Just two years ago, Columbus ranked dead last in the SustainLane 2006 U.S. City Sustainability Rankings. Times are changing, and fast.
Columbus has jumped up 20 spots to number 30 overall, according to new rankings that can be found at www.sustainLane.com.
SustainLane defines sustainability as "meeting the needs of the present generation so it doesn't compromise the quality of life for future generations."
The "U.S. City Rankings of the 50 most-populous cities is the nation's most complete report card on urban sustainability," according to the site.
Many factors were taken into account when ranking each city. "Traffic Congestion", "Local Food & Agriculture", "Housing Affordability" and "Green Building" are among the 16 categories studied.
"We've been very active the last two years," said Susan Ashbrook, the environmental steward for the city of Columbus. "We're pleased with the improvement in ranking."
Ashbrook said she contributes much of the success to Mayor Michael B. Coleman and his "green" enthusiasm.
The Get Green Columbus initiative, created in 2005 by Coleman and paid for by a grant from the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio, is an aggressive program that helped Columbus move up in the rankings.
Much progress has been made since the program's inception, according to the Get Green Columbus 2007 Summary.
Get Green Columbus has partnered with SWACO to create more recycling drop-off spots, Ashbrook said.
Although recycling drop-off spots have tripled, one OSU student said he wishes off-campus housing had recycling pick-ups.
"There's not too much recycling off campus, I wish they could do a better job," said Rob Wensing, a sophomore in chemical engineering.
Last year, 13 jurisdictions around Columbus signed The Central Ohio Green Pact. Each jurisdiction will honor Get Green Columbus by taking "practical steps to protect the air and water, to preserve natural resources, to increase green space, reduce consumption of raw materials and increase recycling," according to the pact.
The Bicentennial Bikeway Plan, another part of Get Green Columbus, has was designed to increase Columbus awareness of bicycles as an alternative form of transportation.
As part of this plan, the 62-mile trails will eventually be extended to 112 miles.
Get Green Columbus also sponsors Pedal Instead, a free bike-parking service at select events, Ashbrook said. These events include some home Ohio State football games. So far, thousands of bikers have participated.
SustainLane ranked Columbus' "Knowledge Base and Communications" fourth overall, the city's highest ranking. Ashbrook said she believes this is largely because of the GreenSpot Program which launched July 30.
She said GreenSpot not only educates the public about protecting the environment, but also recognizes and awards businesses that do the right thing by going "green".
"There are almost 500 GreenSpot (buildings) on the map," Ashbrook said. This includes businesses and residential homes.
OSU already has a few buildings recognized by GreenSpot and Ashbrook said they are trying to make OSU an active partner with GreenSpot.
SustainLane gave Columbus a poor ranking in "Tap Water Quality" (43), but the Web site revealed the data was taken from a 2005 national database. Ashbrook was not happy with the outdated information, and said Columbus fully complies with all water quality reports.
"We encourage people to use tap water," she said, adding that drinking tap water is actually better for the environment than plastic bottles.
Columbus also received low rankings "Natural Disaster Risk" (41), "Metro Transit Ridership" (39) and "Planning & Land Use" (38).
Columbus ranked high in "Green Economy" (10), "Water Supply" (12) and "Metro Street Congestion" (14). The city's "Air Quality" ranking also moved up 17 spots to 22 overall.
The other Ohio city in the study, Cleveland, ranked 16 overall.
Get Green Columbus and GreenSpot are making an effort to improve Columbus and the surrounding area. More information about these programs and how to get involved can be found at www.getgreencolumbus.com and www.columbusgreenspot.com.
Matt Hancharick can be reached at hancharick.1@osu.edu.
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