HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — As Huntsville grows, City leaders are focused on long-term successful gains for people who live, work and play in the community. This includes a watchful eye on Huntsville’s natural and built environment.
Mayor Tommy Battle recently asked area leaders with interest and expertise in this area to form a committee and examine contributing factors to long-term environmental sustainability in metro Huntsville.
“Environmental challenges directly impact our quality of life,” said Mayor Battle. “We want to continue promoting sustainable urban development that revitalizes community, keeps our air, water and land clean and provides economic and social benefits for all of our residents.”
To gather public input in this process, the Huntsville Environmental Sustainability Committee (HESC) is calling on residents to attend a public meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 11, from 5-7 p.m. at Campus No. 805.
Marie Bostick, committee chair and executive director of the Land Trust of North Alabama, said the committee’s definition of environmental sustainability is focused on achieving a balance between a healthy environment and a thriving economy for present and future generations.
"We are growing very rapidly, but that's a good thing, growth is good," Bostick stated. "We just have to make sure we do it in a smart way, and so, that's kind of the purpose of this. Is finding out from the community what they think are the priorities for environmental sustainability, and how they think that should be incorporated into the decisions that are made on a daily basis for how things are done, and as we do grow so it's really just that balance."
The HESC will have interactive opportunities for public involvement at the meeting, which will be held in the Stone Event Center Cafeteria in Campus No. 805, 2620 Clinton Ave. W. in Huntsville. The community's input is vital to the success of long-term sustainability.
"It's a matter of making sure that, as you develop, you still take care of those environmentally sensitive areas, and you still take care of the key points the community identifies as being, what I call, and is pretty common, is your 'sense of place', "Bostick stated. "You don't want to lose that sense of what Huntsville is all about, and many people do come here for the natural beauty for the outdoor recreation, so we just need to make sure that from that natural perspective, we keep what makes us, Huntsville."
Following input from the meeting, HESC will also launch an online survey to gather more insights from Huntsville residents. The survey will be posted on their web page at HuntsvilleAL.gov/HESC.