Green Community Plan Acknowledges the Need for Additional Work
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Dear Friends: It was 2005 when I first launched the Get Green Columbus initiative to ensure our city’s active contribution to the resolution of global environmental issues. At the time, “Get Green Columbus” was an appropriate name for the initiative as we were at the beginning stages of our work. After 10 years of constant, dedicated effort, Get Green Columbus no longer appropriately characterizes where we stand today. We have gotten green. We removed low head dams, thus restoring our rivers, including the Olentangy River winding through the OSU campus. We added greenspace downtown, making the improved greenway a primary attraction. We launched the city’s first comprehensive recycling program, which has been widely embraced by our residents. We launched a bikeshare program, CoGo, and the CBUS is circulating throughout downtown. We are piloting Blueprint Columbus, a new approach to eliminating sewer overflows while creating local jobs and strengthening our neighborhoods. This is just a small sample of our successes to date. Sustainability can be visualized along an unending spectrum. Although we have “gotten green,” there will always be more work to do, and I pledge my ongoing commitment to this endeavor. In the following pages you will see the projects, policy changes, and partnerships that make up the next five-year plan for sustainability in Columbus. The problems facing us are severe, and our work to mitigate the effects of climate change must remain an urgent priority. The City of Columbus cannot do this work alone; it will take the entire community. This is why we engaged the community in the creation of this plan. Thank you to my Green Team for providing many hours of work preparing this plan. I’d also like to thank Columbus City Council, the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio, the Mayor’s Office of Environmental Stewardship, and countless people in our community who have made sustainability part of their way of life. Lastly, I offer special thanks to more than 1,000 residents who took the time to share their ideas and provide comments during the creation of this plan. Thank you, MiM chael B. Coleman, Mayor TABLE OF CONTENTS 2-5 Timeline Recent Green Successes Introduction 6 Purpose 8 Vision, Goals, and Values 10 Supporting Documents 11 Partners Objectives and Actions 12 Climate Change 18 Energy 28 Transportation 40 Waste Reduction 52 Ecological Systems 62 Water 70 Local Food 76 Built Environment 86 Community Engagement 94 Governance of the Plan’s Implementation 96 Planning Process 100 Acknowledgements 4 1 INTRODUCTION RECENT GREEN SUCCESSES INTRODUCTION RECENT GREEN SUCCESSES Friends of Alum Creek and Tributaries Timeline Recent Green Successes complete an eff ort to remove two low head dams on Alum Creek. Mayor Michael B. Coleman GreenSpot program launches. launches the Get Green Columbus Initiative with the fi rst Green Memo. Bicycling magazine names Columbus the New Best City for Cycling (June issue). Mayor Michael B. Coleman establishes a Green Team to The fi rst LEED Platinum residence in the State Ten participating advise on environmental policy. of Ohio is built in Columbus by Homeport with jurisdictions establish the support of the City of Columbus. the Big Darby Accord to Mayor Michael B. Coleman creates protect the watershed an anti-idling policy for city Columbus Department of Public Safety opens ecosystem. employees through Executive Order. Fire Station 10, a LEED Gold-rated facility. 20 20 20 20 20 20 04 05 06 07 08 09 Mayor Michael B. Coleman signs Mayor Michael B. Coleman and 11 central Grange Insurance the U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Ohio mayors join together to develop Audubon Center opens Agreement. the Central Ohio Green Pact, a 10-point on a remediated former common-sense approach to creating a more brownfi eld site. The historic Lazarus building environmentally friendly region. becomes one of the largest LEED*- City puts its fi rst certifi ed historic rehabilitation eff orts City Council adopts the Bicentennial compressed natural gas in the country. The building features Bikeways Master Plan to advance Columbus (CNG) vehicle, a refuse a green roof, reuse of stormwater, as a Bicycle Friendly Community. truck, into operation. and recycled construction materials. All Columbus City Schools begin recycling City earns Government Greenview Estates, the city’s fi rst with the help of the Solid Waste Authority Fleet’s Environmental green neighborhood, is developed. of Central Ohio drop box program. Leadership Award. The neighborhood features 30 aff ordable, green, energy-effi cient National Association of Industrial and Offi ce Women’s Transportation homes. Properties receives the Green Development Seminar International Award for renovations completed on the awards Pedal Instead the Lazarus building. Innovative Transportation Solutions Award. *Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, homes, and neighborhoods. 2 3 INTRODUCTION RECENT GREEN SUCCESSES INTRODUCTION RECENT GREEN SUCCESSES CoGo Bike Share and car2go car sharing are launched. Timeline Recent Green Successes Main Street Dam is removed and river restoration project begins, adding 33 acres of greenspace downtown. Geothermal heating The largest solar project of its kind in and cooling system Ohio is installed on the roof of the City’s is installed, servicing Fleet Maintenance facility. The 2,650 City Hall and 77 North panels generate 436,962 kWh. Green Memo III implementation begins. Front Street. Corporate Knights magazine, in conjunction with Tufts University, Deconstruction eff ort launches, Government Fleet names Columbus a Top Ten addressing blight due to vacant ranks Columbus’ fl eet Greenest City in America (ranked and abandoned homes, reducing the #1 Greenest Fleet 8th, tied with Chicago, Minneapolis, construction waste, and creating labor in North America. Philadelphia, and Phoenix). opportunities for ex-off enders. 20 20 20 20 20 20 10 11 12 13 14 15 Green Memo II is issued. Fifth Avenue Dam is breached Waste & Recycling RecyColumbus program expands and river restoration begins on News presents to multi-family homes. Total Ground breaks on the Quasar the Olentangy River. Columbus with the households served reaches biodigester. Green City Award for 203,000. City purchases fi rst electric excellence in recycling The city’s Green Columbus Fund vehicles and installs fi rst public accomplishments and Blueprint Columbus begins pilot launches, providing charging stations. innovative promotion projects in select neighborhoods $1 million annually to support and education using to determine which innovative private green building and City opens its fi rst public the RecyColumbus stormwater techniques best brownfi eld redevelopment compressed natural gas (CNG) campaign. address sanitary sewer overfl ows projects. fueling station on Groves Road. and water in basements. COTA launches its Natural Resource Defense Subscription recycling program Get Green initiative and COTA begins off ering a free Council names Columbus a ends for most residents with the begins conversion of the downtown circulator bus service. “Smarter City” for Energy. launch of the RecyColumbus entire fl eet of buses to program, off ering blue carts and CNG. City Council establishes an American Lung Association biweekly collection to eligible Environment Committee chaired gives the City of Columbus the households at no charge. by Councilmember Michelle Mills. Clean Vehicle Champion Award. Yay Bikes! receives the Federal GreenSpot reaches its milestone Highway Administration 10,000th member. Exemplary Human Environment Initiative Award for the How We Roll Bicycle Education Campaign. 4 5 INTRODUCTION PURPOSE INTRODUCTION PURPOSE Our Purpose To Advance The Columbus Sustainability Green Community Plan acknowledges the need for additional work. As a core value, the Columbus community believes It serves as a platform to unite a broad range in being responsible stewards of the environment. of diverse stakeholders, including government The united vision for the future of our city is to be entities, nonprofi t organizations, educational a green community—a community that is institutions, private businesses, and residents, to lead our community in becoming increasingly environmentally sustainable. beautiful While maintaining existing programs that in its landscape, with make progress toward advancing sustainability, The Columbus Green Community Plan healthy spells out additional ventures to pursue within people breathing clean air, the next fi ve years. drinking and enjoying clean water, and living in Internally for city staff , the plan prosperity, acts as a Mayoral directive, calling for active engagement in these community initiatives and ultimately demonstrating that economic providing a method of tracking and reporting vitality and environmental protections progress toward clearly defi ned objectives. are mutually dependent. In the past, this core value has been approached by many Externally, it serves as an open entities independently as well as among invitation to join the city in working toward small alliances. The progress that has been realizing the outlined priorities. made to date is remarkable. 6 7 INTRODUCTION VISION, GOALS, VALUES INTRODUCTION VISION, GOALS, VALUES Our Vision Our Goals Our Values CLIMATE CHANGE Integrated into all of To mitigatete and adapt our goals, we value: The Columbus Green Community Plan is for “all of us”— to a changingnging climate. residents,