Mayor Battle establishes Sustainability Commission to guide municipal goals on clean air, water and land
Published on November 16, 2023
The City of Huntsville is elevating its focus on sustainability as part of an ongoing effort to keep a watchful eye on the community’s natural and built environment.
To ensure intentionality and continuity in this effort, Mayor Tommy Battle established an eleven-member Huntsville Sustainability Commission. The group will work directly with municipal departments in an advisory capacity to help guide recommendations outlined in the City of Huntsville’s Sustainability Plan, released earlier this year. The plan was compiled by an independent coalition of leaders and experts who spent nine months assessing contributing factors to long-term environmental sustainability in metro Huntsville.
Read the Huntsville Environmental Sustainability Committee’s Sustainability Plan HERE
“The Sustainability Plan provided us with great thoughtful analysis, clear goals and realistic recommendations for the future, and one of the key recommendations was to establish a Sustainability Commission,” Mayor Battle said. “This will help our departments think more holistically because at the end of the day, everything we do impacts our environment, our quality of life and our future.”
The City’s stated goal is to create a sustainable urban development that revitalizes community, keeps the air, water and land clean, and provides economic and social benefits for all residents. According to the Mayor, this goal should be top of mind in every undertaking.
“It’s about leaving a better city for our kids and grandkids, and this advisory commission will help guide us in that direction,” he said.
Marie Bostick, Co-Chair of the committee that drafted the Sustainability plan, applauded the Mayor’s action.
“This is an important step because we will now have an entity thinking about sustainability in the everyday decision-making of City government so that we can create a better and more sustainable community for today and future generations,” Bostick said. “It is important to all of us, as we grow and develop as a community, that we respect and take care of our natural resources, and they are not mutually exclusive.”
Newly appointed members to the new Sustainability Commission include:
- Chad Bostick, Bostick Design – landscape architect
- Marie Bostick, Executive Director, Land Trust of North Alabama
- Lisa Dyer, Matheny Goldmon – licensed architect, accredited LEED-AP
- Lindsey Keane, RCP – developer of sustainable mixed-use urban projects
- Sara Kovachich, ALTA – active transportation planner
- Carey Martin Lane, Food Bank of North AL – Farm-food collaborative manager
- Jared Mitchem, TVA – Regional Vice-President
- Phoenix Robinson, TARCOG – community planner
- Ankur Shah, UAH – earth science/physics
- Andy Somers, Somers Consulting – civil engineer
- Andrew York, SSOE – electrical engineer
The Mayoral appointments will serve for a four-year term. Joining the commission will be ex-officio representation from City departments, including Planning, Engineering, Water Pollution Control, Natural Resources, Inspections, Landscape Management and Communication.
