Chicago s Seven Identified Sustainability Areas - 1208 Words

Introduction Over the course of the semester, our class has learned about cities in the United States that have gone above and beyond to develop green government initiatives that benefit both communities and the environment. Although I initially thought I wouldn’t be able to find another city that even compared to those we have studied, I was wrong. The Portney (2005) reading identified Chicago, Illinois as a prime example of sustainable innovation, and as I worked through this project it became clear why. Chicago has identified the following areas as top priorities for their sustainable initiatives: Energy, transportation, economic development/job creation, water/wastewater, waste/recycling, parks/open space/water, and climate change†¦show more content†¦The city’s top three energy goals include increasing overall city energy efficiency by 5%, city building energy efficiency by 10%, and the renewable energy usage by 20 megawatts (City of Chicago, 2015a). Further, since 71% of carbon emissions come from the energy used by buildings in the city (City of Chicago, 2015a), it is unsurprising that government has taken notice. As stated by the City of Chicago (2015a), a goal has been set to increase renewable energy use 25% by the year 2026. Reductions in carbon emissions are not only beneficial in terms of energy efficiency, but they also reduce harm to the environment that can lead to climate change (City of Chicago, 2015a). It is also important to note that increasing energy efficiency can include building new, costly infrastructure that will pay off long-term, or can be as easy as replacing all street lights with energy efficient bulbs. In fact, updating street light energy efficiency is such a simple and cost-effective energy usage reduction tactic, it used in many of the cities we have studied this semester, such as Portland (Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, 2011). It is evident that the City of Chicago (2015a) believes that no sustainable effor t is insignificant. Transportation The City of Chicago has developed several programs that address the issue of transportation. In the city, problems associated with transportation include