Mayor Daley Announces 2006 Environmental Action Agenda

Mayor Richard M. Daley announced today that four wind turbines will be erected on the roof of the Richard J. Daley center to generate electricity and lead toward the development of more renewable energy sources.

John Montgomery, (left) program coordinator for the Public Building Commission of Chicago, discusses the agency’s commitment to using environmentally friendly practices for construction and renovation projects during the Earth Week celebration on Daley Plaza.

The project is part of Chicago’s 2006 Environmental Action Agenda, which Daley announced today at an Earth Week celebration on the Daley Plaza. The Agenda is one of the most ambitious and comprehensive plans of any city in the country.

“I’m proud that Chicago has become a national leader in the environmental movement,” the Mayor said. “We are setting the standard for how a big city can live in harmony with its environment – and we have the awards to prove it.

“We’re continually looking for new ways to improve the environment,” he said. “These turbines will serve as a demonstration project that could lead to new technologies and move us toward our goal of generating 20 percent of the electricity in City buildings from renewable sources by 2010.”

Known as Aeroturbines, the devices were invented by Bil Becker, a professor of industrial design at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and were manufactured in Chicago’s Pilsen community by Aerotecture International, Inc.

Daley said the turbines would be installed within the next four months. At 680 feet in the air, the Aeroturbines will be the highest wind turbines attached to a building anywhere in the world.

Four wind turbines similar to the model pictured above will be erected on the roof of the Richard J. Daley center to generate electricity. The project is part of Chicago’s 2006 Environmental Action Agenda.

The Aeroturbines are more like solar panels than windmills, and are silent, self-regulating, vibration-free and safe for birds. The four turbines will produce a small portion of the Daley Center’s electricity.

The City’s 2006 Environmental Agenda reflects the work of more than 40 City departments and sister agencies and contains nearly 200 environmental accomplishments, as well as an ambitious set of initiatives and goals for 2006.

The accomplishments and initiatives show that environmentally smart policies have begun to take root in every aspect of the City’s operations and in the way it partners with Chicago citizens and businesses.

The new agenda sets a course for continued innovation in the coming year and reaffirms Mayor Daley’s belief that a healthy environment is essential to a strong economy and improved quality of life for Chicagoans.

The Action Agenda commits the City to reducing its use of natural resources, improving the quality of life in the City as a w