How "Green" is your community? (Wheaton, Geneva: credit, buying)

[sgresident]

Wondering what steps local communities are taking to go "green"? I think it is something that we need to start doing here in Sugar Grove. I am interested to hear how other communities got started with becoming ecologically friendly!

[cityofwheaton.info]

Wheaton is very green.

[sgresident]

I was really looking for some examples of what steps other communities are taking. We are a Tree City and encourage planting of trees, and we have open space requirements for new developments. Also, we really encourage residents to recycle and as part of the garbage contract, have really big, lidded recycling containers. We haven't done much else out here, however. This past summer, the village gave away some free CFL bulbs. I was just curious as to what steps other towns are taking!

[vandre]

Originally Posted by sgresident

I am interested to hear how other communities got started with becoming ecologically friendly!

It involves a lot of planning and it is a long (and perhaps painful) process. Geneva for example has a 'Strategic Plan Advisory Committee'. Within this there is a Natural Resources committee and a Bicycle and Pedestrian committee. The later actually has elaborated a pretty comprehensive Bikeway Implementation Plan (which has yet to be adopted).

I think the reason why this initiatives have not been a priority is because of budget constraints and/or lack of interest from government officials. After all suburbs where created around the automobile, not about having walkable communities and/or being environmentally friendly. I could be wrong, but now that gas prices are relatively cheap again, I don't see this plans moving any faster

If you think about it climate change was brought to the public spotlight not so long ago. We just had a president who could not accept the fact that human activities contribute to global warming. Before being on the ropes, the 'Big Three' focused on selling SUVs and trucks because that was more profitable... and so on...

Just some food for thought ...

[lakecountylifer]

I was watching Suze Orman yesterday and she had these knuckleheads that were planning on going green by installing a $33,000 geo-thermal furnace, changing from an oil burining furnace. I think going green is fine if its cost-effective-----but spending large sums of money for questionable results in nuts.

You know a lot of these nuts are buying carbon foot print credits to off-set their trips by airplane. LOL. I just heard that you know can track your carbon credits you purchase and use at algore.com. LOL.

[almost3am]

[quote=lakecountylifer;6282752]I was watching Suze Orman yesterday and she had these knuckleheads that were planning on going green by installing a $33,000 geo-thermal furnace, changing from an oil burining furnace. I think going green is fine if its cost-effective-----but spending large sums of money for questionable results in nuts.
quote]

Out of curiosity, did they talk about the financial payback on that system? I have never done real research on finacial paybacks on those systems, but i thought I heard the payback generally was about 7 years. But $33K seems like a lot to get a payback on.