CITY OF HIGHLAND PARK ADDRESSES MAYORS OF CANADA AND USA AS RECIPIENT OF PRESTIGIOUS BINATIONAL AWARD FOR WATER CONSERVATION

CITY OF HIGHLAND PARK ADDRESSES MAYORS OF CANADA AND USA AS RECIPIENT OF PRESTIGIOUS BINATIONAL AWARD FOR WATER CONSERVATION

On June 19, 2015, in Sarnia-Lambton, Ontario, Dr. Mark Nolan Hill addressed, on behalf of Highland Park, the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative (GLSLCI) Annual Meeting-a binational coalition of 114 Mayors founded by former Mayor Richard M. Daley in 2003 that work with federal, state, and provincial governments to advance the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin, constituting 17 million US and Canadian citizens.

This address was requested following the GLSLCI recognition of Highland Park’s 2013 Water Conservation and Efficiency Initiative, and Highland Park also received the Wege Small Cities Sustainability Best Practices Award-a most competitive, prestigious award accompanied with a generous monetary stipend. This was the first time Highland Park was ever invited to formally address the GLSLCI, and the first time any Illinois city has ever received this Award.

The Wege Award was specifically established to recognize and reward cities in the US and Canada less than 100,000 population with practices that protect and improve economic vitality, social equity, and environmental stewardship in their water resources for this worlds largest source of surface freshwater.

Highland Park’s Water Conservation and Efficiency Initiative was implemented in 2013 and encourages water customers to use less through a tiered rate structure (revenue neutral) that charges a premium for water consumption beyond standard usage. The Initiative restricts lawn sprinkler use to even or odd numbered days and requires that all new irrigation systems be equipped with smart sensors that shut off the system when it rains. This program was the the culmination of much research and deliberation, and embodies the City’s focus on sustainability and waste reduction measures.

The GLSLCI enthusiastically applauded Highland Park’s Initiative, and Dr. Hill presented the Executive Council with the Highland Park Water Conservation Bottles, which has a QR code imprinted on the bottle which provides a link to the City’s water conservation page on its web site.

This address, along with highlights of the recent GLSLCI Meeting will be presented by Dr. Hill on Aug. 24 at 7:30pm at the City Council Meeting. The GLSLCI Executive Director, David Ullrich, and the Honorable Richard M. Daley, former Mayor of Chicago, will be attending.

Dr. Hill, former Chairman, Commissioner, and Citizen Advisor of the Natural Resources Commission for greater than thirty years, has represented the City of Highland Park at every annual meeting of the GLSLCI since its inception over a decade ago. Moreover, he has integrated his experiences each year with his involvement of the Highland Park Middle School National Project Citizen Program for Civic Education.