mayor Kasim Reed Sets Goal for Atlanta to Become A Top 10 Sustainable City in the Nation

Mayor Kasim Reed Sets Goal for Atlanta to Become A Top 10 Sustainable City in the Nation

Announcement comes with unveiling of the City of Atlanta’s Sustainability Plan as a kick off to Sustainability Week, Oct. 25-29*

.Gov - - (October 25, 2010) - - Mayor Reed today unveiled Power to Change, a plan that will guide the City of Atlanta’s sustainability efforts for the next several years. As part of the plan, Mayor Reed has set the aggressive goal of making Atlanta a top 10 city for sustainability.

“I believe the City of Atlanta should be a leading example of how a major urban municipality can take greater responsibility for efficient energy and water use, the conservation of green space, and the promotion of a healthier, cleaner and greener environment,” Mayor Reed said. “It is vital we take concrete, measurable actions around sustainability now to protect the future of our city.”

Mayor Reed’s plan to achieve the top 10 city ranking includes a combination of new projects and policy initiatives, as well as the continuation of several successful, well-established programs. The plan sets sustainability benchmarks for all City departments, such as the reduction of petroleum fuel usage and water system leakage.

In addition, the plan’s new initiatives will create green jobs, push more transit and transit-oriented development, and reduce food “deserts” in the city --- neighborhoods where access to locally grown produce is limited. Targets guiding the new projects include:

· Reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the City of Atlanta’s jurisdiction 25 percent by 2020, 40 percent by 2030, and 80 percent by 2050;
· Reduce energy use for existing municipal operations 15 percent by 2020, 40 percent by 2030, and 80 percent by 2050. Make renewable energy five percent of total municipal use by 2015; and
· Bring local food within 10 minutes of 75 percent of all residents by 2020.

The City of Atlanta is currently ranked 19th among the SustainLane U.S. City Rankings. The rankings are proprietary, peer-reviewed, leading national survey that ranks the most populous U.S. cities in terms of their sustainability practices.

The release of Mayor Reed and the City of Atlanta’s Sustainability Plan is the first event of the city’s first Sustainability Week, which runs Oct. 25-29. Each day of the week includes daily activities and programs highlighting different focus areas of the plan, such as water quality and conservation, energy efficiency, jobs growth, local foods, and electric vehicles.*

“Being a more sustainable city not only protects and preserves the environment, it makes economic sense for the city,” said Mandy Mahoney, Atlanta’s first Director of Sustainability. “It helps drive financial savings and efficiency and creates jobs.”

The City of Atlanta’s Office of Sustainability already has established a strong track record of success. One of Atlanta’s first wins in sustainability was to become the first city in Georgia to determine its municipal carbon footprint, which occurred in 2008. By 2010, Atlanta reduced its footprint by 12.5 percent.

Under the leadership of Mayor Reed and his administration, several city departments have made substantial progress in environmentally sensitive areas such as reduced energy use, water pipe leak repairs and reduced gasoline use by municipal fleet. In fact, more than 50 percent of the objectives introduced only a few years ago have been achieved with the following results in 2010:

12.5 percent greenhouse gas reduction;
23 percent fossil fuel reduction;
16 percent natural gas reduction
25 percent reduction in energy use at City Hall; and
13 percent decrease in water use at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Because of this progress, the Division of Sustainability was able to secure four federal and state grants to the sum of $28 million that will be leveraged up to $164 million in improvements and at least 25 new projects.

Courtesy City of Atlanta, Georgia

Pub: www.ltgof.com Light To Guide Our Feet Victory Bulletin [LTGOFVB October 2010]