Nature does not follow the laws set between borders of cities, states and countries, which is why, Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney said, trying to be sustainable can be problematic.
She said cities have different rules on how to treat water and soil, and what can be used where — as do states and countries — so having a plan for sustainability that works everywhere is difficult.
“We have to work together to be sustainable,” she said.
As a way to work with other countries, Chaney–along with two other representatives from Moscow– went to a conference put on by ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability in Hermosillo, Senora, Mexico.
“We were very well received,” Chaney said. “People around the world are looking for affordable sustainable options.”
Tyler Palmer, the Streets/Fleet Manager for Moscow and also a representative for the American Public Works Association was the one who got the city involved in the conference, she said.
Palmer became the chairman last year for the Latin American Task Force for the APWA, which he said means he worked on international outreach to Mexico and many of the Central American and Caribbean countries.
As the chairman he also worked with ICLEI-Mexico, and they wanted to have elected officials from America come to the conference and said he thought of Chaney and Moscow City Council member Tom Lamar.
At the conference the three Moscow representatives participated on panels, gave presentations and went on tour to see different projects being done throughout the city, Palmer said.
Palmer gave a presentation on the EcoDriver Program Moscow has implemented for the past two years.
“The program trains city employees on better driving practices to save money,” Chaney said.
She said they train people to not stomp on the accelerator, but instead gradually speed up to make sure the vehicles tires are properly inflated.
“Simple little things like that has saved the city 10,000 gallons of fuel and over $3,500,” she said.
Palmer said they had already been contacted by a Mexico City federal about ways to implement the program there.
“We sent him a lot of background information,” he said.
Lamar gave a presentation on biking infrastructures in cities, and Chaney spoke about conserving natural resources across borders.
Palmer said that sustainability is a big deal, and that often the needs people have can lead to sustainable living.
“Saving $10 is worth it to them,” he said. “That amount might be a large portion of their pay check, so if they can save it they will.”
Though they were in a city of more than 715,000 people, Chaney said smaller villages in Mexico and even larger cities were represented at the conference.
She said what works in major cities might not in smaller ones, and what works in America, with the way our government is set up, might not work in Mexico or other countries.
Chaney said there were also people from other parts of America, such as Arizona, and other countries like Nepal.
The people from Arizona gave Chaney some information on urban agriculture and community gardens, which she said is great because that is something the city is currently working on.
She said it was nice how what other cities do can be utilized elsewhere, like how Lamar learned a lot about biking infrastructure at a conference in Portland, used that information in Moscow and passed it on to people in Mexico, one thing that can be reused in various places.
“It is great how interchangeable solutions are from other cultures and backgrounds,” Palmer said.
The main focus of the conference, and ICLEI, was sustainability, and people from all over the world came to help make the earth a more sustainable place to live.
Palmer said it is a lot of work, but it is also rewarding.
Allison Griffith can be reached at [email protected]