For the past several years, Albert Lea has been reinventing itself and becoming a wonderful community with much to offer our residents. We have the exciting opportunity to write how our future as a city will proceed. It’s important that environmental sustainability be a part of that vision. Environmental sustainability places emphasis on such things as ensuring we have access to clean lakes and streams, wetlands that reduce flooding and improve our drinking water, opportunities for renewable energy in both small and large-scale projects, and have access to parks and other places for recreation, hunting, habitat and tourism.

A community that makes sustainability a priority in a responsible manner that doesn’t overburden our taxpayers can help lead to a community that young people want to live in, will reduce the risks of disasters like flooding, be a hub where sustainable industry can thrive and create jobs, we have a better quality of life and are protected from costly future disasters.

Our community can support industry by fostering strong relationships between industry and entities such as the Shell Rock River Watershed District, city engineering and the Lakes Foundation to promote incentives for industry to pursue sustainability projects that help the company and improve our community. Developing a workforce that is familiar with things like ISO 14001 promotes the ability of businesses to open themselves up to other markets and make their products appeal to a broader market. Encouraging the growth of rooftop solar can lower the dependence on the grid and lower the cost of energy.

Individuals can take advantage of energy rebates by having an energy audited completed and doing things like installing LED lights and better insulation. Because I’ve taken that route, we heat our 113-year-old home for less than most new homes. Support businesses that focus on sustainability and reducing their impact on the environment.

I’m very excited that our community is investing in cleaning up our watershed and dredging Fountain Lake, working towards Green Steps certification, has a beautiful state park and many community parks, has pioneered Blue Zones and is home to a substantial amount of renewable energy and biofuel producers. There is still a lot of work to do, but many entities in our community are working toward a common goal of improving our community. I’d encourage community members to get involved, whether it’s joining a committee, a service organization, promoting sustainable practices in their home or business and supporting community efforts.

I do want to distance this opinion from a recent column advocating a “Green New-Deal” that would put an incompetent and undisciplined Congress that already bankrupts the federal government in charge of more socialized and ineffective “green” policies, though. Our federal government has proven that these issues can be better managed at local levels much more cost-effectively and with far less corruption and pandering. FDR’s actions prolonged and worsened a depression. We have far better tools to improve our environment than a re-creation of his follies.

Brad Kramer

Albert Lea