City of East Lansing

Sustainability ActivitiesDave Smith, Environmental Specialist

City of East Lansing

Sustainability Initiatives LEED Builiding Programs

Green Building Policy Green Building Incentive Policy

Employee Bike Sharing Program

Town/Gown Partnerships Tree Protection & Research Pack Up, Pitch In

City of East Lansing Green Building Policy

First of its kind in the state to tie municipal incentives with green building practices

Requires new City buildings to be certified as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings.

Requires City building renovations to incorporate LEED and low impact design practices

Requires new private developments which receive public incentives such as tax increment financing to be LEED certified:

< 15% financing, minimum “Certified” > 15% financing, minimum “Silver”

Currently have 3 LEED certified buildings at Silver or Gold level

7 additional buildings are registered to be certified

City of East Lansing Green Building Incentive Policy

For new buildings not covered by Green Building Policy – primarily single family homes

Provides financial incentives based on level of LEED achieved:

$1,300 for Certified or Silver $2,600 for Gold or Platinum

One home underconstruction and one in thePlanning process

City of East Lansing Employee Bike Sharing Program

Started in August of 2010 Purpose:

Encourage healthy activity Improve air quality Reduce carbon emissions

Bikes donated by local non-profit 8 bikes located at various City facilities

City of East Lansing Employee Bike Sharing Program

Checked out through Group Wise e-mail Riders sign waiver and agree to wear

protective gear Bikes utilized 34 times by employees Will have 10 bikes in 2011. Modeled after programs in Austin & Edmonton

City of East Lansing Town/Gown Partnerships with Michigan

State University

Research Project to Protect City Trees from Invasive Insect

Pack Up, Pitch In – end of school year reuse and recycling event

City of East Lansing Tree Protection and Research Project

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) A non-native, invasive insect that infests and kills ash

trees First discovered in East Lansing in 2005 Has killed over half of the nearly 900 ash street trees

and numerous park trees Cost the City over $300,000 in tree removal and replacement costs

City of East Lansing Tree Protection & Research Project

Joint research project goals: Protect street trees Preserve urban forestry budget Provide research on effectiveness of control methods

Treated 300 street trees withsystemic insecticides for 3years Studied:

Different insecticides Doses Timing Application Method Effectiveness

City of East Lansing Tree Protection & Research Project

Resulted in: the protection of over 200 City trees Best management practices for treatment Safe and effective treatment options at the lowest

cost Valuable tool for urban foresters to make long term

decisions www.emeraldashborer.info

City of East Lansing Pack Up, Pitch In

Annual event to collect reusable and recyclable items during spring move out

Began in 1996 as on-campus event Expanded to EL community in 2008

Share services Education efforts Branding

City of East Lansing Pack Up, Pitch In

Drop off event Staffed primarily by volunteers Charitable organizations collect needed items:

Food Clothing Furniture/house wares

University collects: Carpeting Electronics

City accepts: Recyclables Refuse items for a fee

City of East Lansing Pack Up, Pitch In

Annual Collection Highlights:

700 lbs of clothing 3-4 full box trucks of furniture & house wares 4,000 lbs of electronics 200 lbs of recyclables

City of East Lansing Town/Gown Initiatives – Pack Up, Pitch In

City of East Lansing Contact Info:

Dave SmithEnvironmental SpecialistCity of East Lansing410 Abbot RoadEast Lansing, MI 48823dsmith@cityofeastlansing.com517 337-9459

City of East Lansing Additional Resources:

City Web site: www.cityofeastlansing.com Facebook Group: “Recycle for a Greener East Lansing”

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=60309405945

Austin bike share info: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/news/2009/ae_bike_share.htm

Edmonton bike share info: http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/news/city-tests-employee-bike-share.aspx