Orlando Mayor Dyer delivered the annual State of Downtown Address, a progress report on our collective effort to reshape and revitalize Central Florida’s urban core.
This year, Mayor Dyer discussed the launch of the next phase of GreenWorks Orlando. The City of Orlando has partnered with former Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty to put together the City’s first-ever GreenWorks Task Force. They will be tasked with first crafting and then helping to implement a set of new and ambitious “green goals” for the community.
He announced that in the first week of November, the City of Orlando will launch its new Single-Cart Recycling Program. At that time, all current residential recycling customers will begin receiving their new 95 gallon reclycling cart. All recyclables can now be placed in one recycling cart. This change will allow the City to double the number of people who recycle in Orlando and the amount of material that gets recycled. It will also save the City more than $125,000 per year.
In addition to this change, Mayor Dyer also announced a cutting-edge engagement platform into the launch of the next phase of GreenWorks Orlando. The City has partnered with a company called Mind Mixer to create a new resident engagement site that will allow the City to better incorporate the ideas its residents have for the future of sustainability and enhance the way residents can participate in the decision-making process. This tool has been used to help make land use decisions in California and the select routes for new walking and bike paths in North Carolina.
Mayor Dyer then introduced Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Sutley discussed how the federal government is helping cities across the country to become more sustainable.
