Chapter 6 – Sustainability and Green Practices
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Chapter 6 Sustainability and Green Practices PERSONAL VISION STATEMENTS “The city is a leader in sustainable development in the State of Alabama.” “Create a mindset around green innovation and conservation.” 6.1 CITY OF BIRMINGHAM COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PART II | CHAPTER 6 SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN PRACTICES GOALS POLICIES FOR DECISION MAKERS City operations serve as a model of • Continue organizational and operational improvements to maximize energy and energy and resource efficiency. resource efficiency and reduce waste. • Give preference to energy-efficient design, materials and equipment in public facilities and infrastructure. • Expand the use of renewable energy sources for city operations. Reinvestment in existing communities • Support clean-up and adaptive reuse of brownfields. conserves resources and sensitive • Encourage the preservation and adaptive reuse of existing structures to reduce environments. construction waste and conserve energy and materials. • Encourage urban farming and community gardens to reduce food deserts and food imbalance areas. Private developments incorporate • Consider incentives for energy-efficient, “green” building. cost-effective sustainable planning • Encourage development that protects the city’s water resources. and design features at citywide, neighborhood and site levels. • Encourage the use of natural drainage in stormwater management systems where feasible. • Encourage the use of conservation and low-impact development techniques • Support improvement of state water quality standards and encourage water efficiency standards and enforcement. The city makes every effort to help • Consider incentives for the development of multimodal transportation systems that meet air pollution standards. reduce vehicle emissions. • Encourage vehicle emission inspections to improve air quality, industrial opportunity, and community health. • Promote the recruitment of clean industry. • Consider incentives for private industries to further reduce emissions over time. • Encourage energy-efficient design, materials and equipment in existing and new private developments. • Support the improvement of state energy policy standards and programs. 6.2 CITY OF BIRMINGHAM COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PART II | CHAPTER 6 SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN PRACTICES findings challenges The City has recently initiated organizational programs The city recycling program is not available to multi-fam- to improve energy efficiency. ily and non-residential developments. Some businesses perform or contract out recycling. Green Building Focus and the Green Resource Center of Alabama are located in Birmingham. The value and benefits of cost-effective green develop- ment need to be demonstrated more effectively. The City maintains an active recycling program but recycling is not mandatory. Comprehensive improvements in cost-effective sus- tainability will require partnerships with neighboring The Alabama Environmental Council and others offer municipalities and the private sector. recycling programs for materials not served by the city recycling program. More awareness about the quality of life and economic development benefits of cost-effective sustainability is There are many LEED accredited engineering, construc- needed. tion and design professionals in the metro area. While the region is experiencing only moderate growth, A majority of Alabama’s LEED certified buildings have its urbanized area and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) are been constructed in the Birmingham area. increasing at a much faster rate. The Health Action Partnership has been successful State law must be changed to allow the re-use of grey- in integrating local initiatives to raise awareness and water and advance water efficiency. improving the built environment and promoting active transportation as a major element in improving public health. 6.3 CITY OF BIRMINGHAM COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PART II | CHAPTER 6 SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN PRACTICES A. What the B. What is Sustainability? Community Said The most widely accepted definition of sustainability is “meeting today’s needs without compromising the ability of During the Visioning Forum, participants identified future generations to meet their own needs.” Another way Birmingham’s top assets, several of which support the to view sustainability is the balance point among economic, city’s overall sustainability: access to health care; affordable community and environmental systems and values. This is housing and cost of living; higher education; and diversity. referred to as the “triple bottom line.” In both viewpoints, Table discussions revealed several overall priorities sustainability revolves around how the use of a variety of that would also further the city’s sustainability goals: resources affects our lives, our economy and our future. improving public education, better public transit, better pedestrian and bicycle facilities, mixed use development, Worldwide, cities and metropolitan areas play an important neighborhood revitalization and mixed income housing, role in achieving greater sustainability and reducing and improve air quality. pollution. While metropolitan areas cover only about 1% of the planet, they contribute almost 80% of air-polluting During the Communities of Interest workshop on Green emissions. The sprawling, auto-dependent nature of Systems and Sustainability, attendees identified issues exurban and suburban development around central cities that brought them to the meeting and table discussions is a major contributor to air-polluting emissions in cities. provided a set of priorities. Several of those dealt with On the other hand, dense urban environments in core cities sustainability topics. are much more resource-efficient and energy-efficient per Issues capita than suburban and exurban areas. • Air and water quality Recently, the City of Birmingham launched an effort to • Interconnected green infrastructure network promote more sustainable practices in its own operations • Sprawl and to encourage green building in the city. The City’s • Food deserts Office of Economic Development has been tasked with • Support for sustainable development practices developing programs to acknowledge and create incentives • Recycling to encourage sustainable design in new private-sector • Community health and the built environment development. Priorities SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES • Improve air and water quality • Use development regulations to support sustainable Birmingham is making progress in meeting the challenges of development becoming a truly sustainable city—creating and maintaining • Increase access to fresh foods the desired balance among community, economic • Protect biodiversity and wildlife habitat and environmental systems and values. Birmingham’s • Promote and expand recycling challenges can only be fully addressed through continuing • Improve connectivity and enhancing regional partnerships, with other local • Increase public awareness on green systems and governments and with the business community. sustainability • Promote alternative, clean energy sources and energy Birmingham’s sustainability challenges include: efficiency • Air quality • Soil contamination • Water quality and efficiency • Energy and resource use • Community health 6.4 CITY OF BIRMINGHAM COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PART II | CHAPTER 6 SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN PRACTICES Air Quality currently to 700,000 by 2025. The utility does not have the capacity today to meet that demand but has taken steps to Improving and maintaining air quality has been a struggle increase water supply by tapping additional sources. for the city and the region. By fully and permanently addressing air quality conditions, Birmingham and the Efforts to increase water capacity, the high costs of which surrounding region can reduce health risks to children, ultimately are borne by ratepayers, should be balanced with seniors and asthma sufferers and simultaneously release the greater conservation and water efficiency efforts. metro area from restrictions imposed due to Clean Air Act violations. However, Birmingham must balance the costs Energy and Resource Efficiency of improving air quality with potential reductions in health care expenditures. Buildings consume 49% of all the energy produced in the United States, and by 2035, about 75% of all the buildings Soil Contamination in the country will be new or renovated. This means that the next 25 years offer an opportunity to establish energy The city contains areas where the land itself has become efficiency throughout the building sector. Efficient energy highly contaminated. Arsenic and BaP contamination use allows city government, businesses, institutions and are often associated with coal processing, a significant residents to reduce their utility bills. component of the region’s historic steel-producing industry. The two contaminants are linked to skin and Residential energy use is high compared to other states due respiratory problems, cancer and other health problems. to heating and air conditioning demand during the winter Lead contamination in soil is also a known problem related and summer respectively. This is an area in which cost- to the city’s historic industries. Given the widespread effective and energy-efficient building design would enable development of industrial facilities throughout Jones Valley, businesses and residents to lower energy consumption it is likely that similar problems exist in other parts of the while also saving money. city beyond the boundaries of the plants. Land consumption is an important