Carbondale Characteristics

 Found the following characteristics about Carbondale from an email about a sustainability neighborhood proposal forwarded by D. Gorton

Carbondale is/has:

1) A low income base 

2) One of the highest college educated populations in Illinois and the United States (Carbondale is rated in the top 3%)

3) The youngest cohort in Illinois* (depending on the next census and the enrollment at SIUC)

4) The most diverse community in regards race, age, religion, sexuality and gender in the region, if not the state.

5) There has been continued support for action on Climate change, income inequality, and social injustice as the biggest threats to building strong, sustainable communities. These challenges define the current priorities of our community.

Sustainability Commission Survey Report

Carbondale's Sustainability Commission recently surveyed a sample of Carbondale residents as to which sustainability issues they feel are most important for the city to tackle. Here is the press release from the Commission summarizing the results:

The Carbondale Sustainability Commission announced the results of its fall 2019 survey.  These results reflect the priorities of the 483 respondents on possible strategies to include in the City's Sustainability Action Plan.  The plan’s aim is to establish a vision for a sustainable and resilient Carbondale and actionable goals and strategies for addressing climate change threats, such as flash floods followed by drought.  

Five sectors for achieving greater sustainability were addressed in the survey, and more will be added in subsequent phases of the Sustainability Action Plan’s implementation.  The proposed strategies in each sector were selected based on public input, City staff input, and action plans of other U.S. cities.  The most popular strategies among survey respondents were as follows.

·         Energy Use in Built Structures: install solar panels on city buildings (in the works); support community solar buy; increase energy efficiency through education and weatherization of homes.

·         Energy Use in Transportation: increase walk-ability with more sidewalks and bike-ability with safety measures.

·         Green Infrastructure: manage stormwater (in the works); plant more trees and gardens, esp. with native plants, and in place of lawns; set goals to reduce water/air pollution.

·         Food Production and Consumption: encourage locally grown food (gardens and markets); educate to reduce food waste.

·         Waste Reduction:  make it easier for people in apartments to recycle; develop composting facility for Carbondale; encourage composting for schools and homes; host zero waste events; reduce single use plastics (with a fee or ban on some).

These strategies will be the topic of consultations with City staff in the next months, and lead to a community-wide open house to increase public participation and buy-in.  The full survey report is available on the City website: look under Sustainability Commission.  Commission meetings are held at City Hall on the third Thursday of each month at 6 p.m.; the Action Plan subcommittee meets on the first Thursday at 3:30 p.m. All meetings are open to the public.

Restaurants That Use Biodegradable Packaging

Ran across a thread on social media listing local restaurants that had switched to biodregradable packing, either in whole or part. If that matters to you, here is a partial list:

Harbaugh's
Longbranch
Quatro's
Thai Taste
New Kahala
Keeper's Quarters
Flame
Mama Pang inside PK's

Survey

The Sustainability commission wants your ideas on developing a Sustainable Action Plan for Carbondale. From the press release:

The Sustainability Commission is seeking ideas from the community to help develop a Sustainability Action Plan for Carbondale.

Ideas from individuals who live and work in Carbondale will be crucial in helping the City achieve its goals. Specific areas of interest include Energy in Built Infrastructure, Energy in Transportation, Water Use and Green Infrastructure, Food Production and Consumption, and Waste Reduction.

Reaching sustainability and resilience goals requires measurable reductions in the City’s contribution to greenhouse gases and an increase in its ability to withstand the impact of extreme weather events. However, there are many paths to achieve these measurable goals.

A Sustainability Survey is available in the June/July issue of the Carbondale Communique. It can also be accessed on the Sustainability Commission’s web page. Completed surveys can be dropped off at City Hall or sent by email to sustainability@explorecarbondale.com. The deadline to submit ideas is Friday, August 16.

The Sustainability Commission will begin a community conversation in early fall to discuss the creation of Carbondale’s Sustainability Action Plan in more detail.

If you have questions or would like more information, contact the Sustainability Action Plan Subcommittee member, Jane Cogie, at (618) 713-7024.

Plastic Bag forum

Tomorrow afternoon:

City Council Meeting

Several interesting items on the agenda of what looks like a busy city council meeting tonight including the chicken ordinance, the establishing of a solid waste recycling fee schedule, and the termination of city funding for District 95's Summer Reading and Math Program

Sustainability Commission Meeting

After you complete your taxes, what better way to spend the evening than attending a meeting of the C'dale Sustainably Commission. April 15 at 6 p.m. in Room 103 at the Civic Center On the agenda:

1. Update on the status of the Koppers site
2. Update on the ordinance allowing the keeping of chickens and goats (?) within city limits.
3. Plan to promote reusable shopping bags at local businesses
4. How to reduce the energy costs of city street lighting.

Buy Local

Thy "Buy Local" movement continues to gain steam. Now Cleveland (the city) has announced it's implementing a buy local program.