CitiesGoGreen - January 2009 - (Page 23) Rybak was elected in 2001 after running mayor made the case that everyone in that use less salt on our snowy streets, or on a strong environmental platform and city government is involved in sustain- thought as much about permeable surwas re-elected by a substantial majority ability, taking environmental factors into faces and roof gardens and solar on their in 2005. Although he credits Gayle Prest account became part of selecting these facilities. Our Fire Department wouldn’t with a strong role in coordinating the products as well. have a rain garden on one of the new fire city’s efforts, Prest herself sees stations.” He underlines the im“I believe passionately that sustainability is exactly what portance of both measurable Rybak’s influence as crucial. “There were some pieceand a is going to spur the green economy that will get us out of performance indicatorson the meal things going on before, sense of responsibility but when Mayor Rybak came the financial mess we’re in right now.” — Mayor Rybak part of every employee. “We in we started putting systems have to get sustainability out in place: coming up with what of its silo and into every part of sustainability means, what our indicators When this kind of thinking happens city government.” are, and creating the City Council’s Health, across the board, results quickly mount As a result, Minneapolis’s range of green Energy and Advisory Committee so we up. “If we only had two, or five, or even 10 accomplishments is extraordinarily broad, have one committee that we report to,” people coordinating our sustainability, ranging from solar arrays and rain garPrest said. All city departments now in- and we didn’t send that strong clear mes- dens on city property to green buildings, clude measurable goals and sustainabil- sage that everybody was involved, peo- hybrid-electric buses and the conversion ity indicators within their business plans. ple wouldn’t have come up with sustain- of a coal plant to cleaner natural gas. AcDepartments assess their performance able cleaning materials,” the mayor says. cess Minneapolis, a new 10-year transporin quarterly reports, and the Mayor sits “People in Public Works wouldn’t have tation plan, puts pedestrians and bikes at the table at every quarterly meeting come up with the strategy of new devices on an equal footing with cars, according asking each department what to the mayor. The city has a they are doing to move forcar-sharing program already, ward. and is currently exploring the Each city department propossibility of a bike-sharing poses its own sustainability program. The Fire Department, goals and citizen input also inin addition to fighting fires, wafluences the final performance ters the trees on public land. indicators, which continue Minneapolis’s 2007 Sustainabilto evolve. For instance, when ity Report includes updates to Rybak was elected, the city recity zoning codes that will alplaced the mayor’s limousine low wind turbines and future with a hybrid vehicle. Rybak light rail development. And then set a mandate to move the U.S Census Bureau reports as quickly as possible towards that Minnesota ranks number purchasing more alternative two among large cities for the cars. It became apparent, hownumber of cyclists (just 0.9% ever, that alternative vehicles behind Portland). were only part of the solution. That number is particularly “We soon realized that if striking given the city’s fourwe simply took all the cars season weather. Many cyclists we had and threw them in a continue biking throughout heap somewhere and then the frigid Minnesota winters. bought new hybrids, no matWhile hardiness has to be part ter how green those new cars of the reason, another may are, throwing away all those be bike racks. If a business other cars would not be a very wants to install a bike rack, the green strategy,” Rybak said. A city pays half. “As a result, we more effective sustainability have hundreds of bike racks indicator, staff realized, would throughout the city,” said Prest. be to target reductions in both “And somehow that’s been renumber of miles driven and ally important in making it a lot number of cars in the fleet. The easier for folks to bike. It’s kind fleet’s performance indicators of a no-brainer, isn’t it?” were changed as a result. Homegrown Minneapolis is For another example, cleananother series of initiatives, foing supplies had for many cused on promoting local food. years been purchased on a “It’s time to go back to the local lowest-cost basis. When the connection between city and January 2009 23 http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/public%2Dworks/trans%2Dplan/index.asp#TopOfPage http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/public%2Dworks/trans%2Dplan/index.asp#TopOfPage http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/sustainability/2007SustainablityReport.asp http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/sustainability/2007SustainablityReport.asp http://www.CitiesGoGreen.com
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