February 3, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City Coordinating Community Efforts To Go Green
DECATUR – The City this week began interviews with firms looking to create a communitywide sustainability plan, continuing efforts to position Decatur as a leader in implementation of “green” practices.
The plan will coordinate efforts between the various groups now working to make Decatur more environmentally friendly, addressing sustainable practices within city government facilities and throughout the community at large while identifying areas needing improvement. Public participation will be integral to the plan’s creation and the following goals are to be achieved as part of the plan:
- Market and position Decatur as a green community and a hub for green economy
- Encourage innovative low impact development practices and sustainability through historic preservation measures
- Improve residential quality of life through exceptional sustainable programs
- Reduce costs and increase efficiency within public facilities
- Become a zero waste community
- Review and improve existing sustainable programs, such as the residential recycling program, to increase efficiency
A total of 23 firms responded to the city’s request for proposals (RFP) to create the plan, a list that was narrowed to five applicants to be interviewed. The goal is to have the plan in place six months after a firm is actually selected.
The city was recently allotted more than $700,000 in Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant funding as part of the federal stimulus package, which will fund development of the sustainability plan and could fund implementation. The Decatur community has already made significant strides towards green economic development and towards positioning itself as a leader in the development of green initiatives.
Archer Daniels Midland, headquartered in Decatur, has embarked on an $84.3 million carbon sequestration project which will involve the capture and storage of carbon dioxide from the company’s ethanol plan in porous rock below the Earth’s surface. The ADM project is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by storing the gasses instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. Last year the City of Decatur partnered with the Agricultural Watershed Institute in support of AWI’S Local Bioenergy Initiative, a project to begin growing and using energy grasses in Illinois to replace fossil fuels and create renewable energy sources. (see video at http://www.vimeo.com/6909189)
Moody’s Economy.com ranked Decatur as one of its top 10 housing markets for the next 10 years due in large part to its growth as a center for green energy development.
For more information contact Billy Tyus at 424-2753.