SLC Mayor Orders More "Green" Practices

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) Consistent with his passion for environmental issues, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson chose sustainability as the topic of only his 12th executive order since taking office. It requires all city departments and divisions to implement environment-friendly policies. Environmental programs manager Vicki Bennett says the city has exhausted many of the easy fixes.

"The first low-hanging fruit are easy," says Bennett. "We're still finding them and obviously we still have buildings we need to retrofit, we're doing more and more with our fleet facilities. But you know there's a lot more out there."

The executive order also creates a Sustainability Committee made of government officials and members of the nonprofit, business and academic communities. Bennett will chair the group with an eye to extending "green" practices into every aspect of city business, including zoning ordinances and historical preservation rules that "might not mesh well with modern day sustainability."

"For example putting solar cells on a house," explains Bennett. "If it's in an historical district you might be hurting the historic character. So how do you balance that?"

In the executive order, Mayor Anderson says quote "thoughtful planning and resolve are required of everyone in city government if the city is to achieve long-term sustainability."

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