The North Florida chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) hosted its January 2040 Talks on January 7th at the University of North Florida. The conference room was packed to hear from Mark Lamping, President of the Jacksonville Jaguars, David Ribeiro from the American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy and Dr. Charles Moreland, Chief Resiliency Officer for the City of Jacksonville Office of the Mayor.
The speakers covered different topics ranging from Everbank Field scoreboards to emergency evacuation plans, but one common theme was found in each speech: the importance of #DTJax to the vision, growth and energy of Jacksonville.
Mark Lamping repeatedly noted the importance of #DTJax to the Jaguars. “The Jaguars will go as far as Downtown goes.” Lamping also pointed out that Downtown is the identifying place for all of Jacksonville, so the new amphitheater and multi-purpose building plans for the shipyards will act as a “front door” to Downtown. At the end of the day, “The Jaguars will benefit from a vibrant Downtown.” Thank you Mark, we agree!
David Ribeiro, a senior analyst at the ACEEE in Washington D.C. spoke about the organization’s results of the 2015 City Energy Efficiency Scorecard, in which Jacksonville received 26 points, placing 40th out of 51 major cities around the country. This is a significant increase from last years score and Ribeiro pointed to community initiatives and responsible transportation, like the 2030 Mobility Plan, to explain the rise in energy efficiency. Transportation includes #DTJax’s multimodal transportation system including the new First Coast Flyer and modernization of the Skyway.
Dr. Charles Moreland has dedicated his life to public service and his focus on emergency preparedness and resiliency at the 2040 Talks also highlighted #DTJax. While Moreland mostly discussed surviving and adapting despite shocks to the community, he also discussed the importance of taking care of our homeless and vulnerable populations. Moreland explained that Mayor Lenny Curry is “committed to getting that number to zero.” Dr. Moreland concluded saying that economic growth can only happen if we have a safe city. If you’d like to learn more about cleanliness and safety in #DTJax, check out the Downtown Ambassador program!
The USGBC NF chapter holds four of these 2040 Talks a year, offering diverse perspectives on how to create a fully sustainable community by the year 2040. For more information, follow USGBC NF on Facebook or check out the website to stay up to date on green events all throughout the year!