236 | Business World Magazine |
April 2013
And in terms of strategies for sustainability;
that is, adopting practices to reduce its car-
bon footprint and operate with greater eco-
sensitivity, Cincinnati started blazing a trail
while some communities were still strug-
gling to find a path. The city had established
an Office of Environmental Management
more than twenty years ago which sought
solutions to the future and benefitted from
support of city leadership, but in 2003, bud-
get problems combined with political ten-
sions and turnover to see that office and all
its potential, suddenly eliminated.
A little over two years later, in his cam-
paign for City Mayor, Mark Mallory (a for-
mer Member of the Ohio House of Repre-
sentatives and Ohio State Senate) ran on a
platform that pledged to restore the office.
After winning the election, he fulfilled that
promise and established what is recognized
today as Cincinnati’s Office of Environ-
mental Quality. That decision has not only
helped reduce annual city operational costs
in the millions of dollars, but has also led to
new jobs and greater potential for the city to
reap further benefits vital to its future.
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