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Perspectives
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"Sustainable cities" is an idea whose time has come. Whether it is the result of President Bush's call for greater attention to climate change and global warming, or business leaders' call for investments in clean energy technologies, or states' aggressive environmental policies, or Al Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth," or any number of other factors, the time has come for all of our governments to seriously consider what they can and should do to contribute to greater sustainability.
Emerging from work in the international arena, such as Local Action 21 and the operation of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), local governments have become one focal point for achieving greater protection of the bio-physical environment.
In the U.S., numerous cities have decided that they need to become more
involved in contributing to greater sustainability (see our list of cities). Cities such as Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Grand Rapids, Austin, Chattanooga, and many others have become serious in their pursuit of policies and programs to promote sustainability.
Yet most cities in the U.S. have not yet considered what they can do. Some local leaders are still skeptical. Others want their cities to get involved, but don't know where to start or how far they can go. That's where Our Green Cities comes in. See our Mission Statement to understand how we can help.
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