Environment
All life is part of and dependent upon our physical environment. As modern industrial culture has created a wealth of goods that enhance our lives, how we manufacture, use, and dispose of those products has become of critical importance. As a community, we will have opportunities to make choices that will determine the extent to which processes used will minimize ecological disturbance and maximize the likelihood that the industrial culture that has served us well will survive into the indefinite future. The goals that follow are based on the assumption that conservation is an appropriate and conservative approach.
Goal 9
Establish and continue to promote and expand programs designed to reduce, reuse and/or recycle waste materials and to dispose of hazardous wastes properly.
Action Plan
Increase the amount of waste diverted from landfill disposal through recycling and composting; create and maintain proper hazardous waste disposal facilities; educate the public regarding alternatives to household and industrial products, as they are available, that result in hazardous waste creation.
Indicators
Quantity of waste diverted from a landfill as a percentage of total waste generated; Quantity of hazardous waste collected that are reused and/or disposed of properly.
Goal 10
Encourage increased consumption of products made from recycled materials.
Action Plan
Encourage additional purchase and use of recycled products by the City; encourage residents, businesses and other public agencies to purchase products made from recycled materials.
Indicators
Proportional increase/decrease in substitution of recycled products for traditional products.
Goal 11
Improve and sustain the quality of the Cuyahoga River.
Action Plan
Improve urban infrastructure to reduce inflow of pollutants; take necessary steps to assure continuous and adequate water flow through Kent and downstream communities; continue to resist attempts to reduce river flow in ways that would degrade the river.
Indicators
The degree to which the City meets Environmental Protection Agency quality standards. Monitor water ecosystem and flow.
Goal 12
Protect presently used and potentially useable aquifers and other water sources from degradation.
Action Plan
Identify and protect water sources; rehabilitate and mitigate the polluting affects of landfills and other problem sites that endanger water resources; monitor water consumption vs. availability and encourage water conservation and water reuse through education.
Indicators
Number of productive and potentially productive water-source sites under wellhead protection and free of potential contamination.
Goal 13
Promote the use of less-polluting methods of transportation.
Action Plan
Implement 1993 Intermodal Transportation Plan; encourage ridership on available public transportation; increase number of street miles served by public transportation and bike paths, and increase number of sidewalks safe for travel.
Indicators
Number of people using public transit; miles of bike paths and bike lanes; percentage of streets served by safe sidewalks.
Goal 14
Encourage energy conservation, the development and utilization of cleaner sources of energy, and improvements in ambient air quality.
Action plan
Promote reduced consumption through use of alternate/renewable energy sources and energy conservation; support local, regional and national efforts to reduce toxic byproducts of energy generation and consumption; develop green building codes; educate public in energy conservation and the use of green energy.
Indicators
Total energy consumption in the city; periodic surveys of regional air quality indicators; success of educational efforts.
Goal 15
Promote aesthetic integration of developed areas with the surrounding natural landscape; enhancement of the City's public spaces, parks and recreation facilities, river banks and streams and natural areas; improved accessibility for all citizens.
Action Plan
Preserve and increase total acres of natural public land, gardens and parks; improve access and use of public parks and recreational facilities; increase the number of private and street trees; improve landscaping.
Indicators
Assess the adequacy of parks, recreational facilities, and shade trees by applying appropriate professional standards.