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COLUMN: Sustainable Medford
DATE: August 3, 2006
AUTHOR: Patricia Barry
Medford joins North American local government leaders
championing environmental action
Leaders to discuss local strategies for achieving sustainability
and strengthening regional cooperation
CHICAGO, IL, USA – Medford joins nearly 150 mayors, local officials, and representatives from jurisdictions across Canada, Mexico and the US in Chicago from July 11-14 for a four-day Congress to develop local strategies for achieving sustainability and strengthening regional cooperation.
The ICLEI North American Congress, Thriving Communities: Moving from Planning to Action, is the first Regional Congress of ICLEI’s North American Membership.
Medford has been a member of ICLEI since 2005, and has been a participant in ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection® Campaign since 1999. The 770 local governments around the world that are participating in ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection Campaign are driving worldwide action on climate protection while improving air quality, protecting public health, and benefiting financially.
As greenhouse gas emissions, air pollutants and other issues that impact community sustainability do not respect national boundaries, trans-boundary issues of concerns will be discussed at the 2006 ICLEI North American Congress, and a strategy for collaborative improvement will be explored. Additionally, participants will discuss local strategies for achieving sustainability, and explore approaches and tools that can be integrated effectively into local government operations. A goal of the event is to strengthen cooperation amongst local governments across the continent.
The city of Medford, represented at the ICLEI North American Congress by Mayor Michael J. McGlynn, and Environmental Agent Patricia Barry, will showcase Medford’s clean and renewable energy initiatives along with Medford’s climate action network with universities and other organizations. “The city of Medford understands the importance and impacts of climate change, and is continually looking for innovative ways to reduce its municipal greenhouse gas emissions,” said Ms. Barry.
Additionally, the city of Medford hopes to use the ICLEI North American Congress to learn more about initiatives being implemented by local governments throughout North America.
Local action moves the world.
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ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is an international association of local governments and national and regional local government organizations that have made a commitment to sustainable development. The organization has close to 500 local government members around the world, and offices in 10 countries. For more information on the organization, please go to www.iclei.org.
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