CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Adopt a resolution supporting the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus’ Greenest Region Compact 2.
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DEPARTMENT: TED
SUBMITTED BY: Amy Emery, AICP, Strategic Projects Supervisor
BACKGROUND:
The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus is a membership organization of the Chicago region’s 275 cities, towns and villages. Founded in 1997, the Mayors Caucus provides a forum for metropolitan Chicago’s chief elected officials to collaborate on common problems and work toward a common goal of improving the quality of life.
The Greenest Region Compact 2 (GRC2) is an update of the original Greenest Region Compact approved in 2007 and adopted by 100 communities. Naperville did not formally adopt the original Greenest Region Compact. At that time, Naperville was focused on developing its own plan (completed in 2010). The new compact, like the earlier version, seeks to unify municipal action towards consensus sustainability goals. The GRC2 is supported by extensive research and collaboration and builds on environmental sustainability work done by the Caucus, its many member communities, and partners, including Naperville.
DISCUSSION:
The GRC2 (provided as Attachment 1) is a series of broad goals in the areas of climate, economic development, energy, land, leadership, mobility, municipal operations, sustainable communities, waste & recycling and water. By approving this resolution, Naperville is endorsing the goals and expressing its intention to continue to work to achieve them within the City and in collaboration throughout the region.
The GRC2 was developed based on environmental programs and policies already underway in communities across the region and local sustainability plans already in use. Endorsement of the GRC2 is consistent with and also recognizes Naperville’s on-going efforts to implement its own 2010 Naperville Sustainability Plan. Naperville’s plan included nearly 50 implementation action strategies, most of which are now on-going sustainable actions integral to the way the City of Naperville operates.
A key implementation tool prepared by the Mayor’s Caucus designed to be used by municipalities who adopt this GRC2 resolution is the GRC2 Framework. The 2010 Naperville Sustainability Plan (and 38 other plans from the area) are synthesized into the GRC2 Framework. In fact, according to the GRC2 study, Naperville is tied for the 5th greenest in the region. Endorsement of the resolution further recognizes our contribution to the framework and ongoing environmental achievements as we continue to implement the 2010 Naperville Sustainability Plan.
To date, nearly 40 communities have adopted resolutions of support for the GRC2 since its adoption on March 14, 2016.