Onondaga Citizens League gives sustainability report

According to The Post-Standard, the Onondaga Citizens League gave a report this morning on making Syracuse and Onondaga County a sustainable community during a FOCUS Greater Syracuse meeting in the Atrium of City Hall Commons. Study co-chairmen Jason Allers and David Holder gave the presentation.

Allers and Holder’s report wrote focused on six areas: land use policies, waste management, green building, transportation, energy and storm water.

The report said that the spread of urbanization is eating up rural land in Onondaga County with roads, pipelines and subdivisions. As a result, residents are driving more miles each year, causing a greater demand for energy.

To fix this problem, the report urges municipalities to restructure development through zoning. This would preserve farmland and forests and concentrate growth in areas where public transportation already exists.

According to the report, public transportation is essential to solving the region’s growing dependency on cars. The study also says that reducing vehicle usage should be the number one transportation goal and calls on companies to make it easier for employees to use Centro.

Holder said that in order to achieve a more vibrant community and stronger local economy, people and organizations would have to take action and advocate proposals from the report.

“The easiest thing for people to do right off the bat is conserve,” Holder said after the hour and a half presentation.

Photo by dougtone