Molly Gallagher
NEW 305: Blog 7
3/22/09
The city of Syracuse intends to make the Near Westside neighborhood environmentally friendly, according to the Near Westside Initiative March, 2009, newsletter. The city wants to make this neighborhood sustainable by using green infrastructure, says the newsletter. Green infrastructure removes contamination from stormwater, so it can be reused. According to the newsletter, the infrastructure will cost less, because it will not use pipes to remove the stormwater.
“Syracuse’s Near Westside is an area that needs a lot of help…it’s a neighborhood that has a lot to offer,” said Carissa Matthews, intern at the Syracuse Center of Excellence, which works to create sustainable jobs and innovations in Syracuse.
The Syracuse Center of Excellence and Home Headquarters, Inc., already strive to make homes in the Near Westside neighborhood of Syracuse energy efficient. According to a media alert from Home HeadQuarters and Syracuse Center of Excellence, Home Headquarters provides energy assessments to homes in the Near Westside neighborhood, with the help of Syracuse Center of Excellence.
“Instead of contributing to the old ways, we’re going to try and find green and healthy ways to revitalize the city,” Matthews said.
Each assessment indicates how much energy a house uses and describes how to improve this. According to the media alert, this lowers utility bills. Syracuse Center of Excellence uses this information and creates technologies that will improve energy usage, says the media alert.
The Near Westside is a pilot program for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) neighborhood development program, Matthews said, which means it will follow LEED standards to achieve sustainability. Syracuse Center of Excellence also offers advice to families about how to reduce energy use. Home HeadQuarters and Syracuse Center of Excellence plan to help homeowners by providing funding when needed.