Buffalo Rising Online

Feb 27th 2008, 9:56am By Great Lakes United

A mantra of the environmental movement has always been ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’. It was intended to urge individuals to realize that the decisions they make every day, when added up on the scale of millions of people, can have worldwide implications and consequences. A group of Great Lakes mayors have taken this value to heart.

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative is a cooperative group of mayors and local elected officials from both sides of the Great Lakes. Founded by powerhouse mayors Richard Daley of Chicago and David Miller of Toronto, these U.S. and Canadian local leaders are working to elevate the role of municipalities in state, provincial and federal discussions on Great Lakes protection and restoration.

Much of the heavy lifting, both financially and physically, to implement the goals of environmental policy fall on cities, a prime example being the need to update antiquated sewer systems, responsible for dumping billions of gallons of raw sewage into the Great Lakes.

Individual city leadership is crucial to achieving success throughout the Great Lakes region. Because of this, the Cities Initiative feels that municipalities need to be engaged, equal partners in the development and implementation of Great Lakes environmental policy. This just makes sense: involve the mayors in regional policy-making because they are the ones that will have to get it done. Investment by cities into Great Lakes policy also helps to create a more direct connection between the public and their local resources.

The Cities Initiative tackles topics that have a direct effect on the day to day lives of Western New York residents. For example, the health of beaches and swimming water are addressed by the Cities Initiative through education and outreach, environmental planning and design, pollution reduction, restoration, storm-water and waste-water treatment, and waterfront vitality.

Cities throughout the Great Lakes region are becoming active members of this coalition and working hard to implement these common goals on a local level. With the future of our community riding on Lake Erie, it is time for Buffalo to become one the leading cities in this region.

*This is the second post from Great Lakes United this week about what cities can do to help our region become a leader for a sustainable region. To see the first post and the connection Mayor Brown’s State of the City address, click here.

Blogging for Great Lakes United is Nate Drag