The recession in conjunction with technological advances are making green initiatives more attractive to businesses and municipalities around the America. Destiny USA in Syracuse, renewable energy in Chicago, and wind turbines New York City all have green initiatives in place that consistently improve the environment and efficiency of public facilities in the area.

Chicago built a cogeneration plant that produces double the energy and a fraction of the carbon emissions than the typical fuel burning power facility. Taking on the green initiative to adopt these types of plants helps Chicago reduce harmful emissions and use more efficient means to produce power with energy waste. Over a ten-year span, the cogeneration plant in Chicago produces around a fourth of the power that the city consumes. The cogeneration plant is an effective way for Chicago to minimize its natural gas costs as well.

Destiny USA was an ideal choice for green initiative as the land was dilapidated and ridden with pollution. Destiny USA, the premier shopping mall in New York, adopted a new storm water design to help reduce the amount of wastewater that ultimately makes it into the Onondaga Lake. The new design collects rainwater to flush tenants toilets and the common areas. Retention ponds were also installed into parking areas to help saturate the land as well. This new system helps the Destiny USA waste treatment facility run more efficiently by restricting an excess volume from flowing in during a heavy storm. The rainwater harvesting system is also helping save around four million gallons of water every year. Conserving this amount of water in Destiny equates to a 78 percent decline in the baseline usage of buildings in the area. This water system was recognized with exemplary performance and LEED Gold certification.

There’s a green initiative in New York City that is utilizing underwater turbines that create enough energy to supply power to around 8,000 homes. The city has partnered up with different private suppliers in order to install turbines around Roosevelt Island. New York City is currently one of the most energy efficient cities in the entire world. The average person in New York City uses about half of the electricity as someone living in San Francisco. The main concern with the turbine initiative is building turbines that are strong enough to withstand the volatile shifts in force that the tides from the Atlantic can produce along the shoreline.

Adopting green protocols around the U.S can help safeguard wildlife in the area, as well as farmlands, undeveloped lands and parks as well. These are just a few of the green initiatives that have been taking place around the country. Big cities to small cities alike are doing what they can to go green and protect the environment!