Frederick Can Lead the “Green” Way
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Frederick Extra has invited Frederick city candidates to share their views on city-related issues in up to three op-eds each month through August. The Frederick Extra will not be taking any paid political advertisements.
When my wife Stacey and I moved our family to Frederick more than twenty years ago, I remember being struck at the natural beauty of the city. How you could be driving through town, passing shops and restaurants, and within mere minutes, find yourself surrounded by the kind of rolling, green countryside that this nation is famous for. That dichotomy—the urban and the suburban and the rural—all melded seamlessly together into one place, is one of the things that makes Frederick so special. Any city can grow, but to grow in a sustainable way, a way that preserves our natural resources, a way that puts conservation at the forefront of our energies, a way that promotes local food sources and lifts local farmers up instead of pushing them down—that is growth that only the best of cities can accomplish. And I believe that Frederick can do that—and more.
Environmental issues are starting to get the attention that they deserve from the international community, but it is at the local level, the city level, that things can really begin to change. We in Frederick have an opportunity to become a model for sustainability, and in order to do that, we must allocate and prioritize resources in the budget to enact Frederick’s Sustainability Plan, and develop metrics to measure our progress. With new techniques and technologies coming out all the time, we must be able to look back on our actions in an organized and scientific way to see what worked and what didn’t, so we don’t get mired into one way of thinking, and are constantly able and willing to improve on past practices.
I would like to focus on four specific environmental initiatives: energy conservation, waste reduction, promotion of local food sources, and development of green spaces.
Renewable energy is one of the fastest growing industries in the country, and Frederick can take advantage of that boom by bringing companies working in solar and geothermal energy to the city. Not only can this help build a strong, forward-thinking economy, but it helps our residents and businesses save money on their utilities—all while lightening our carbon load.
Back in May, almost one hundred locals met for the first Frederick Compost Summit. At that meeting, experts from every facet of the community discussed ways to reduce waste and apply new techniques for reusing organic materials. The plans and discussions are ongoing, and this is a testament to our community’s dedication to the health and well-being of our land. I wholly support these actions and would continue to do so in the future.
Frederick is home to hundreds of farms that boast a cornucopia of local products: produce, meat, poultry, wine, beer, and spirits. But working in agriculture and keeping these farms afloat is becoming increasingly difficult, so it’s important for the city to give our farmers as much support as we can. Equally, many folks in our urban communities don’t have adequate access to fresh and healthy food. By working with local farmers to help get more of their products into the hands of Frederick’s families, we would accomplish two goals at once.
Finally, as we grow as a city and more communities and commercial buildings are slated for construction, we must remember that creating and preserving our green spaces is equally important. To complement Frederick’s many parks, let’s also create spaces for urban gardens, where city dwellers can have a patch of green to tend and grow as their own. Community gardens stimulate social interaction, and have been shown to decrease crime rates and encourage continued community involvement and development.
There are already many highly motivated, passionate Frederick residents working to create innovative solutions, so we must partner with these people and work together to help them achieve these visions on a larger scale. Frederick is a city full of farmers—the original environmentalists—artists, scientists, businesspeople, and entrepreneurs. We have all the tools necessary to make this vision a reality—we need only the energy and the commitment to see it through.
The history and spirit of Frederick is green, and I am committed to help keep it that way.
Wilson is an aldermanic candidate in the Democratic primary for the Frederick city election.
