Save Water!
Watering restrictions
in effect thru Oct.31st
State Bulb of Texas
Listen to the Radio PSA
Today's Air Quality...
Earth Day Every Day in Dallas
“Nobody understands a particular job better than the person who actually has to do it every day,” says Jill Jordan, assistant city manager. “So the EMS gives everyone the power to look for ways to make that job safer and better for the environment.”
Through its EMS, the City is managing and inspiring its employees—from the newest hire to senior leaders—to make decisions that are in the best interest of the citizens and the environment.
“It’s revolutionary,” City Manager Mary Suhm says. “Our EMS will save citizens money as it also saves our environment.”
Dallas residents also wanted to get in on the action, so the City created the “Too Good To Throw Away” recycling program. It will enter its first full year in FY 2007-08. Residents have doubled their recycling pounds from 9,680 tons in FY 2005-06 to a projected 21,500 tons for FY 2006-07. It is the City’s goal to increase that figure to 35,000 tons in FY 2007-08 and 45,000 tons by 2011, with a residential participation rate of at least 50 percent of households.
The City of Dallas has also dramatically increased its efforts to promote water conservation. A Five-Year Strategic Plan on Water Conservation was adopted, which has resulted in a significant reduction in per capita water consumption. Dallas’ conservation program includes leak detection and main repair and replacement, audits of irrigation systems at City facilities, educational initiatives, and a Xeriscape program. The City has set a goal of reducing City facility water usage by 67.86 million gallons by December 2008.
“The City has to be a leader,” says Fiffick. “We shouldn’t necessarily tell residents to change their light bulbs, recycle their trash, and conserve their water if we aren’t doing it ourselves.”
SustainLane also ranked Dallas #24 out of the top 50 most sustainable U.S. cities in its 2006 Sustainable Cities Ranking, which is based on a city’s ability to meet future environmental challenges. The most promising point is that Dallas earned a score of number one and was identified as a “Sustainability Leader” in the Knowledge Base category. This category is primarily based on a city’s plan for sustainability (Environmental Management System) and its departments dedicated to the management of environmental and sustainability functions.
Other noteworthy items highlighted in the SustainLane report include Dallas’ progressive land use plan, Forward Dallas! (a comprehensive development program), and the promotion of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings.
The State Energy Conservation Office and the Texas Energy Partnership gave the City an award for outstanding achievements in energy efficiency improvements for its Energy Management Plan.
Dallas was selected as a pilot city to partner with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Sustainable Skylines Initiative, which focuses on sustainability issues, particularly air quality. Sustainable Skylines involves completing several three-year projects to reduce air emissions. The initiative is also expected to produce benefits to water and land quality. If the Dallas pilot is successful, the initiative could be used as a national model for other cities.
Using grass-roots community involvement, the City is proposing a partnership with the non-profit community organization Keep Dallas Beautiful (KDB) to spruce up neighborhoods in a pilot program aimed at beautifying the entire city. This cooperative effort would identify six defined neighborhoods for a makeover. KDB will then introduce a year-long program to beautify and maintain the neighborhood’s aesthetics. Eliminating litter, wiping out graffiti, and correcting code deficiencies are the immediate targets of the “Pride in Your Neighborhood” program. By nurturing the beauty of the neighborhood and strengthening the community’s sense of culture, we believe this program will unite residents, schools, and the business community into a cohesive unit with a common goal.
According to SustainLane, “the City of Dallas is moving forward with some Texas-sized plans to become a more sustainable, human-scale city.” The City of Dallas is committed to becoming a responsible steward of our natural resources and will continue to be a good environmental citizen and a model for the rest of the nation.
