DECEMBER 2023 THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE AMERICA - EAST 6 | City of Cincinati concerns of energy supply, deterioration of water and air quality, or other less-than-desired environmental factors. However, none of these are so worrisome in Cincinnati. “We are a city that has cheap and abundant energy supplies credited to our proximity to the rich coal fields of West Virginia and Ohio. We have cheap and abundant landfills, which still have plenty of capacity. We also have cheap and abundant water supplies. Some places worry about their water usage, but our utility has never had to asked people to cut back due to drought. We also have cheap and abundant land, and there’s lots of new construction of single family homes selling for less than two hundred thousand dollars within an hour’s drive of downtown,” explains Falkin. So, with so much going in its favor, the conditions that might typically compel the concentration on sustainability do not exist as urgencies in Cincinnati. As Falkin asserts, that creates real challenge. “How do you make recycling competitive when landfills are so cheap? How do you make the case for renewable energy when electricity is so cheap at five cents a kilowatt Cincinnati Mayor, Mark Mallory, takes a Zipcar for a spin. City of Cincinati | 7 hour?” asks Falkin. “And yet, we all know that sustainability is important. We’ve got to work hard to ensure whatever solutions we’re coming up with make economic sense. If the solutions don’t make economic sense, they won’t take hold,” he says. Today, Falkin’s office has made strides that connote to good sense environmentally and economically. Efforts have included enhancement to the city’s recycling program which currently sees some 70% of eligible households participating. Residents are provided with wheeled-carts that are collected every second week, which has ultimately led to a 50% increase in materials diverted from landfills. The savings amount from $600,000 to $900,000 a year. The city has also seen reduction in utility costs through retrofits, green building upgrades, and incorporation of energy generating solar power installations which currently exist on the roofs of two dozen city buildings. The city is currently expanding its portfolio of solar facilities, and Falkin says he anticipates this will enable Cincinnati to One recommendation of the City of Cincinnati’s Green Plan calls for recycling electronic waste.
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