Detroit is typically regarded as, well, not-the-most progressive of cities when it comes to sustainability. But that's slowly changing, with recycling and green building on the rise.
And it sure doesn't hurt to have the mayor on the right side of the fence. Mayor Ken Cockrel, Jr. recently created an Office of Energy and Sustainability, which will focus on greening the city from all sides.
Some tasks at hand:
- Evaluating the energy efficiency of city buildings;
- Working with urban agriculture groups to help develop more farm parcels; and
- The debut of a pilot curbside recycling program (Read more about that here.).
"It's a significant step forward for Detroit," says task force member Jacob Corvidae of WARM Training. "It's stepping up to the demands of the 21st Century."
Corvidae, who hopes the task force helps Detroit to position itself as a leader in the growing green economy, has already observed one positive about the group: "It's an important collection of people from a variety of backgrounds," he says. And, as it evolves he wants to see it "keep getting more of the right people to the table."
Source: Jacob Corvidae, WARM Training
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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