Chicago’s Merchandise Mart is scheduled for an energy-efficiency makover in 2008.
January 2008 | Choice News
Chicago’s New Year’s Resolution
According to the Municipal Reference Collection, there are over 25,000 buildings in the city of Chicago, and many of them are not energy-efficient, costing building owners money and damaging the environment. In order to address the problem, Mayor Daley has teamed up with former President Bill Clinton to announce climate change initiatives for the city in 2008, including two new programs to help reduce energy use and from inefficient buildings.
The City of Chicago’s Climate Change Task Force and the Clinton Foundation’s Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program are aimed at helping Chicago homeowners and commercial building owners update their buildings to reduce energy use. Approximately 25 downtown buildings, including the Merchandise Mart and the Sears Tower, will get an energy-efficiency makeover.
“I’m pleased that the City of Chicago is joining with the Clinton Foundation to take action on this issue,” said Clinton. “Buildings in large cities account for more than 40 percent of all energy consumed and the steps being taken in Chicago could reduce that energy consumption by 20 to 50 percent.”
The new initiative builds off other existing city programs that include planting 500,000 new trees around the city, creating 200 acres of new parks and developing new affordable housing.
“These are exciting programs, made all the more so because they represent collaboration among government, business and the not-for-profit sector,” said Mayor Daley. “They show the way we must move forward — in a manner that saves energy, saves money for business and individuals, creates jobs and improves the quality of life for all people.”
The partnership with the Clinton Foundation reaffirms Mayor Daley’s commitment to making Chicago the “greenest” city in the U.S. A broader climate change plan will also be announced in the next couple months. For more information, visit cityofchicago.org.
— Liz Henschel
![[Send]](http://consciouschoice.com/sendlink/send.gif){kind=small}
Recommend this page to a friend
Top Ten pages recommended to friends:
