Case Study – Syracuse & Onondaga County

1. Case Study – Syracuse & Onondaga County

2. Syracuse Basic Statistics (2008) Population: 138,068 (down 6.3% since 2000) Median resident age:   30.5 (35.9 in NY State) Median household income: $30,879 (up from $25,000 in 2000) Median Housing Value: $82,500 (up from 67,900 in 2000) Poverty Rate: 29.7% Cost of living index: 85.8

3. Syracuse Basic Statistics (2008) Land area: 25.1 sq. mi. Population Density: 5,503 people per sq. mi. Mean travel time to work: 17.4 min. Workers who live & work in the city: 61.1% Unemployment: 9.9% (Oct. 2009)

4. County Basic Statistics (2008) Population: 452,633 (87% urban, 13% rural) – down from 459,441 in 2003 Median resident age:   36.3 (35.9 in NY State) Median household income: $50,640 Median Housing Value: $125,900 (up from $85,900 in 2000) Poverty Rate: 11.7% Cost of living index: 84.8

5. County Basic Statistics (2008) Land area: 780 sq. mi. Population Density: 580 people per sq. mi. Mean travel time to work: 19.3 minutes Workers who live & work in the county: 94.1% Unemployment: 7.9% (Oct. 2009) Means of transportation to work: 80% car alone, 10% carpool, 4% walk, 3% bus, 3% work at home

6. Syracuse Overall SustainabilityThe Emerald City “Syracuse has received well-deserved and hard-earned awards over the past seven years for municipal best practices and policies. And Syracuse has been ranked #17 on Popular Science Magazine’s list of America’s 50 Greenest Cities.” Mayor Driscoll

7. Syracuse Overall Sustainability UN Urban Environmental Accords: Completed 14 of 21 initiatives to improve the environment.

8. Syracuse Land Use Planning 2005 Comprehensive Plan 2025 Carbon Credits and Land Acquisition: City land designated as “forever-green” in the Valley, creating a 1.2 mile long urban forest.

9. Syracuse Waste Management “Go-Green” Recycling Program at City Schools

10. Onondaga County Waste Management OCRRA: Programs for residents, businesses & schools Composting sites Household hazardous waste TV & electronics recycling Waste to Energy Facility Recycling education programs

11. SyracuseEnergy Supply Renewable energy to power City Hall Energy efficient street lighting and traffic signals Municipal building retrofit with energy-efficient equipment Comprehensive energy audits on major City facilities Hydrogen fuel for City vehicles and buses

12. SyracuseEnergy Supply Energy reductions through monitoring and control measures Emergency Curtailment Programs Coordinator for NYSERDA for 6 surrounding counties City energy usage reduced 20% by 2006 Westcott Reservoir Renewable Energy

13. Onondaga CountyEnergy Supply Joint RFP with City for sustainable energy projects from renewables

14. Syracuse & the CountyLocal Food Systems CSA CNY: (Community Supported Agriculture) • Local organic agriculture, centered on 4 key objectives: • To eat seasonally • Provide farmers with a living wage • Reject industrialized food • Advocate for local organic agriculture

15. Syracuse & the CountyGreen Jobs, Products CNY Works: Green Jobs Resources Web Site OCC Green Collar Job Training – Sustainability Institute

16. Syracuse & the CountyTransportation Centro Bus Service Profile Service Area: Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, Oswego Counties Fleet Size: 262 Employees: 675 (includes part time) Annual Miles: 7,750,000 Annual Passengers: 15.3 million Daily Passengers: Approx. 42,000/day

17. Syracuse & the CountyTransportation Centro Bus Service Profile 120 cng buses in the fleet 9 diesel-electric hybrid buses Accessible fleet for persons with disabilities Bicycle racks on nearly all buses Senior Transportation Program

18. Syracuse & the CountyTransportation Centro Bus Service Profile Fare Deal Program: The Transit Benefit Law provides employers with a monthly tax-free transit allowance of $230 per employee to support the use of public transit. OCC provides this to their students. Includes “Guaranteed Ride Home”

19. Syracuse Green Buildings & Housing 2007 City Ordinance requiring all municipal building projects meet LEED Silver 2006 State Legislation enabling funding for all 35 school-owned buildings to be renovated using LEED standards LEED-Certified Residential Tax Exemption

20. Onondaga County Green Buildings & Housing • Testing 4 different green roofs on Onondaga County Correctional Facilities • LEED Certified Buildings: • Skaneateles Home, LEED Gold • Enable, Certified • C&S Corporate Headquarters, Certified • RobsonWoese, Certified • Marcellus Free Library, LEED Silver

21. Onondaga County Water and Sewer • “Save the Rain” and “Green Infrastructure” • Urban Forestry Project to plant trees in the Clinton Combined Sewer Area, Near West Side • Onondaga Lake Clean-up • Working with the City on porous pavement for sidewalk replacements

22. Additional Resources City of Syracuse, The Emerald City http://www.syracuse.ny.us/uploadedFiles/A_Content/Mayor%20Driscoll%20Environmental.pdf LEED Certified projects in Upstate NY http://www.greenupstateny.org/index.php?page=central-ny-region AIA SDAT Program, Final Report http://www.aia.org/aiaucmp/groups/aia/documents/pdf/aias078136.pdf Statistics Reference: City Data http://www.city-data.com/city/Syracuse-New-York.html#top

23. Case Study Grand Rapids, MI

24. Basic Statistics • Population (County) in July 2008: 193,396. • Population change since 2000: -2.2% • Median resident age:   30.4 years • Michigan median age:   35.5 years • Estimated median household income in 2008: $40,120 ($37,224 in 2000): Michigan:   $48,591 • Estimated per capita income in 2008: $20,775 • Estimated median house or condo value in 2008: $124,500 ($91,100 in 2000): Michigan: $151,300

25. Grand Rapids, MIOverall sustainability “Any city in the nation can move quickly and distinguish itself as a center for green technology and green innovation. The challenge is trying to balance the triple bottom line and that is what we have taken on as our challenge.”

26. Grand Rapids, MIOverall sustainability In August 2005, the Community Sustainability Partnership (CSP) was founded by the City of Grand Rapids, in cooperation with four local higher learning institutions. In less than four years, the CSP has grown to incorporate 175 local businesses, organizations, and individualswho have embraced local sustainability in their business models, planning, and operations.

27. Sustainability Plan TABLE OF CONTENTS • Definitions • Mission Statement • Vision Statement • Values and Behaviors • Sustainability Vision Statement • Sustainability Framework • Sustainability Evaluation Matrix • References 15

28. Progress Reports Environmental Quality Waste Energy Water Air Quality Built Environment Land Use and Natural Habitat Transportation Economic Prosperity Personal Income Unemployment Redevelopment, Reinvestment and Jobs Knowledge Competitiveness Social Capital and Equity Safety and Security Education Attainment Health and Wellness Quality of Life Community Capital Conclusions and Next Steps

29. Land Use/Preservation and Restoration • Increase biodiversity • Increase and maintain open and green space • Protect and maintain natural habitat • Reduce urban sprawl Land Use Planning

30. Waste Management Waste Plan • Increase recycling • Reduce or eliminate toxic waste • Reduce or elimination waste • Target: Increase Residential recycling rate 10% by 2010 and continue the downward trend in Refuse Tons/Household. Waste Results

31. Energy Supply • Increase energy conservation • Increase renewable energy use • Target: Utilize 100% renewable energy from Michigan sources by 2020 and replace fleet vehicles with alternative fueled vehicles by 2015.

32. Local Food Systems • Increase the production of local food crops • Reduce land erosion

33. Green Jobs, Products • Increase brownfield redevelopment • Increase and maintain business sustainability • Create and maintain gainful employment • Increase applied clean technologies • Create public and private partnerships

34. Transportation • Increase the use of alternative fuels • Increase the use of alternative modes of transportation • Increase fleet vehicles efficiency • Target: Build a bus rapid transit system by 2015 and continue evaluating a light rail system for completion by 2020.

35. Green Buildings and Housing • Adopt LEED construction methods for commercial and industrial facilities • Increase facility efficiency • Increase facility renovation • Increase sustainable residential development /redevelopment

36. Water and Sewer (including Storm Water Management) • Conserve water • Increase and maintain quality storm and waste water management • Increase and maintain water quality • Target: Reduce water consumption by 15% of year 2000 levels by 2015.

37. Additional Resources • Grand Rapids Sustainability Official Page http://www.sustainablegr.com/ • Community Sustainability Partnership http://www.grpartners.org/index.php • Wege Foundation http://wegefoundation.com/index.html • Grand Action http://www.grandaction.org • LEED Certified projects in greater Grand Rapids http://www.usgbcwm.org/leed

38. County Web Pages tied to Green Initiatives • Office of Environment: http://www.ongov.net/environment/index.html • Water Environment Protection: http://www.ongov.net/wep/index.html • Onondaga Lake Initiatives: http://ongov.net/lake/ • Save the Rain Initiative: http://www.ongov.net/savetherain/index.html • Facilities Management; Energy Initiatives: • http://www.ongov.net/facilities/energy.html • Link to OCRRA (Solid Waste Management): http://www.ocrra.org/ • Ag Districting: http://www.ongov.net/planning/agdist.html • SOCPA 2010 Plan: http://www.ongov.net/planning/plan_2010.html • Onondaga County Public Library: http://www.ocpl.lib.ny.us/