The Public Agency Council is proud to announce its new chair, Lynn Dittmer with the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency. This council also enjoys representation from many other key agencies in Omaha, including Omaha by Design, the Mayor’s office, Omaha Planning Department, Omaha Public Works, OPPD, MUD, Papio NRD, MAT, and UNO. The Council has created a Public Agency Green Practice Matrix, which identifies green practices in which member organizations are engaged. This matrix will continue to expand as participation increases.
May Forum Set for May 3, Elmwood Park, 2-4 pm
Please join us for the second annual May Forum! Members and volunteers have the chance to hear about the activities of the different councils, share news of their own initiatives and meet other active leaders in the community.
Green Omaha Coalition, Public Agency Council, City of Omaha Accomplishments
The City of Omaha had many sustainability successes in 2008, and city staff continues to work toward attaining an even more sustainable community in 2009. Among Omaha’s successes was the SustainLane.com annual rankings. SustainLane.com conducted its annual sustainability survey of United States cities, and Omaha moved up 12 spots in the rankings, from 37th in 2007 to 25th in 2008. Highlights of the ranking include recognition as the 7th city in the United States in the category “energy and climate change policy,” and 10th for “metro street congestion.”
Another endeavor undertaken by the City of Omaha is the development and implementation of pilot programs to recycle compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, and to replace traditional street lights with light emitting diode (LED) bulbs.
In partnership with Wastecap Nebraska and Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), in September 2008, the City initiated its first pilot program that allowed the general public to dispose of used CFLs at any of the 14 Omaha Public Libraries. The pilot program was designed to educate the community on the benefits of CFLs, and to simultaneously provide a safe, convenient, and environmentally-conscious way to dispose of old light bulbs. Within a three month period in the fall of 2008, 368 CFLs were dropped off at Omaha Public Libraries. The program met such success that the City of Omaha Public Works Department, Omaha Public Library, and OPPD will continue to work together on the project.
Clearly a great sustainability partner for the City of Omaha, the City collaborated with OPPD on a second pilot program in October of 2008. This project focused on reducing energy costs by replacing street lights with LED bulbs. The LED bulbs are designed to use half of the energy that the traditional high-pressure sodium lights consume. The LED pilot is still in the trial phase, and different LED models are tested in Omaha neighborhoods to address effectiveness and safety concerns.
Although the City of Omaha’s master plan addresses environmental issues to an extent within the eight existing elements, the addition of an environmental element to the plan will comprehensively address environment and sustainability concerns. This undertaking is referred to as Environment Omaha, and the five goal areas include: natural environment; urban form and transportation; building construction; resource conservation; and community health. With the added benefit of public input, the Environment Omaha Project will help create an environmentally sustainable community. To learn more about Environment Omaha, see http://www.environmentomaha.com
-Andrea Fox, City of Omaha
May Forum Set for May 3, Elmwood Park, 2-4 pm
Please join us for the second annual May Forum! Members and volunteers have the chance to hear about the activities of the different councils, share news of their own initiatives and meet other active leaders in the community.
Green Omaha Coalition, Public Agency Council, City of Omaha Accomplishments
The City of Omaha had many sustainability successes in 2008, and city staff continues to work toward attaining an even more sustainable community in 2009. Among Omaha’s successes was the SustainLane.com annual rankings. SustainLane.com conducted its annual sustainability survey of United States cities, and Omaha moved up 12 spots in the rankings, from 37th in 2007 to 25th in 2008. Highlights of the ranking include recognition as the 7th city in the United States in the category “energy and climate change policy,” and 10th for “metro street congestion.”
Another endeavor undertaken by the City of Omaha is the development and implementation of pilot programs to recycle compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, and to replace traditional street lights with light emitting diode (LED) bulbs.
In partnership with Wastecap Nebraska and Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), in September 2008, the City initiated its first pilot program that allowed the general public to dispose of used CFLs at any of the 14 Omaha Public Libraries. The pilot program was designed to educate the community on the benefits of CFLs, and to simultaneously provide a safe, convenient, and environmentally-conscious way to dispose of old light bulbs. Within a three month period in the fall of 2008, 368 CFLs were dropped off at Omaha Public Libraries. The program met such success that the City of Omaha Public Works Department, Omaha Public Library, and OPPD will continue to work together on the project.
Clearly a great sustainability partner for the City of Omaha, the City collaborated with OPPD on a second pilot program in October of 2008. This project focused on reducing energy costs by replacing street lights with LED bulbs. The LED bulbs are designed to use half of the energy that the traditional high-pressure sodium lights consume. The LED pilot is still in the trial phase, and different LED models are tested in Omaha neighborhoods to address effectiveness and safety concerns.
Although the City of Omaha’s master plan addresses environmental issues to an extent within the eight existing elements, the addition of an environmental element to the plan will comprehensively address environment and sustainability concerns. This undertaking is referred to as Environment Omaha, and the five goal areas include: natural environment; urban form and transportation; building construction; resource conservation; and community health. With the added benefit of public input, the Environment Omaha Project will help create an environmentally sustainable community. To learn more about Environment Omaha, see http://www.environmentomaha.com
-Andrea Fox, City of Omaha
posted by ktorpy @ 11:13 AM
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