Government officials on the South Brevard barrier island and beyond can look to Orlando to see what “Going Green” can mean on a huge scale when Satellite Beach hosts a free Sustainability Summit on Feb. 8.
Orlando’s Director of Sustainability Chris Castro will be the keynote speaker at 5 p.m. that day when the summit convenes at the Satellite Beach Civic Center.
All Brevard cities were invited to participate in the public event that begins with a pre-summit workshop on creating a sustainability plan. Presentations and updates on plans include Satellite Beach, Cocoa Beach, Indialantic, Palm Bay, Melbourne and Melbourne Beach, followed by a presentation by sustainability partner Brevard Zoo and the keynote presentation by Castro. The summit will conclude with a panel discussion with the goal to collectively create regional goal setting.
“I have been impressed by the recent efforts in Satellite Beach to become more sustainable. More importantly, the citizens are engaged and working closely with the elected officials and senior staff to ensure this becomes part of their culture. This is a fantastic differentiator over other similar-sized cities. Compared to other small cities, I would say Satellite Beach is showing their leadership by example,’’ Castro said.
Orlando leaders since 2007 have been working to transform the city in several areas. Now the Green Works Orlando program is ranked in the top 20 cities nationwide for its work in clean energy, green buildings, local food systems, livability, solid waste, transportation, water resources and natural ecology.
For example, Orlando has more than 350 electric vehicle chargers located throughout the city and a large fleet of electric vehicle for municipal operations. Home of the Fleet Farming Program, which turns underutilized land into organic farms, it is a leader in urban agriculture with more than 600 garden plots, urban fruit tree orchards, urban chicken ordinance and multiple urban farms.
Other examples include passing a 100 percent renewable energy policy by 2030 for municipal operations, and citywide by 2050. Orlando has procured more than 5MW of solar energy, enough to power City Hall, 17 fire stations and police headquarters. So far, an energy efficiency project in city buildings has saved $2 million in expenses.
Though manifested on a more moderate scale with smaller projects and savings, the principles of sustainability remain the same. Palm Bay’s sustainability plan focuses on creating green jobs, reducing municipal energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Satellite Beach focuses on five categories: built environment, land and water systems, energy and transportation systems, community outreach and quality of life.
“The Green Works Orlando program has been a showcase model for cities around the U.S. and the world. We encourage Satellite Beach (and other Brevard cities) to see us as a partner in their journey and emulate the work we are doing to drive a better quality of life, environmental quality and economic vitality of our city,’’ Castro said.
Orlando has hosted a similar sustainability conference for four years which has been attended by Satellite Beach City Manager Courtney Barker.
“In respect to their size and location they (Satellite Beach officials) seem to be moving quicker in the right direction than most cities,’’ Castro said.