It isn't easy being GreenKC

By Mark Forsythe The Kansas City Post With every passing generation, there is always a "gap" when it comes to knowledge, opinion and even social norms. We live in a city where I know two-person households who claim they can't possibly make it under the two-bag limit on trash days. Recycling? Too much trouble for them. Yet ask any kid under the age of ten about recycling and chances are you will walk away having learned something. These are kids that will reach adulthood without ever having purchased an incandescent light bulb. Some will have never thrown a newspaper in a trash can. Believe it or not, there may very well be 10-year olds right now who will never own a vehicle with a gasoline engine. Such is the pace of our ever changing world. With this in mind, what kind of Kansas City are we preparing for these kids? Will it be a city that fosters and encourages the lessons being taught to every grade schooler? Or will it more likely be a place that falls short of their expectations? Will Kansas City fail to meet what today's kids know to be an Inconvenient Truth? It's too late for Kansas City to take the lead with Green Initiatives. Cities far more progressive than our own have already enacted legislation that will help them achieve significant reductions in their carbon footprint. But while we may have missed the chance to be first on the national front, we can certainly take the opportunity to stand out in Missouri and even the Midwest. Mayor Funkhouser should take this opportunity to leave a legacy of more than controversial board appointments and a toothless economic development policy. Granted, people like my three-trashbag-needing friends will be unimpressed. In fact, some initiatives may prove to be about as popular as a root canal. But the kids will love it! Once again, this is NOT an opportunity to hire consultants. Just steal borrow from other cities and maybe throw in some Midwest sensibility. On that front, I'll throw out some proposals. Most of which are inspired by Los Angeles Mayor AntonioVillaraigoa's GREEN LA action plan. - Increase Kansas City's use of renewable energy to 25% by 2020 - Leverage our municipal franchise agreement between the region's largest utility to directly affect a major source of carbon dioxide and other pollutants -- the production of electricity. - Plant ten thousand trees throughout Kansas City - Require the addition of at least one Electric Vehicle to the city fleet per year for the next 10 years. Encourage the continued use of Compressed Natural Gas and eventually Hydrogen in our larger fleet vehicles - Require energy efficiency retrofits of all city-owned buildings to meet a 20% or more reduction of energy consumption. Require a minimum of LEED Silver rating for all City subsidized projects without exception like the one made for the Sprint Center - Install at least one “green roof” on a City building - Identify fountains that can be retro-fitted for recirculation pumps rather than literally watching our drinking water go down the drain - Identify city properties that can be irrigated with a gray water system - Distribute a compact fluorescent light bulb to every household Cities and states that have enacted aggressive green initiatives have discovered a two-fold benefit. First, they have reduced their dependence on fossil fuels, but to some perhaps the happiest effect has been an marked increase in economic development around an entirely new industry. It may not be easy being green, it's certainly not easy going green, but I don't think anyone has a problem with it being profitable.