The Green Commission reconvened on Thursday, April 24th after a hiatus during the transition of administrations in city government. The commission hosted Deputy Mayor Nick Weber who spoke on the role of green development in for the city. Deputy Mayor Weber was followed by Department of Public Works (DPW) Director David Sherman who outlined the goals of the DPW, including water conservation, energy conservation though fleet management and a study of city groups to see how the city can be made greener. Tim Method then outlined the primary green steps the city plans to take in 2008, including:
1. Energy efficiency and conservation and the implementation of an energy conservation policy city-wide;
2. Purchasing by the city of eco-friendly products and implementing purchasing policies;
3. Traffic light conversion to LED;
4. Green building practices;
5. Decreasing fuel consumption (fleet management practices);
6. Reviewing public transportation options and strategies;
7. Internal city-wide recycling programs; and
8. Natural resource area focus - stormwater design manual and CSO long-term control plan.
The commission also heard updates from community and green commission members including the new Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce Green Business Initiative (6 companies, including Ice Miller LLP have met the criteria as a green business), the Indiana Sustainability Alliance (look for a new event hosted by a major manufacturer on its green practices), Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (planning on moving into its new headquarters in June) and Eli Lilly (discussing the green aspects of its Day of Service).
The commission agreed that its next steps would be to have the work groups convene to determine the top 1 - 3 priorities in each area so that the commission can establish the key implementation steps and recommend those to the mayor's office for consideration. The commission plans to meet in June to discuss the priorities. Interested parties can contact Tim Method at DPW to join the list serve to receive updates on the commission.
