There's a lot of green in Louisville
By Emily Goldstein, Local CorrespondentThu, Apr 02 2009 at 12:16 PM EST
Hello from Louisville!
We have a lot going on to help the environment in the Derby City. It will be my pleasure to keep you updated on environmental issues here in the home of the Kentucky Derby.
Louisville takes the protection of the environment seriously. I'm a member of a coalition of the city's largest employers called the Partnership for a Green City. We work together to find ways to improve the health of the environment and to educate the city's youth on what they can do to help. We have just completed a comprehensive study on energy use in the city. This is our first step in finding ways to cut down on carbon dioxide emissions. We have many projects planned that will help solve environmental problems in Louisville.
I'm proud to announce recent changes in policy in our local school system and the city of Louisville aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions. I will tell you more about these in a later post.
More and more new buildings are being built greener, and old buildings are being renovated in a green way. Rooftop gardens are becoming more common, and you can see them dotting the landscape as you fly over Louisville. Several architectural firms are becoming green experts, and even our local transit authority is building a new, green storage facility.
In an attempt to make my community more aware of climate change, I created a website that allows people to make a pledge to reduce carbon dioxide emissions at home and work. I have pledges for almost 16 million pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year. You can help spread the word, and make your own personal pledge at this link.
I was very proud last Saturday during Earth Hour to see darkness in most of the homes around me. All of Louisville's largest employers participated by turning off their lights for one hour. It seemed to be a big success, and hopefully it went as well for the rest of the world as it did in Louisville.
I'm looking forward to doing more stories about Louisville's environmental efforts. I'm proud to be a MNN correspondent!
The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect
the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions,
MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.
| Next Post Louisville's green list |
Comments
Ilania Abileah
04/12/2009 03:54 AM
Bravo Emily: Also looked at your web page, where you mention all the animals you have in the house. Living in the city, I guess you have to fight harder for green space and a greener life. You know if you choose to speak about a greener through art - it is very possible too!
Lauren Buchholz
04/04/2009 15:50 PM
Hi, Emily! If you're interested in rooftop greening, you might want to check out this site: http://www.greenroofs.com/projects/pview.php?id=524. I attended a presentation on this idea by McDonough a few years ago, and it's pretty revolutionizing. Best of luck with making Louisville greener! Sounds like things are off to a great start.
