Recently the city of Chicago was honored as one of two exceptionally green US cities to be shortlisted for UN-Habitat‘s 100 Cities Initiative. The project aims to give cities, governments, and even individuals a voice in order to teach the world how we can make urban areas operate with less environmental impact. Chicago was chosen for its work over the past two decades to address climate change and build a better future — read on for a look at the windy city’s many green initiatives!
The 100 Cities Initiative website outlines a sustainable history of Chicago that dates back to 1989, when Mayor Richard M. Daley launched a campaign to plant more than 500,000 trees. The list also includes the Bike 2000 plan that established 114 miles of bike lanes and 50 miles of trails, in addition to the installation of 10,000 bike racks. The Chicago Brownfields Initiative was adopted in 1993, which returned 900 acres to productive use that continue to be a focus for urban farming and composting programs today. In 1999, the City installed its first alternative fueling station to power its municipal fleet.
REF: SLY and Lea
I’ve lived in Illinois all my life and the recycling issue is much more complex than it seems. Waste management is privatized where I live. It is not that we don’t want the recycling programs. We are over charged to have basic services and the low income neighborhoods are fined relentlessly for simple infractions by code enforcement. An environmental solution that has any chance of working must be environmentally sustainable, economically feasible, and socially acceptable for a community and recycling doesn’t meet the social and economic criteria by a long-shot in many urban areas throughout Illinois. Not every solution will work for every city and unfortunately recycling doesn’t seem to be viable for urban Illinois at the moment.
RE: SLY, I hear what you are saying. I have lived in Chicago less than a year and I already see how recycling is not easily accessible to many people. I too sneak my recyclables into carts down the street, since my building has not made provisions to have bins of our own. I saw this article about the failed blue cart program and it mad me very sad http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/09/chicago-recycling-fail-1_n_641087.html
How is it that Chicago was named one of the “green” cities whent they don’t even have an effective recycling program. I find that funny and sad.
does anyone have any ideas what can be done with coal mining towns and wv and mountain top removal. that is a horrible debate–cancer or my job. or we have enough coal here forever–you need us, or i can’t do anything else or we can’t even drink our own water etc… I think you get the picture