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More About Mike
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| The Environment |
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| "It is our task in our time and in our generation to hand down undiminished to those who come after us, as was handed down to us by those who went before, the natural wealth and beauty which is ours." --John F. Kennedy |
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| My bottom line on the environment is that everybody should have all the hot showers, cold beer and deep-dish pizza they want. But we can't have all that if we keep riding our poor old planet like a tired horse. 2. Let's use our heads. What simple, commonsense things can we do right here in Auburn to help hold our piece of the planet together? Here are my suggestions: a) Plant Trees. Once upon a time, Auburn had an annual program to plant new street trees. The last time we did that was in 1992, using a federal grant we received before former Mayor Burt Dickman left office. With me as your Mayor, Auburn will plant trees again...every year... just like we used to. d) Protect the Trees We Already Have. We need to train city street and electric crews in how to prune trees properly. There's already been some progress here..but not enough. c) Cut Departmental Herbicide Use. Auburn currently spends thousands of dollars each year for chemical "sterilization" of the crushed stone at our electrical substations. We can save money and protect the environment by using a weed whacker a couple of times each summer. d) Environmental Review of City Departmental Projects. The decision to rip out most of the trees along the old Vandalia right-of-way to install a 69 kv line was stupid and unconscionable. (Fortunately, the project is stalled by land title problems.) Every major city project must be planned to create the "least cost" to the environment -- which in the case of the 69 kv line also happens be be the least cost to the beauty of a very nice neighborhood. e) Pursue Energy Conservation. Energy conservation has been America's most underreported environmental success story in the last 15 years. We've cut energy consumption and increased our standard of living at the same time. But we can do more here in Auburn: One possibility is to begin replacing our old, inefficient street lights with new, full-horizontal-cutoff fixtures to direct light to the streets -- where we want it -- instead of scattering it into the sky. This would mean long-term energy savings and a more pleasant community in which to drive and take walks in the evening. f) Promote Recycling. Auburn residents pay for recycling, but many don't use it because it's not adequately explained or promoted. We should make sure everybody knows about recycling dates and what materials can be recycled. We should look at the cost/benefit ratio of weekly pick-ups. g) Stop Paying Industries to Pollute. No industry that fouls our air and shakes our windows should get tax abatements, even if it's in compliance with Indiana's pathetically weak environmental rules. On the other hand, tax abatements could be used as a carrot to force improvements in an industry's environmental performance. h) Realistic Planning. There's a lot more to planning than doing surveys and passing ordinances. Once you've put a sewer line in the ground, you'll have pressure to develop all along it, no matter how many zoning laws you have. We can't view each city decision in isolation. Our present plan commission has started to develop some understanding of this. Our objective has to be to put people and services close together for convenience and traffic reduction...and leave room for nature, too. i) Empower People. "The environment" means "the human environment" -- the physical context in which we live our lives. A good human environment is one that's rich in enjoyment and satisfaction. We need technology. We need nature. We need to be creative and have fun. We also need democratic control of our community so that people will be free to speak out against anything that degrades our quality of life.  |
| Auburn, | IN | 46706-0267 |
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