City of East Lansing, MI
East Lansing is a culturally and demographically diverse college community of 46,000. It
is home to Michigan State University (MSU), one of the largest learning centers in the
country. Adjacent to East Lansing is the State Capitol located in the City of Lansing. The
community’s tree-lined avenues, beautiful neighborhoods, environmental services and
unparalleled shopping and recreational offerings make it an outstanding living
destination for seniors, families, young professionals and students.
Overarching Sustainability
The City has a longstanding commitment to sustainable practices, including:
Adoption of the US Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and the
Michigan Municipal League’s Green Communities Challenge
Strategic initiatives developed by the East Lansing City Council with policy
direction from the East Lansing Commission on the Environment and City
Planning and Environmental staff
Collaborative regional partnerships, including: the Greater Lansing Area Clean
Cities Coalition, Regional Recycling Coordinating Council, Tri-County
Groundwater Management Board, and the Greater Lansing Regional Committee
for Stormwater Management
Founding of the Technology Innovation Center and The Hatch - entrepreneurial
stimulus programs which cultivate local business.
http://www.cityofeastlansing.com/tic
Designation as a “Cool City” by the State of Michigan.
http://www.coolcities.com/
Economic Sustainability
In the past 3 years, The City of East Lansing has witnessed steady growth in the business
community, despite an economic downturn in the region and state. The introduction of
IBM, the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, a multi-million dollar Art Museum, and the
Technology Innovation Center into the community has contributed to that growth.
These amenities have attracted residents, employees, and employers to the community
from all over the world.
Partnering with Key Stakeholders and Business Community
The City of East Lansing is a member of the Lansing Regional Smartzone, which also
includes the City of Lansing and Ingham County. The Smartzone designation allows for
these jurisdictions to collaborate with each other and MSU to further the knowledge
based economy in the region. Within the Smartzone, the City of East Lansing provides
programming and office space, via the Technology Innovation Center (TIC),
to accommodate the growing technology transfer and local technology startups coming
out of the University and from around the community.
Since the opening of the TIC in October 2008, twenty new businesses have operated
from the facility. These business leaders are now joining City boards and commissions,
and are purchasing homes in the community as they become established. The
"Economic Gardening" approach to economic development has allowed the City to
expand its economic base to provide a more consistent and sustained economy for the
downtown while absorbing seasonal reductions more effectively.
Environmental Sustainability
The City of East Lansing has a long history of providing programs and services and
adopting forward-thinking policies to improve our environment. The commitment to
conservation and wise use of our resources is demonstrated by the following:
Solid Waste
The City was one of the first communities in the State to develop a comprehensive
curbside and drop off recycling program. Over 3 million pounds of recyclables are
collected annually, which diverts nearly 3,000 cubic yards of materials from the landfill,
reduces greenhouse gas emissions by over 1,000 tons and saves 13,400 trees.
For several years, the City has partnered with regional municipalities to provide unique
recycling opportunities to residents of the Greater Lansing area. By pooling financial
and in-kind resources, we have collected over 1,000 tons of items such as electronics,
unwanted medications, Christmas lights, CFL bulbs, mercury thermometers and more
for reuse and recycling.
Energy
In 2010 the City completed two major energy conservation projects. With the help of
Federal stimulus funds, local energy conservation rebates from the City’s electric service
provider and City funding, lighting retrofits were completed on 5 major facilities owned
by the City. This investment in over 1,000 energy efficient light fixtures and motion
sensors will save approximately 194,500 kilowatt hours (KWH) of electricity and more
than $19,000 annually. In addition, the City also partnered with our electric service
provider to remove inefficient incandescent street lighting in the City’s Bailey
Neighborhood and replaced them with 128 highly efficient Light Emitting Diode street
lights. The project will result in an annual electric savings of 87,000 KWH and reduced
maintenance and electric cost to the City of $12,000 per year.
Green Building
The City recently adopted two policies to improve the sustainability of buildings in the
Community. The City’s Green Building Policy requires private development projects
which receive municipal financing such as Brownfield Redevelopment Funds to achieve
specified levels of LEED certification. The policy also requires new municipal
developments to attain LEED certification. In order to promote sustainable residential
construction, the City adopted the Green Building Incentive Policy. This policy provides
financial incentives for homes receiving certification based on the level of LEED
achieved. There are currently three LEED certified buildings within the City, an
additional 7 buildings which are registered to be LEED certified, and one under
construction.
Urban Forestry
East Lansing actively manages over 8,500 trees along our City streets. The City has been
awarded the Tree City USA designation by the National Arbor Day Foundation for the
past 23 years. Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), an invasive insect identified in Michigan in
2003, has killed nearly 900 Ash trees along City streets. With the significant impact of
EAB, the City began a partnership with the Michigan Arbor Day Alliance (MADA) and
MSU Federal Credit Union to replant trees. The partnership aims to increase the stock
of trees planted in the City and region while diversifying tree species in order to reduce
the potential for future disasters from invasive species and diseases. Over the past two
years the partnership has involved community volunteers to plant more than 150 trees.
While there remains significant work to be done to tackle the impact of EAB, our
partnership has created a solution. The collaborative effort has allowed the City to
focus much demanded funds on the removal of hazardous trees to protect public safety
while still enhancing the City’s urban forest through new tree planting.