City of East Lansing Sustainability Activities Dave Smith, Environmental Specialist

City of East Lansing  Sustainability Initiatives LEED Builiding Programs  Green Building Policy  Green Building Incentive Policy Employee Bike Sharing Program  Town/Gown Partnerships Tree Protection & Research Pack Up, Pitch In

City of East Lansing  Green Building Policy  First of its kind in the state to tie municipal incentives with green building practices  Requires new City buildings to be certified as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings.  Requires City building renovations to incorporate LEED and low impact design practices  Requires new private developments which receive public incentives such as tax increment financing to be LEED certified:  < 15% financing, minimum “Certified”  > 15% financing, minimum “Silver” Currently have 3 LEED certified buildings at Silver or Gold level 7 additional buildings are registered to be certified

City of East Lansing  Green Building Incentive Policy  For new buildings not covered by Green Building Policy – primarily single family homes  Provides financial incentives based on level of LEED achieved:  $1,300 for Certified or Silver  $2,600 for Gold or Platinum  One home under construction and one in the Planning process

City of East Lansing  Employee Bike Sharing Program Started in August of 2010 Purpose:  Encourage healthy activity  Improve air quality  Reduce carbon emissions Bikes donated by local non-profit 8 bikes located at various City facilities

City of East Lansing  Employee Bike Sharing Program Checked out through Group Wise Riders sign waiver and agree to wear protective gear Bikes utilized 34 times by employees Will have 10 bikes in Modeled after programs in Austin & Edmonton

City of East Lansing  Town/Gown Partnerships with Michigan State University Research Project to Protect City Trees from Invasive Insect Pack Up, Pitch In – end of school year reuse and recycling event

City of East Lansing  Tree Protection and Research Project Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)  A non-native, invasive insect that infests and kills ash trees  First discovered in East Lansing in 2005  Has killed over half of the nearly 900 ash street trees and numerous park trees  Cost the City over $300,000 in tree removal and replacement costs

City of East Lansing  Tree Protection & Research Project Joint research project goals:  Protect street trees  Preserve urban forestry budget  Provide research on effectiveness of control methods Treated 300 street trees with systemic insecticides for 3years Studied:  Different insecticides  Doses  Timing  Application Method  Effectiveness

City of East Lansing  Tree Protection & Research Project Resulted in:  the protection of over 200 City trees  Best management practices for treatment  Safe and effective treatment options at the lowest cost  Valuable tool for urban foresters to make long term decisions 

City of East Lansing  Pack Up, Pitch In Annual event to collect reusable and recyclable items during spring move out Began in 1996 as on-campus event Expanded to EL community in 2008  Share services  Education efforts  Branding

City of East Lansing  Pack Up, Pitch In Drop off event Staffed primarily by volunteers Charitable organizations collect needed items:  Food  Clothing  Furniture/house wares University collects:  Carpeting  Electronics City accepts:  Recyclables  Refuse items for a fee

City of East Lansing  Pack Up, Pitch In Annual Collection Highlights:  700 lbs of clothing  3-4 full box trucks of furniture & house wares  4,000 lbs of electronics  200 lbs of recyclables

City of East Lansing  Town/Gown Initiatives – Pack Up, Pitch In

City of East Lansing  Contact Info: Dave Smith Environmental Specialist City of East Lansing 410 Abbot Road East Lansing, MI

City of East Lansing  Additional Resources: City Web site: Facebook Group: “Recycle for a Greener East Lansing” Austin bike share info: m m Edmonton bike share info: tests-employee-bike-share.aspx tests-employee-bike-share.aspx