Oshkosh signs onto sustainability pact

From a story by Aldrich M. Tan in The Northwestern (Oshkosh):

Oshkosh joined 667 U.S. cities that are increasing their efforts to combat global warming.

Mayor Frank Tower signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement Wednesday night at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh as part of Earth Charter Week on campus.

Tower said the agreement is to promote environmentally sustainable business practices within city government. He said he will be appointing nine people to the energy and environment advisory board at the first November Common Council meeting, to oversee the agreement.

The Oshkosh Common Council approved the plan at its Sept. 11 meeting.

Councilor Tony Palmeri said the document forces the government to think of the environmental consequences of public policy.

"It will force us to take on green policies that will not only save money but are also popular with citizens," he said.

After Tower signed the agreement, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz spoke about the agreement’s impact on his city. Madison, which signed the agreement in May 2005, was the fifth city to sign on.

Cieslewicz said he formed a sustainability committee that drafted the Green Capital Plan and created a sustainability manager position to implement that plan. He said the short amount of investment is paying off in the long run. Practices like installing energy efficient traffic lights paid back in a year or less while others, such as solar powered hot water heaters in the fire stations, will pay back in 10 years.
"I think that is an important thing to remember that the investments that you make in the long run are also good for taxpayers in the long run," he said.

Jan Scalpone, 76, of Oshkosh said she hopes the city can model its environmental practices after Madison, even though Oshkosh is on a smaller scale.

"It is about time that the city got on the sustainability bandwagon," she said.