Mayor Richard M. Daley is so committed to ensuring Chicago’s future he appointed a Chief Environmental Officer to his cabinet to oversee citywide environmental efforts – the first position of its kind in the nation.
In his efforts to ensure Chicago remains one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the U.S., Mayor Daley and his team developed an Environmental Action Agenda, a comprehensive plan for protecting the environment and improving quality of life in the city.
WATER CONSERVATION
- A citizen education campaign is in place to help Chicagoans learn what they can do to conserve water, maintain water quality and better manage stormwater.
- Beginning January 1, 2008 the City of Chicago Stormwater Management Ordinance requires regulated development to control the volume of stormwater leaving their developments and the rate at which it leaves.
- The Chicago River is a treasured resource and the City of Chicago is proactive in providing access to the river. Over the last 25 years, local and federal government agencies have invested $4 billion in pollution control and other quality improvements.
- The Chicago Shoreline Protection Project works to protect Chicago's Lake Michigan shoreline and perserve clean water and beautiful beaches.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND EMISSIONS
- The City of Chicago has pledged that in five years, at least 20% of the electricity it uses will be from renewable sources.
- The Chicago Solar Partnership, a collaboration among organized labor, local government and the private sector and millions of dollars of investment has yielded more than 2 megawatts of installations in the City of Chicago. Much of this capacity is located on buildings within the City limits.
- Twenty-eight photovoltaic sites in and around Chicago are generating environmentally clean electricity from solar power, including the Exelon Pavilions at Millennium Park and the Park’s Bike Shelter, the Field Museum, Art Institute and the city’s 911 emergency center, just to name a few.
- In late 2000, the City began to audit and retrofit 15 million square feet of public buildings with efficient equipment for hething and cooling, lighting and ventilation.
- As of June 2004, more than 5 million square feet of City-owned facilities had been audited and retrofitted in an effort to reduce pollution each year by an estimated 30,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 84 tons of nitrous oxides and 128 tons of sulfur dioxide.
INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
- The city of Chicago has adopted The Chicago Standard to guide the design, construction, renovation, operation and maintenance of municipal facilities, construction or renovation project in a manner that provides healthier indoor environments, reduces operating costs and conserves energy and resources.
AIR QUALITY
- Chicago continues to be a leader in developing innovative, effective solutions to improve air quality. As an area designated "non-attainment" under the Clean Air Act for ozone and particulate matter, improving air quality is among the City’s primary goals.
- Clean Air Partnerships
- The Chicago Department of Environment (DOE) is an active member of Partners for Clean Air, a coalition of approximately 300 Chicago area businesses, government agencies and environmental groups that promote voluntary actions to improve air quality.
- Mobile Emissions Reduction
- The alternative Fuel Program is part of an ongoing effort to improve air quality. The city of Chicago is working with its partners to promote the use of alternative fuel vehicles in municipal fleets.
Additionally, the City’s entire diesel fleet will be retrofitted to improve air quality and reduce the risk of health problems related to diesel exhaust.
- Chicago Climate Exchange
- Chicago is not only working to cut its own emissions but is helping the rest of the world do it, too, by being home to the first and only carbon emissions trading floor, the Chicago Climate Exchange.
- Pollution Prevention
- Department of Environment’s Pollution Prevention Unit’s programs aimed at improving the quality of life in the city by reducing air emissions from area sources.
ROOFTOP GARDENS
- Chicago is recognized as a pioneer in many industries and rooftop gardens are no exception. In fact, 2.5 million square feet of the city’s roof-scape is now alive.
- Mayor Daley’s green agenda not only has helped put a green roof on City Hall but has helped to install a wind turbine on the Daley Center, Chicago Fire Department's Rescue Building #3 at O’Hare International Airport features a 3,860 square-foot green roof designed to help improve air quality, conserve energy, reduce storm water runoff, reduce urban heat island effect, and serve as an insulated roof and a radiant barrier.
- Currently, Chicago has more than 250 public and private green roofs--totaling more than 1 million square feet--that are under design or construction. Some noteable green roofs visible to the public are the top parking garages at Solider Field and Millennium Park.
- The green roof is also part of the larger environmentally-sensitive plans for McCormick Place and its West Building.
MCCORMICK PLACE CONVENTION CENTER
- McCormick Place is transitioning to the use of Clean Seal products for day-to-day cleaning throughout the entire facility.
- Provides planners the option of purchasing renewable energy for their event.
- Utilizes 100% recycled paper products in restroom facilities.
- Beverage cold cups are made of PLA ( Poly Lactic Acid- resin derived from natural corn starches and is 100% annually renewable and fully compostable).
- The flatware available for guests and attendees in all dining areas at McCormick Place is made of compostable potato starch.
- All packaging for boxed lunches is 100% compostable---including the box, napkins, cookie bag, flatware, sandwich and salad containers.
- McCormick Place food service offerings include a pilot program to utilize paper compostable products as part of show floor Booth Catering programs.
- Use of natural light in the more recently constructed facilities including the new state-of-the-art West Building.
- Efforts to save and reuse signage for the convention center.
- Conveniently located on-site hotel within walking distance of the facility.
- On-site elimination the use of Styrofoam (plastic #6).
West Building
- High-efficiency heating and cooling systems, reduced water consumption and recycled building materials.
- The Building opened in August 2007 and has already attained LEED certification.
HYATT REGENCY McCORMICK PLACE
- Implemented energy conservation program entitled "When not in use, turn off the juice."
- Lights are extinguished in unoccupied guestrooms.
- Blackout drapes closed to preserve temperatures, set at a standard 73 degrees for unoccupied rooms.
- Light bulbs replaced with longer-life energy efficient bulbs. Additional paper recycling containers placed throughout the hotel, with a particular focus on the hotel’s Conference Center.
- Housekeepers recycle newspapers and paper products from guest rooms, and larger bins are available for banquet and conference clean-up -- phase two to include plastic and metal.
- Kitchen staff performs internal audits to reduce consumption of gas and electricity.
NAVY PIER
- Improving efficiency of all electrical lighting including the Ferris wheel, all automatic doors and escalators
- Recycling hazardous waste and postconsumer materials
- Reusing production materials and strictly monitoring post-production waste
- Utilizing environmentally-friendly products and recycled materials
- Installing state-of-the-art filtering systems and rain water collection devices
- Holding semi-regular “Green Team” meetings to discuss further improvements of Navy Pier’s discussion, development and implementation of green initiatives
SUSTAINABLE SITES
- The Center for Green Technology was built on a former Brownfield site and opened in May 2002 complete with recycled materials, including a rooftop garden, rainwater cisterns and smart lighting systems. It uses the earth’s temperature to heat and cool itself. This is the first municipal building in nation to receive the LEED Platinum rating, highest rating possible from U.G. Green Building Council.
- More than 220,000 acres of protected natural lands and 160,000 acres of forest preserves in metropolitan area.
- Two conservatories in the City -- Garfield Park Conservatory is the largest in the world.
AWARDS
- Mayor Daley received award from MIT for "greening the 21stcentury."
- City of Chicago received Gold Award from Nations in Bloom for livability.
- Clean Fuel Fleet Award from Illinois EPA.
- Ranked #1 Green City based on the amount of LEED certified buildings by Business Facilities magazine in 2007.
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