The City of Charleston has several items on its wish list: an increase in convenient and reliable public transit; more bicycle and walking lanes; the development of sustainable communities and highly efficient buildings.
Members of the Charleston Green Committee are working to turn these wishes into reality. They are all items included in a preliminary Climate Protection and Sustainability Plan. A final plan is expected to reach city council by September or October.
James Meadors, chairman of the Charleston Green Committee, spoke about his city’s efforts to go green at the Municipal Association of South Carolina’s Annual Meeting in August on Hilton Head Island.
About 18 months ago, Mayor Joe Riley established the Charleston Green Committee. He asked the committee to review Charleston’s greenhouse gas inventory and provide policy recommendations to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. Also, he asked the committee to create the comprehensive Plan for Climate Protection and Sustainability for Charleston, and to evaluate the city’s progress for the year 2010 in 2011. In July, the committee issued its draft of proposed policies (read the document at www.charlestongreencommittee.com).
Committee members were divided into six subcommittees. Then the public was invited to join the subcommittees that they found most beneficial or to which they could offer their expertise. Committee leaders also stressed the importance of holding meetings in various geographic areas to encourage wider participation. The effort paid off, with an average of 100 people turning out at each meeting, Meadors said.
"We really tried to make sure the community had the opportunity to participate in the process," he added.
Once the final Climate Protection and Sustainability Plan is approved, the Charleston Green Committee will work to implement the recommendations. A final step of the process will be to set up a system of review. Meadors said the city soon would have a new sustainability director who will bear much of the responsibility for implementing the plan.
The city already has taken steps in the green direction. Along with recycling initiatives and energy-saving techniques, Charleston has requested that all city-owned construction, beginning with buildings with planning that began in 2009, meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.
Meadors said he knows that many small municipalities do not have the resources to create their own comprehensive green plans, so he invited other cities to "steal" bits from Charleston’s plan and make it work for their own communities.
"This isn’t just about Charleston. Everything that we do, any body can have it and implement it in their own communities," Meadors said. "We’ll all benefit from that."
Meadors said green jobs, such as those dealing with alternative energy, are going to be in demand. South Carolina could be a key player with its numerous manufacturers and ports, he said, but it will require the education and support of policy makers.
"We’ve got to recognize the potential of green jobs," he said. "We need legislative support on the state and federal levels."