Stories Related to Despite Not Having A Plan, Charleston Leaders "cognizant" Of Sustainability, City Manager Says

By Elaina Sauber Unlike the nine cities profiled in a recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Charleston doesn't have a clear set of goals or methods to help improve sustainability in the future. The report, which includes cities such as Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Chattanooga, Tenn., studied the different efforts they've made to bolster environmental, economic and social sustainability. While there's no cookie-cutter approach to making a city more sustainable, the report recommends cities should at least develop a plan that highlights their unique characteristics and adapts strategies that have worked in other places with similar traits. Pittsburgh has not only an office of sustainability, but also a climate action initiative that's been in place since 2008. The action plan outlined goals of a 10 percent energy use reduction in city-owned buildings by 2015, and a 50 percent reduction by 2030. Pittsburgh also buys 15 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources, including solar, on its facilities. But just because Charleston doesn't have a tenable plan or specific goals to increase sustainability doesn't mean it's not making efforts to be more energy efficient, City Manager David Molgaard said. "We do focus on, and are cognizant in everything we do, of the need to do things efficiently," Molgaard said.