Springfield makes green cities list

The State Journal-Register's breaking news update reports that Springfield made the list of America's 50 Greenest Cities in Popular Science magazine. Look for Springfield at 29 on the list here.

Springfield gets highest marks in the "electricity" category. Of course, the biggest step forward we've taken as a city is the clean energy plan Springfield worked out with the Sierra Club. I make a habit of posting national news stories about the Sierra Club agreement, so I'm glad to see the SJ-R move in on my beat. It's good to see local media acknowledge the positive national recognition Springfield is receiving instead of merely focusing on the political controversy of getting it passed.

The agreement resulted in the purchase of 120MW of wind power for the city but the plan is far from being fully implemented. There are two big steps coming up next that call for public involvement and support.

First, CWLP is developing new energy efficiency and conservation programs. The Sierra Club agreement called for some of those projects to be targeted for low income customers and seniors. Now is the time for people to speak up about what kind of programs you think will be best.

CWLP is holding a series of Smart Energy Forums to inform the public and gather feedback about their new energy efforts. The next one is Tuesday, March 25, 7:00pm in the Lincoln Library Carnegie Room.

Soon, CWLP will offer a green buy-in program. This will allow people to pay a little more on their electric bill to support the additional use and development of renewable energy sources.

The success of all of these programs still depends heavily on support from the public and the city council. Unfortunately, some city council members still think that investing in more efficient energy use and reducing our global warming emissions is a waste of money. It's still very important to let your Alderman know that clean energy and protecting the environment should be top priorities for the city.