The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide - Democrats Against UN ...

The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide
scorecards, of local companies and to assess risks posed by various pollutants has enabled citizens to formulate pollution
remediation measures, carry out their own risk-based compliance assessments, and lobby government decision makers with respect
to management and enforcement issues. Information gained through the GIS has also been used for education of local residents and
businesses about local conditions.
To extend the impact of the EBP beyond its three-year mandate, the a neighborhood “Watchperson Office” was established in 1995
of to act as the central location for all EBP data. The Watchperson helps residents use the GIS, enter data into the GIS and analyze
environmental and enforcement data, assist residents in filing environmental complaints with appropriate agencies and in monitoring
the status of the complaints, and act as an environmental organizer to facilitate action among community groups.
The legacy of the Greenpoint/Williamsburg EBP consists of long-term environmental awareness and advocacy, an innovative
multimedia compliance approach to environmental regulation within the New York DEP, strengthened enforcement of
environmental laws, as well as efforts aimed at pollution prevention and remediation and sustainable economic growth. The program
demonstrates a model for improved municipal environmental governance as well as a model for community assessment and
remediation programs. The GIS, the Watch-person, the BAEL Profile and the compliance initiatives are all innovative assessment
and remediation strategies. No other US city has initiated a similar approach to environmental equity with a focus on remediation
measures institutionalized within community-based organizations.
Contact
Ms. Eva Hanhardt
New York City Department of Environmental Protection
59-17 Junction Blvd., Corona
NY, USA 11368
Tel.:+1718/595-4462
Fax:+1718/595-4479
3.3.4 CASE #8
LANCASHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL, UNITED KINGDOM
STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORTING
Program Name
Lancashire’s Green Audit
Background
Lancashire County straddles highland and lowland Britain and is characterized by a diversity of landscapes ranging from coastal
marshes to high moorland. Although it is one of the most populated and urbanized counties in Britain, the major industrialized towns
are tightly concentrated, and two-thirds of the county is farmed grassland and moorland. Just under 20 percent is covered by built
development, and only 5 percent is wooded. Approximately 25 percent of the county is protected for its landscape quality. Although
many habitats and species are diminished, Lancashire’s coastal marshes provide habitat of international significance and are
protected under international agreements.
The local economy is currently based on a very diverse range of industrial and service sectors and is less dependent on a small
number of dominant older industries. Unemployment in the county is rising, and is currently around 9 percent. Public and private
investment in industry and infrastructure has been relatively poor, and as a result, the urban environments and physical assets,
including infrastructure, industrial buildings, and housing stock, exhibit far greater deficiencies than most other areas within the
United Kingdom.
Lancashire’s long industrial history has left a legacy of environmental problems including contaminated or derelict lands and
outdated infrastructure for wastewater disposal and water supply. New problems are associated with the over-consumption of
energy, urban expansion, resource depletion, and the rapid growth in car ownership as public transportation services decline. Vehicle
emissions are now the largest single source of air pollution within the county.
http://www.idrc.ca/openebooks/448-2/ (78 of 180)18/10/2010 12:47:23 AM