What to Make of Madison

• The Chapel Hill News
• Page: A8
• October 1, 2006

Editor's note: The News asked participants in the three-day Foundation for a Sustainable Community trip to Madison, Wis., to share their experiences.

Working together key on land use

The primary lessons learned from the various presenters in Madison, Wis., on land use and the environment include the importance of leadership, having a framework and collaboration.

The mayor of Madison is the former executive director of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, an environmental organization. When he came into office, he declared that Madison would become America's number-one green city.

But this leadership requires setting in motion a process. Along with six other municipalities in America, Madison has embraced and is training its departments in Karl-Henrik Robert's Natural Step framework for sustainability. The objectives of the Natural Step model for the development of eco-municipalities include the elimination of dependence on fossil fuels and toxic chemicals, the elimination of our contribution to the encroachment on nature (water, forests, soil, etc.) and meeting human needs fairly and efficiently.

To complement the mayor's leadership, many groups in the community have committed to a collaborative effort in addressing issues of sustainability. These groups have fostered enhanced communication, education and action among government, business and nonprofit groups. Specific initiatives that are a product of these collaborations include and are not limited to the Green Tier program, which provides an incentive to green builders. Developments that meet specified green criteria can have a fast-track approval. Other developments are subject to the normal and lengthier approval process.

Organizations such as 1000 Friends of Wisconsin have worked with builders and developers to encourage infill within Madison, where condominiums are built in and near the downtown rather than large-lot houses on the periphery. The Wisconsin Environmental Initiative, in partnership with the Madison Area Builders Association, has implemented the Green Built Home Initiative that certifies new homes and remodeling projects that meet sustainable building and energy standards. Notably, the University of Wisconsin at Madison has made a solid commitment to shrinking its new building footprint, building up and building green, increasing both capacity and green space.

Bernadette Pelissier is chair of the Orange-Chatham Sierra Club.