One of the things I would like to work for is a Green Government Initiative for Minneapolis. I mentioned this in my Sierra Club questionnaire.
It is modeled, to a large degree, on work already done. Most recently, Sen. Hottinger and Rep. Kahn worked on such an initiative at the state level. I have tried to use their best ideas and now welcome broad-based discussion and input as we move forward with this idea for Minneapolis. Please let me know what you think. The Green City Government Initiative I envision will benefit the people of Minneapolis in three primary ways. First, it will help make this a cleaner more sustainable city, region, country and planet. Second, it will help stimulate the private sector to develop and provide more environmentally-friendly products and services. Thirdly, through our example, it will encourage other public entities and other private businesses to create green purchasing initiates of their own. Through the initiative we will put environmental impact at the core of the purchasing decisions of the city and direct city policies towards green products and practices. This will stimulate development of more ecologically wise products and services and, eventually if not at first, result in more demand for these products and more opportunities. Companies selling to the city would be encouraged to use higher levels of recycled materials, take extended responsibility for reusing and recycling the products and develop more environmentally-friendly ones in the process. The initiative includes: -�Energy Efficiency Impact statements for new construction of city buildings and energy audits of existing buildings - Mandated use of energy efficient vehicles, hybrids and increased use of biodiesel fuels. - Greater use of non toxic recycled and recyclable materials throughout city government. - Move to using recycled and chlorine free paper immediately and tree free paper within 3 years. - For all electronics, require that the seller will take back and safely recycle or dispose of their product. - Mandate integrated pest management methods and ban phosphate fertilizer on any city property unless deemed necessary by a soil test. By using the knowledge, technology and resources we already have available, like the Green Institute in Minneapolis, we can develop better ways to design, heat, light, cool and construct buildings and better ways to manage the land, vehicles and property we already have. Minneapolis ought to be a national model of how to run a city in a sustainable, environmentally-friendly and ecologically wise way. This initiative will help to do that. This initiative ought to be part of a larger city-wide effort to clean and protect our land, air and water; develop better, cleaner transit options; reduce our waste and our reliance on the garbage burning and to make this a cleaner, healthier city for everyone. Now, and always, I welcome your ideas and input. Yours for a more just, more democratic and more sustainable city, Cam Gordon for Ward 2 914 Franklin Terrace Seward, Mpls. MN 55406-1101 (612) 332-6210 http://www.camgordon.org Green Party, Progressive Mn, Labor (UE 1139) and Sierra Club Endorsed _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
