The Evanston City Council released its first report Monday on the Evanston Climate Action Plan, a sustainability project involving work from Northwestern students and faculty.
The report, which covers the first year of the program from November 2008 to November 2009, highlights the city’s strategies toward reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to 13 percent by 2012. The ECAP strategies include improving bus and car-sharing programs, adopting a green building ordinance and encouraging urban farming.
NU students and organizations partnered with the Evanston community in the past year to contribute to ECAP. The report highlights NU initiatives like a 500-square-foot edible garden, studies of the city’s carbon cycle and research on renewable energy technology.
Bridget Calendo, director of operations and outreach for the Initiative for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern, said it was important for students to collaborate with the community on “big problems” such as sustainability.
“The students are a great resource for ideas and innovation,” Calendo said. “We want to provide students with multiple viewpoints on how to go about solving these problems.”
Calendo said Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl will speak about ECAP at ISEN’s Climate Change Symposium on Oct. 18.
