In Time magazine this week, Mayor Daley describes his efforts to turn Chicago into America’s Eco-city. Since Dale took office in 1989, a half million trees have been planted, renewable, alternative power is being pushed, 2 million square feet of rooftop gardens have been transforming air pollution while city vehicles are forbidden to idle more than five minutes.
If it works — and Daley is betting a hefty sum it will, with promises to buy millions in solar panels, for example — the green movement here is expected to yield the city perhaps billions in saved energy costs and new business.Â
The mayor’s environmental commissioner told Time,
"This is about quality of life. What we’re talking about is creating a city that exists in harmony with the world, a place that can be a model. Cities have long been hurtful to the environment. Raw materials came in and waste went out. We’ re trying to redefine that relationship, and cities can be models."