Sustainable Cities: Best Practices for Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency
Green roof on Chicago's City Hall. Photo courtesy of Roofscapes, Inc.
The Sierra Club had prepared "Sustainable Cities: Best Practices for Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency." This report documents innovative and successful programs U.S. cities are using to become more sustainable. Through web research and telephone interviews, the author provides information on numerous municipal programs for renewable energy and energy efficiency in four U.S. cities: Austin, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Portland, Oregon. The report discusses many of the common practices and programs used to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy for each of the four cities.
The report concludes that fourteen key elements are necessary for implementing sustainability in energy in these four cities:
- Leadership
- A Plan
- Funding
- Reduced Energy Costs
- Communications
- Training
- Inspections, Audits and Measurement
- Efficiency Rebate Programs
- Renewable Programs
- Green Building
- Multi-family Building Programs
- Income Qualified Programs
- New Businesses, New Jobs
- Green roofs
In addition to discussing how each of the four cities has addressed these key elements, the report contains links to more than 80 websites with supporting information. The report provides a broad overview of many of the practices and programs for an organization interested in implementing sustainability in energy in its community. Readers can to compare and contrast programs in different cities and if interested can learn more about these initiatives by following the appropriate link.
Energy that comes from sources that are not depleted by use. Examples include energy from the sun, wind, and small (low-impact) hydropower, plus geothermal energy and wave and tidal systems.Energy efficiency is the process of using less energy to produce the same or increased functions. Often used mistakenly as a synonym for ENERGY CONSERVATION. The ability or potential of a physical body to do work. The most common forms of energy are heat, light, mechanical (moving parts), and electrical.
