Here is an example of forward thinking people who had the vision of how to make their region go green.

In 2000, the City of Charlotte received an EPA grant for a Sustainability Demonstration Project, bringing together leadership from 26 political jurisdictions to study air quality, water resource and land-use issues. The project resulted in action items for regional implementation. In 2002, the EPA approached the greater Charlotte region about expanding this partnership to develop a more integrated strategy, now known as SEQL.

The greater Charlotte/Gastonia/Rock Hill region encompasses 15 counties with 117 political jurisdictions and a population base of 2.1 million people. The region will demonstrate that planning developed through the SEQL Grant will provide an integrated strategy that other local governments across the country could use to address similar quality of life and environmental issues.

SEQL is an integrated environmental initiative for the 15-county metropolitan Charlotte region in North and South Carolina.

SEQL involves elected officials, local government staffs, business and industry groups, economic development groups and environmental stakeholder groups working together toward viable solutions to regional growth.

SEQL is regional in its vision and influence, but local in application.

SEQL promotes implementation of specific Action Items on Air Quality, Sustainable Growth and Water Resources and consideration of environmental impacts in decision-making at local and regional levels.

SEQL is funded by a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to Centralina Council of Governments in cooperation with Catawba Regional Council of Governments.

SEQL is a potential role model for the nation.

The voluntary and collaborative aspects of the program make SEQL a potential model for the EPA and the nation. SEQL could serve as a model approach for integrated growth planning that incorporates environmental considerations along with economic, land use and transportation issues.

Now if all the other cities of the world could take this blueprint and apply it to their cities, we would be golden!!!

Tags: Centralina Council of Governments, Economic development, environment, Environmental movement, environmental protection agency, South Carolina, united states, Water Resources

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 at 9:14 pm and is filed under Going Green, go green. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.