Council to consider 'Green Cities' resolution

By Times Staff Writer
Published April 20, 2005

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ST. PETERSBURG - City Council member James Bennett joined with a neighborhood coalition and environmental group Tuesday to announce an effort to make the city more Earth friendly. He presented a "Green Cities" resolution that will go before the council next week that calls for a citizen task force to be formed that will assess and implement more environmentally sound plans such as those that reduce energy use and combat pollution.

"We need to be good stewards of what we've been given," said Bennett, during the press conference on the steps of City Hall. "This is a good start."

On the street were the city's two new Ford Escape hybrid sport utility vehicles, which run on gas and electricity. Karl Nurse, president of the Council of Neighborhood Associations, said of the 200 policies that are standard for the Green Cities initiative, St. Petersburg does about 65 of them well. Throughout the event, several people with the First Progressive Democratic Club of St. Pete held signs reading "Wake Up, (Mayor Rick) Baker: It's Time for Curbside Recycling in St. Petersburg" and "St. Petersburg Wants and Needs Curbside Recycling."

The council will consider the proposal during its 3 p.m. meeting Thursday, April 18.