Happy Earth Day to readers of our Sustainability Blog!

In recognition of Earth Day on April 22, 2014, I'd like to share ten fun facts about Earth Day and Sustainability - mainly as it pertains to sustainability's environmental component - in local government.  Since the currently internationally-recognized holiday's establishment in the United States 44 years ago, local governments, community organizations, academics, and others have made significant achievements in environmental protection and overall sustainability. This April 22, let's celebrate those accomplishments, and look forward to many more!

1. The first Earth Day was on April 22, 1970 and led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (1)
2. The founder of Earth Day was U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. (1)
3. The earliest ideas about sustainability came in the 1950s from author and environmentalist, Aldo Leopold, who raised concern for an environment's carrying capacity, or its ability to absorb human influence and still sustain all of its life forms and processes. (2)
4. The most common definition of sustainable development came from a 1987 report by the U.N. World Commission on Environment and Development (UNCED) – development "that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
5. The earliest municipal curbside paper recycling program began in Baltimore, Maryland in 1874. (3)
6. According to the 2010 ICMA Sustainability Survey of Local Governments, more than four governments in five engage in some type of recycling (90%), transportation improvements (82%), and reducing building energy use (81%). On the other hand, fewer than two in five have sought to reduce energy use by altering work schedules or processes (36%) and less than a quarter support any form of alternative energy generation (23%). (4)  
7. In an ICLEI survey to local governments in 2002, over 6,400 local governments in 113 countries worldwide were engaged in sustainability planning activities (Local Agenda 21) activities and over 60% of local governments surveyed had developed local action plans largely focused on environmental protection. (5)
8. More than 500 cities in 49 countries host advanced bike-sharing programs, with a combined fleet of over 500,000 bicycles. One of the earliest bike programs was established in Amsterdam in 1965 with a fleet of 50 bicycles for anyone to use free of charge. (6)
9. In 2002, the Chicago Center for Green Technology opened as the first rehabbed municipal building in the country to earn the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED platinum rating. (7)
10. The first U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR-recognized building (performing better on energy efficiency than 75 percent of similar buildings nationwide) was a 17-year-old, 7,400-square-foot municipal office building in San Diego, California in January of 2009. (8)

Sources:

(1) www.earthday.org

(2) Operation Fresh Start. Sustainable Development Overview. Accessible at freshstart.ncat.org/overview.htm.

(3) Zimring, CA and Rathje WL. Encyclopedia of Consumption and Waste: The Social Science of Garbage, Volume 1. 2012.

(4) Svara J, Moulder E, Read A. Breaking New Ground: Promoting Environmental and Energy Programs in Local Government. 2011. Accessible at icma.org/en/icma/knowledge_network/documents/kn/Document/302842/Breaking_New_Ground_Promoting_Environmental_and_Energy_Programs_in_Local_Government.

(5) ICLEI Local Sustainability 2012: Taking Stock. Accessible at local2012.iclei.org/fileadmin/files/LS2012_GLOBAL_REVIEW_www.pdf.

(6) Larsen J, Bike-Sharing Programs Hit the Streets in Over 500 Cities Worldwide, April 25, 2013. Accessible at www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2013/update112.

(7) Richardson K. Chicago takes the LEED in eco building. Accessible at grist.org/article/2010-08-30-chicago-takes-the-leed-in-eco-building/

(8) Celebrating a Decade of ENERGY STAR Buildings 1999-2009. Accessible at www.energystar.gov/ia/business/downloads/Decade_of_Energy_Star.pdf?eddf-ed2d.