Coral Gables is out in front in implementing sustainable and green initiatives | Opinion

As I serve my final days as mayor of Coral Gables, I am proud that the city has been a leader in sustainability initiatives, especially at a time of deepening concern about the health of our planet and its people.

Coral Gables is ahead of the curve in recognizing that resiliency must be a key focus in devising policies and delivering services to its residents, businesses, and visitors. Stepping up to the challenge, city officials accelerated efforts six years ago and adopted a Sustainability Management Plan that establishes goals for reducing energy and water consumption, fuel usage and overall greenhouse-gas emissions over a 10-year timeframe. To achieve these goals, the city identified policies and projects, then earmarked funding Coral Gables’ impact on the environment.

Here are some key initiatives that are helping Coral Gables reach its ambitious sustainability and resiliency goals:

▪ Electric fleet: The city operates 65 electric vehicles, one of the largest such fleet in Florida. With 12 percent of its fleet electric, the city ranks near the top of the list in the nation. To facilitate these vehicles’ operation, the city has installed 22 public/private charging points and plans to double that number to provide even greater access to the public for charging electric vehicles.

▪ Green construction: Coral Gables recently completed a state-of-the-art public-safety building constructed to LEED Silver Green Construction practices. The city requires all future buildings larger than 20,000 square feet to be built to this standard. This ensures that large developments are energy and water efficient, reduce waste and incorporate additional resiliency and sustainability measures.

▪ Solar incentives: All permit fees for solar installations and other energy- and water-efficiency projects have been waived to incentivize residents to adopt environment-friendly measures. In 2018, the city installed 11 solar-powered charging benches in city parks. Residents and visitors can charge their electronic devices in these public spaces year-round. This solar-powered service is a valuable asset during hurricane emergencies and other instances when electrical power is down.

▪ Green space: Coral Gables, with its extensive canopy of more than 39,000 trees, is proud to have maintained its designation of Tree City USA for 35 years. With 295 acres of parks, the city continues to purchase additional green space to be converted into parkland.

▪ Plastic pollution: Coral Gables was the first city in the Florida to ban single-use plastic bags. Even though the legislation was overturned, the city continues to encourage and incentivize businesses to use sustainable alternatives such as reusable bags, paper, bamboo and metal straws.

▪ Reduce litter: The mission of the Keep Coral Gables Beautiful Program is to promote environmental sustainability and educate the community on how to reduce litter and improve recycling efforts. This program coordinates coastal cleanups and hosts biannual household hazardous-waste collection drives. To date, the city has collected 217,000 pounds of hazardous waste and electronics, which are recycled and diverted from landfills.

▪ Prescription-drug disposal: The city was the first in Miami-Dade County to participate in a prescription-drug disposal program. Since then, more than 500 pounds of prescription drugs have been collected. This refuse is typically destined for landfills or flushed down toilets, potentially contaminating the water supply. Instead, discarded prescription drugs collected at our public safety building are incinerated and converted into energy.

▪ Transportation: Providing safe transportation options is a priority. The city has more than 10 miles of bike lanes and provides free bike racks in commercial areas. We offer free trolley service that has attracted more than 1.2 million riders annually. The city has also implemented a pilot program for electric scooters and offers Freebee ride service, which had 60,000 users during its first year.

▪ Sea-level rise: Coral Gables is focused on climate resiliency. The city has developed elevation maps and conducted a vulnerability assessment examining critical infrastructure in relation to future sea-level rise projections. More than $6 million has been allocated to a sea-level rise mitigation fund. The goal is to set aside $100 million by 2040.

Visit www.coralgables.com/sustainability to learn more about Coral Gables’ sustainability and resiliency initiatives.

Coral Gables has made significant progress toward reaching its sustainability goals. However, we know the journey has just begun. We will continue to make all of our environmental initiatives high priorities. We invite residents, businesses and visitors to join ongoing efforts to create a more sustainable City Beautiful by participating in our programs and making individual efforts to protect our planet.

Raúl Valdés-Fauli served as Coral Gables mayor from 1993 to 2001 and from 2017 to 2021. He steps down on April 30.