Mayor Daley recently became the first Chicagoan to take the City’s Environmental Pledge during April’s Earth Month kick-off event.
Photo: James Peterson
June 2007 | From the Commish
Take the City’s Environmental Pledge
by Sadhu A. Johnston
On April 18th, Mayor Daley officially kicked off Earth Month on Daley Plaza, where he became the first Chicagoan to take the City’s Environmental Pledge. I’m proud to say that I was the second.
Since Mayor Daley took office, he’s made a focus on the environment one of his top priorities. In 2005 (and again in 2006), Mayor Daley released the Environmental Action Agenda, which was developed by more than 16 departments and identified specific programs and projects to meet the Mayor’s environmental goals for the city. All of the City’s environmental activities are guided and informed by the Agenda. The City has invested in alternative fuels and retrofits for our fleets, conserved water and spurred the development of green collar jobs. However, the Mayor understands that government alone has a limited impact and that all Chicagoans must work together to protect our natural resources and quality of life.
The things you do in your daily life can have a significant impact on the environment, but it’s when we all work together that amazing things can happen. This is why Mayor Daley asked all Chicagoans to join him in the Environmental Pledge, five simple things that all residents can do:
1.) Replace four light bulbs with compact fluorescents.
2.) Turn off the water when you brush your teeth.
3.) Replace at least one driving trip per month with walking, biking or mass transit.
4.) Plant or care for a city tree by watering, mulching or removing litter.
5.) Replace plastic shopping bags with reusable bags.
As the Mayor said, every person who takes the pledge will save about four gallons of water per day and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere by 1,500 pounds per year.
If every Chicagoan took the pledge, we could save enough water each year to fill 33,000 Olympic sized swimming pools and enough energy to light 1.5 million homes — that’s half of Chicago!
Many of you might look at these five actions and think, “Hey, I do those things already.” That’s great. We encourage you to visit our earthmonthchicago.com website and find additional things you can do.
Not all — or even most — Chicagoans can install geothermal heating and cooling systems or solar panels. But we can all turn off the water while brushing our teeth and pick up litter.
Last month, more than 31,000 people attended the Midwest’s first Green Festival at McCormick Place. With the help of more than 1,200 volunteers, Green Festival recycled 92 percent of its waste. That’s a tremendous testament to the commitment so many Chicagoans have to our beautiful city and its natural resources. And, it’s also an indication of what we can do together.
Please join Mayor Daley and myself and take the pledge. As Margaret Mead famously said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Let’s make that environmental change in Chicago!
Sadhu A. Johnston is commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Environment.
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