Mayor John Dickert is keeping Racine involved in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative. Here's a press release from his office:
Dickert among Mayors Leading Way as Green Cities Chart Sustainable Future for Great Lakes and St. Lawrence
RACINE – Mayor John Dickert has joined mayors of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, representing 13 million Americans and Canadians, in committing to adopt and expand green municipal practices, through the launch of the Green CiTTS program.
“Mayors understand that actions in our cities have a positive impact across the Great Lakes Basin,” said Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daily, founding United States Chair of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Initiative.”Today, cities are committing to expand and accelerate the implementation of innovative municipal projects and programs so that we can continue to lead the way on the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.”
Racine Mayor Dickert, who serves on the Board of Directors of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative couldn’t agree more.
“On behalf of the City of Racine, I am proud to join the 72 Mayors of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative in our pledge to transform the entire region, community by community, towards a sustainable, vibrant, and prosperous future,” said Dickert, “”We can lead the way in this effort. We know we must utilize the assets we have to build strong partnerships for growth around the water industry, and with funds becoming scarce, we’re working harder and smarter with our money to protect such a valuable asset.”
The Green CiTTS (Cities Transforming Towards Sustainability) program has four objectives:
- To Protect Water Resources and Costal Areas
- To Promote Lo-Carbon Energy Generation and Consumption
- To Adopt Green Land Use and Building Design
- To Encourage Green Economic Development
Actions under the Green CiTTS program in its inaugural year will contribute to protecting water resources and coastal areas, by providing support for municipal actions to reduce storm water runoff. This year’s program is supported by the Joyce Foundation, in collaboration with partners including American Rivers, and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.
Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities are already demonstrating their leadership their leadership. From Chicago’s Alternative Fuel Project to Montreal’s Sustainability Plan, from Grand Rapids’ commitment to 100% renewable fuels to Milwaukee’s Green Seems Program to reduce storm water runoff, mayors make it their daily duty to create sustainable communities.
An important aspect of the Green CiTTS program is the promotion and adoption of green technologies to support this effort and the creation of green jobs to stimulate local and regional economies. Cities around the Great Lakes spend an estimated $15 billion on environmental protection initiatives each year.
“Our cities have enormous investment and purchasing power that can be deployed to support the development of environmental technologies and trainings for green jobs,” said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, host city of last month’s Cities Initiative conference.
Mayor Dickert also was part of a panel at the conference and addressed the members at which time he announced that the City Of Racine had installed a handicapped beach mat on North Beach – the first of its kind anywhere on the Great Lakes.
The installation of the mat which gives access to Racine’s lakefront to the handicapped, those with strollers, and others, many for the first time in their lives, drew extreme interest from other mayors and officials attending the conference.
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative is a bi-national coalition of over 70 mayors and other local officials that works actively with federal, state, tribal, first nation and provincial governments and other stakeholders to advance the protections, restoration, and promotion of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence basin.
For media: For additional information see backgrounder and GLSLCI website for more details, www.glslcities.org/initiatives/greencities.cfm.
