Scope Document
From Edgewater 2020
Contents |
Tri-Fold Brochure/General Public Distribution
Environmental Plan Color Brochure
The brochure was written to describe (in a compact and easy to handle format) the purpose and goals of the Edgewater Environmental Plan. It is intended to be distributed to the public at open meetings and events attended by any members of the Planning Committees, Edgewater Beautiful or the various Councils that sponsor this effort.
Resources
The Resources topic will concentrate on promoting the efficient use of all resources and materials in the Edgewater Community.
It will initially focus on promoting the “reduce, reuse, and recycle” possibilities in our community:
- residential buildings of 4 units or less covered by the City of Chicago’s “Blue Cart” program,
- residential buildings of 5 units or more covered by private waste haulers
- business and institutional recycling.
The “48th Ward Recycling Manual” will guide our activities on this topic.
Transportation
The committee will encourage and promote the development of an affordable transportation system which will feature energy conservation and access to the full resources and services of the community.
The committee will work with Loyola University to promote bicycle, pedestrian and mass transit accessibility throughout Edgewater and southeastern Rodgers Park communities.
Metric: Periodically survey bike and pedestrian use of a variety of facilities in the Edgewater Community.
Energy Efficiency
The Energy Efficiency topic will work with individuals, businesses and the government to promote the Chicago Climate Action Plan • promote the LEED ND certification of all new buildings (collaborate with Planning & Development) • promote energy efficient upgrades and renovations in existing structures • promote the development of businesses and services in the community easily accessible to Edgewater Community residents.
• Metrics: Retrieve data for Edgewater by making arrangements with major utilities to monitor total energy consumption in selected neighborhoods.
Planning and Development
The Planning & Development topic will use the nationally recognized United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Neighborhood Development (ND) rating system to guide its activities. This standard is simply referred to as LEED ND and it can be found on the USGBC’s web site at www.usgbc.org. The Planning & Development program will focus on the following three areas.
1. Educating the Edgewater community on the principals, scope, and benefits of sustainable urban environments and the LEED ND rating system.
2. Assessing the community using the LEED ND rating system.
3. Engaging Chicago Alderman and City Departments to support and enact the concepts and approaches defined within the USGBC’s LEED ND rating system.
We will work with
- The Andersonville Chamber of Commerce
- The Andersonville Development Corportation
- The Edgewater Chamber of Commerce
- The Edgewater Development Corporation
- The Edgewater Community Council Planning and Development Committee
- Planning and Development function in the 40th, 48th, and 49th Ward offices.
Water and Air Resources
This topic will identify and promote the elimination and clean-up of sources of air and water pollution in the Edgewater Community.
The program will encourage actions by individuals, business and the government to reduce the amount of water used and the amount discharged to the sewer system.
Alternative Energy
Renewable and Alternative Energy
This will involve the Edgewater community in a plan to provide information and encouragement to increase alternative and renewable energy (solar, geothermal and wind) usage in the Edgewater Community. We will work to reduce the institutional barriers to the installation and use of renewable energy.
Working in tandem with the Energy Efficiency topic, this plan will encourage conversion to renewal energy sources which will help cut greenhouse gas emissions
Metric: The team will conduct an Edgewater greenhouse gas inventory and renewable resource inventory to provide a baseline of where the community currently stands with respect to use of Renewable Energy as of the base year 2009. It will monitor these inventories to measure progress.
The plan will address Energy Efficiency measures in a separate topic.
Education Awareness
The purpose of the education and public awareness committee is to engage the community to achieve the goals of the Edgewater Environmental plan. The education and awareness group is the public face of the project, coordinating marketing, public relations and special events to inspire action. The Education and Awareness team will collaborate with other Edgewater Community Council sustainability committees to disseminate necessary information and tips regarding each environmental topic, including event calendars. It will communicate to Edgewater and beyond via monthly email newsletters (sent through the ECC's constant contact format), local poster distribution and flyers (on a limited basis to conserve paper). When possible, we will engage the media to spread the word.
Assumptions
- The Edgewater Community Council (ECC) will provide the Constant Contact platform for the Edgewater Environmental Plan
- Other neighborhood organizations will share their email lists or be willing to forward our monthly newsletters and special event listings
- All ECC committees will provide pertinent information regarding environmental issues or green initiatives in a timely manner for the newsletters and events
- Any media potential will be referred to the most knowledgeable ECC member, dependent on Media needs for ease of communication
- A comprehensive list of poster and flyer distribution centers will be compiled and serviced
- ECC and Environmental Sustainability committee members will participate in special events to promote the cause
- We will operate in the "Greenest" way possible
The Education Awareness program will not be involved in the creation of a Schools Environmental Action plan, inasmuch as the Category devoted to the environmental strategy for public and private Schools will address that need.
Schools
Green Schools
This initiative will include all public and private pre-K, primary, high school located in Edgewater and other select schools which have a sizable population of students from Edgewater homes. The public schools will be largely based, if not exclusively based on the Chicago Public Schols (CPS) Environmental Action Plan. We will offer assistance to each school’s Administration, Parent Teacher Association (PTA), and Local School Council (LSC).
The items this topic will address, which correspond to the Chicago Public School (CPS) Environmental Action Plan, are:
- Establish, promote and maintain school Green Teams and clubs
- Establish environmentally preferable procurement policies and standards for all materials and supplies.
- Support Earth Hour campaign and City Climate Action Plan outreach
- Create a plan to incorporate environmental education and action into the curriculum.
We will include select environmental activities offered at Loyola University that are connected to our Edgewater Community. Items that are not address as part of this topic but are being pursued by CPS are:
- Create website on CPS environmental programs, Model Green School ranking, and school-level data
- Create green Wish List and sponsorship opportunities for businesses and individuals
Topics related to renewable and alternative energy, energy efficiency, green space on campuses, etc. will be covered in other topics in this plan.
Cleaning the Neighborhood
Cleaning the Neighborhood will continue the historic mission of the Edgewater Community Council / Edgewater Beautiful Committee to encourage practical community beautification efforts through sound practices.
This topic will involve all of those activities necessary to keep Edgewater clean, and recruiting the necessary community participation and resources to accomplish it.
Work with Streets and Sanitation to sponsor and actively recruit for their Clean & Green Spring and Fall events.
Work with the various block clubs to support and encourage their local cleanup efforts
Work with the Chambers of Commerce, the Development Corporations, and the Special Services Areas (SSAs) in their efforts to clean the commercial districts.
Metric: Periodic surveys will be conducted to assess the appearance and condition of the Edgewater Community.
Parks and Greening
The Parks, Natural Resources and Green Spaces topic category will engage the public, businesses and government in the expansion of Edgewater's parks, natural areas and green spaces, with sufficient trees and plantings to promote
- The reduction of carbon emissions and urban heat, as well as
- Provide respite from dense residential areas;
- Provide an outlet for recreation, and
- Provide a showcase for public art.
In order to set goals and planning strategy, the Committee will:
- Survey the community (in conjunction with Loyola Student Environmental Class) on park interest
- Educate the community (residents, garden & block clubs, business, government,institutions) on the need to create and expand the parks, gardens, natural spaces and public art in Edgewater.
- Identify potential areas or lots where parks or natural areas can be created and prioritize the development opportunities
- Survey and categorize an inventory of current parks, gardens, green spaces and public art
- Work with residents, Garden Clubs, Block Clubs, GreenCorps, Neighborspace, Chicago Park District, elected officials, institutions and businesses to implement and find funding for the projects as well as establish long term maintenance or advisory committees for each space.
The Parks and Greening program will not be directly involved in the purchase of land, or the design or funding of the landscaping or planting of the parks, natural spaces or public art but will encourage and support all entities engaged in this endeavor.
