City discusses making Columbia ‘greener’

By Jedd Rosche

Published Feb. 15, 2008

Hiring a sustainability director, adding trolleys and getting landlords to winterize their properties topped the list of suggestions discussed at a Columbia climate change forum Wednesday.

City officials and experts on energy efficiency answered more than an hour’s worth of questions and gave their opinion on how to make the city “greener” and fight climate change locally.

The League of Women Voters of Columbia-Boone County played host to the forum in the Columbia Public Library, where about 100 people filled the room to hear five panelists, including Mayor Darwin Hindman and Sixth Ward Councilwoman Barbara Hoppe.

Hindman said the city government had looked at cities like Berkeley, Calif., and Austin, Texas, for examples of how to deal with landlords. Hindman said some landlords have no incentive to make their properties more energy-efficient if tenants end up paying utility bills.

“That has been a major issue,” Hindman said.

Although city officials considered options such as including lending money to property owners, they did not decide on any specific plan of action.

Audience members also asked about adding a city sustainability director, whose job would be to make the city more energy-efficient.

Hindman did not commit to the suggestions and said the city council would ultimately decide whether a new director could fit into the budget.

“Any time you hire a new position, it becomes a budgetary item,” he said. “It certainly is appealing.”

Another common topic on Wednesday was public transportation, including the possibility of adding a trolley.

Sustain Mizzou President Ben Datema said his organization has been working to get a sustainability director for MU.

“We need someone to look at these issues,” Datema said.

He said someone in this position could help make the university more efficient. He cited the example of how Steven Burdic, Coordinator for Solid Waste and Recycling, has already saved the university $54 per ton for each ton recycled.

Datema said Sustain Mizzou would be meeting with the city today about PedNet and developing roads behind Mizzou Arena.

The other panelists for the event included Assistant City Manager Tony St. Romaine, Frank Cunningham, professor in the natural resources department and University of Missouri Extension environmental design specialist Barbara Buffaloe.

LWV-Columbia-Boone County president Elaine Blodgett said the forum’s goal was to help inform their members about important issues and to help their energy committee formulate an opinion in order to lobby the state and local government.

Blodgett did not specify when the committee would finalize their opinion after last night.