By Larry Tate
January 31, 2005

Redmond Mayor Rosemary Ives chaired the meeting of the Sustainable Development Task Force. The well-attended session focused on how cities can implement sustainable development practices at the local level.

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson spoke in detail of the initiative called "Salt Lake City Green," which he said was "developed from scratch" and which includes many different city programs in support of sustainable development. These programs were based on a "sustainability inventory" that looked at various policies and activities of the city's government to set priorities and find specific areas where practical measures could be taken. Among the programs that resulted were:

• A very successful light-rail line was built (and is due to be expanded further), which now transports 130,000 people a day.
• A campaign was undertaken to improve pedestrian safety and make the city safe and attractive for walking. Specific measures included new lights at pedestrian crossings and orange flags that walkers could carry to help drivers see them. Pedestrian injuries decreased by 37 percent.
• An exercise competition was organized among city government workers, who formed "green teams" and used pedometers provided by the city to show how many steps they took each day. Both the fitness and the morale of the employees improved noticeably.
• New bike lanes and bike racks were provided to encourage bicycling.
• The city sued to block a new freeway that would have aggravated air- quality problems that result from the topography of the city's natural setting.
• Various measures involving natural gas for city vehicles, the promotion of energy- efficient lighting, and the promotion of recycling have made city operations more environmentally sound.
• Anderson has set a goal for the city of complying with the Kyoto Protocol to limit the effects of global warming, and encourages other cities to do the same even if the federal government does otherwise.

Racine (WI) Mayor Gary Becker discussed the experience of his city, which historically was the site of much heavy industry and has had to make major efforts to promote sustainability. "Everything's connected," he said, referring to "quality of life issues." He cited four "pillars" of sustainable development: economics, social equity, environment and education.

Thanks to funding from a local philanthropist, Racine has been able to undertake a "formal process" in this area, getting input from "all sectors of the community." Many CEOs and elected officials have been brought into the process. Becker believes the structure of the initiative is less important than the long-term vision that underlies it.

Ryan Bell, of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), spoke of his organization's partnerships with cities. ICLEI's mission is to build and serve a worldwide movement of local governments to achieve tangible improvements in global sustainability with special focus on environmental conditions through cumulative local actions. He cited the interactive importance of environmental, economic and social factors.

Key elements of a sustainability process, he said, were: community input, political support, and holistic vision. ICLEI helps local communities do a "sustainability inventory" and develop a "sustainability action plan."

Finally, Carol Brown from the city of Chicago, spoke of Mayor Richard M. Daley's goal of making Chicago "the greenest city in the country" and following a "green action plan." Ives suggested that mayors attending the Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting in Chicago in June get a tour of sites in the city's demonstrating the city's comprehensive efforts in support of sustainability.