Mayor Daley Announces 2006 Environmental Action Agenda

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 19, 2006

Mayor's Press Office: (312) 744-3334
Larry Merritt, Department of Environment - (312) 744-5716

Wind Turbines to be Installed on Roof of Daley Center

Mayor Richard M. Daley announced today that four wind turbines will be erected on the roof of the Richard J. Daley center to generate electricity and lead toward the development of more renewable energy sources.

John Montgomery, (left) program coordinator for the Public Building Commission of Chicago, discusses the agency's commitment to using environmentally friendly practices for construction and renovation projects during the Earth Week celebration on Daley Plaza.

The project is part of Chicago's 2006 Environmental Action Agenda, which Daley announced today at an Earth Week celebration on the Daley Plaza. The Agenda is one of the most ambitious and comprehensive plans of any city in the country.

"I'm proud that Chicago has become a national leader in the environmental movement," the Mayor said. "We are setting the standard for how a big city can live in harmony with its environment - and we have the awards to prove it.

"We're continually looking for new ways to improve the environment," he said. "These turbines will serve as a demonstration project that could lead to new technologies and move us toward our goal of generating 20 percent of the electricity in City buildings from renewable sources by 2010."

Known as Aeroturbines, the devices were invented by Bil Becker, a professor of industrial design at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and were manufactured in Chicago's Pilsen community by Aerotecture International, Inc.

Daley said the turbines would be installed within the next four months. At 680 feet in the air, the Aeroturbines will be the highest wind turbines attached to a building anywhere in the world.

Four wind turbines similar to the model pictured above will be erected on the roof of the Richard J. Daley center to generate electricity. The project is part of Chicago's 2006 Environmental Action Agenda.

The Aeroturbines are more like solar panels than windmills, and are silent, self-regulating, vibration-free and safe for birds. The four turbines will produce a small portion of the Daley Center's electricity.

The City's 2006 Environmental Agenda reflects the work of more than 40 City departments and sister agencies and contains nearly 200 environmental accomplishments, as well as an ambitious set of initiatives and goals for 2006.

The accomplishments and initiatives show that environmentally smart policies have begun to take root in every aspect of the City's operations and in the way it partners with Chicago citizens and businesses.

The new agenda sets a course for continued innovation in the coming year and reaffirms Mayor Daley's belief that a healthy environment is essential to a strong economy and improved quality of life for Chicagoans.

The Action Agenda commits the City to reducing its use of natural resources, improving the quality of life in the City as a whole, and saving taxpayer dollars through wise energy and resource conserving actions.

Highlights of the 2006 Agenda include:

• Green Building: In 2005, 22 new City buildings, including fire stations, schools and libraries, registered for LEED certification, the national standard for energy efficient, cost effective and healthy building. For 2006, Chicago has committed to building all of its new buildings at a minimum LEED Silver level with a target of Gold. Almost no other city in the country has established such ambitious environmental building standards.
  

• Energy Efficiency: In 2005, Chicago completed energy efficiency retrofits at all City libraries, adding to the over 15 million square feet of citywide energy efficiency retrofits Mayor Daley has instituted. In 2006, the City will complete lighting retrofits at all 105 of its fire stations saving $250,000 in annual electricity costs, and reducing emissions of carbon dioxide by 3,515 tons.
  

• Renewable Energy: In 2005, Chicago purchased solar panels for hot-water heating capable of generating a total of 1.27 megawatts, the equivalent of heating 17 Olympic-sized swimming pools. In 2006, the City will provide grants for the installation of these solar panels at qualified affordable housing developments, social service organizations, coin laundries and health clubs. This will nearly double Chicago's installed solar power capacity.
  

• Alternative Fuels: The number of hybrid vehicles in the City's fleet grew from 30 to over 100, with the addition of 13 new hybrid sedans and 57 new hybrid SUVs in 2005. These vehicles will use an estimated 10,000 gallons less than traditional vehicles over the course of 2006, saving the City tens of thousands of dollars. In addition, the City will retrofit 600 school buses with oxidation catalysts reducing an estimated 57 tons of carbon monoxide, 27 tons of volatile organic compounds, and 3 tons of the particulate matter often linked to asthma over the life span of the retrofitted buses.
  

• Residential Recycling: In 2005, the City began a 19th Ward pilot program of collecting recyclables in separate bins. Over 80% of the targeted residents participated, preventing 23% of the waste stream from entering landfills. In 2005, the City also recycled 11,500 Christmas trees and turned them into mulch that is used in City parks.
  

• Construction Waste Recycling: In 2005, the Chicago City Council passed the Construction and Demolition Waste Recycling ordinance, requiring all general contractors and demolition contractors in the City to recycle 25% of their waste in 2006 and 50% in 2007. Construction and demolition waste makes up approximately 40% of the City's waste stream.
  

• Green Roofs: More than 60 green roofs were installed or planned in 2005 through City initiatives, bringing the total of green roofs in the City to over 200 and creating over 3 million square feet of roofs that keep the city cool and reduce the amount of storm water directed to the City's sewer system.
  

• Environmentally Friendly Streets: In 2006, the City will use 100% recycled aggregate in residential street construction throughout the city and up to 50% recycled aggregate in concrete mix for sidewalks. The City will continue to replace stop lights with high efficiency, low cost LED lights, use recycled rubber in its alley speed bumps, and plant medians and street trees throughout the City that clean the air, mitigate summer heat, and improve the overall quality of life in the City's neighborhoods.
  

• Water Conservation: The City continues to conserve more and more water each year. In 2005, Chicago replaced 30 miles of leaking water mains as part of a program that saves 160 million gallons of water a day. The benefits of these infrastructure improvements are clear: for every 5% reduction in the amount of water used, Chicago taxpayers save approximately $1.2 million in pumping and water treatment costs.
  

• The Chicago River: The City and its partners continue to improve water quality and access to the Chicago River as well as requiring improvements along the river's edge. These improvements are good not only for the animals and plants in the region but improve property values. Since 2000, property values along the river have increased an average of over 40%.
  

• Nature Preservation: In 2005, Mayor Daley committed to preserving over 350 acres of natural lands in the Calumet region, which will serve as a public nature preserve within city limits.