HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The City of Huntsville says it's looking to focus on the community’s natural and built environment. Mayor Tommy Battle has now made an 11-person Huntsville Sustainability Commission. The group is set to work directly with municipal departments to fulfill the City of Huntsville’s Sustainability Plan that was released earlier this year.
“The Sustainability Plan provided us with great thoughtful analysis, clear goals and realistic recommendations for the future, and one of the key recommendations was to establish a Sustainability Commission,” Mayor Battle said. “This will help our departments think more holistically, because at the end of the day, everything we do impacts our environment, our quality of life and our future.”
The plan was created by an independent coalition of leaders and experts who spent nine months figuring our what could contribute to long-term environmental sustainability in Huntsville. The city says the goal is to create a sustainable urban development that revitalizes community, keeps the air, water and land clean and provides economic and social benefits for all residents.
“It’s about leaving a better city for our kids and grandkids, and this advisory commission will help guide us in that direction,” Mayor Battle said.
Newly appointed members to the new Sustainability Commission include:
- Chad Bostick, Bostick Design – landscape architect
- Marie Bostick, Executive Director, Land Trust of North Alabama
- Lisa Dyer, Matheny Goldmon - licensed architect, accredited LEED-AP
- Lindsey Keane, RCP – developer of sustainable mixed-use urban projects
- Sara Kovachich, ALTA – active transportation planner
- Carey Martin Lane, Food Bank of North AL – Farm-food collaborative manager
- Jared Mitchem, TVA – Regional Vice-President
- Phoenix Robinson, TARCOG – community planner
- Ankur Shah, UAH - earth science/physics
- Andy Somers, Somers Consulting – civil engineer
- Andrew York, SSOE – electrical engineer
Marie Bostick, Co-Chair of the committee that drafted the Sustainability plan, said, “This is an important step because we will now have an entity thinking about sustainability in the everyday decision making of City government, so that we can create a better and more sustainable community for today and future generations,” Marie Bostick, Co-Chair of the committee that drafted the Sustainability plan, said. “It is important to all of us, as we grow and develop as a community, that we respect and take care of our natural resources, and they are not mutually exclusive.”
Members of the Sustainability Commission will serve for a four-year term.