HomeMy WebLinkAboutDaniel Southwick spotlightWhat does sustainability mean to you?
Sustainability is ensuring that your actions of today don't
impact society's ability to meet its needs of the future. It
is one of the criteria of every project that should be con-
sidered with the same or more scrutiny as economics
which rarely happens in today's society.
How is sustainability incorporated into
your position?
My position has two major responsibilities relating to
sustainability. The first is calculating the emissions of Iowa City as a society and re-
porting that to the Compact of Mayors, which is a world wide agreement Iowa City
joined to try to reduce 2005 emissions created in city limits 27 percent by 2025. The
other responsibility is to track and report energy usage and emissions created by city
owned interests. This information can then used by the City Council to direct efforts
of what areas of interest need the most attention to reduce city emissions.
What actions have you taken to improve sustainability within your position?
Creating and submitting the Global Green House Gas Protocol for Iowa City to the compact of Mayors as well as
tracking all of the cities electricity, water, and natural gas.
In your opinion, what efforts can be made to
improve sustainability within your position or within our community?
The easiest way to make the biggest impact would be to start an educational campaign to Iowa City's residents of how/
what simple actions can reduce waste created at a household level. The most effective way to persuade people to
change their actions is to show average dollar amounts that taking these actions will save the individual.
For more information about the City of Iowa City’s sustainability efforts, visit
icgov.org/sustainability, subscribe to our Sustainable Iowa City newsletter at
icgov.org/e-subscriptions, or follow #SustainableIC on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Sustainability Spotlight:
Daniel Southwick
Research Assistant for the City of Iowa City’s Office of Sustainability