Cities worldwide are seeing the effects of climate change, and a Great Lakes region organization is working with local leaders to protect the ecosystem.
“The idea is that we want to draw the right businesses to our region that are going to protect our resources and the way of life,” said Jon Altenberg, president and CEO of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative. “We need to make sure that green businesses move to this region, as in businesses that are going to protect our water, businesses that are going to be carbon neutral.”
Gary Mayor Eddie Melton has joined the organization’s Mayors Commission on Economic Transformation, an initiative that helps foster the creation of a clean economic corridor in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River region, which runs through Canada and into the U.S. The city announced Melton’s involvement on Tuesday.
The commission helps bring clean industries and jobs to local communities and safeguards the region’s freshwater resources, according to a news release. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is one of the commission’s leaders.
Melton said in the news release that he’s proud to work with the Cities Initiative. He told the Post-Tribune Thursday that he wants to focus on ecotourism in Gary.
“We know that the city of Gary and Michigan City are bookends of the (Indiana Dunes) National Park,” Melton said. “That’s something that we see as an opportunity to truly leverage and grow and figure out ways to make Lake Michigan, the beach and the national park more accessible for the public and tourists as they drive through Northwest Indiana.”
It’s beneficial for a Rust Belt city such as Gary to be focused on green development, Altenberg said. Bringing in new technologies and businesses could increase employment opportunities in the city.
Northwest Indiana environmental activists have encouraged green steelmaking practices in the region, especially at U.S. Steel’s Gary Works facility. Green steel is a crude steel product that emits less carbon dioxide than traditional steelmaking.
Members of Gary Advocates for Responsible Development have expressed distrust in blast furnaces, which use a coal product for heating and the chemical reaction. The furnace releases large amounts of carbon dioxide and toxic chemicals into the environment, and it is the most polluting steelmaking technology, according to GARD.
Activists would rather see direct reduction furnaces, which are a more environmentally and economically friendly alternative, according to GARD. The furnaces use natural gas and could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by half.
Melton said Thursday that he’s open to having conversations with U.S. Steel about green steelmaking.
“I’m not in a position now to say what is a good fit, but I’m open to figuring out what are those opportunities,” he said.
On Thursday, Melton said he and colleagues were preparing to go to Washington, D.C., to talk with members of Congress and White House staffers about the initiative and their goals.
“That’s the best number one step,” Melton said.
The commission will help collaboration between cities near Chicago and in Northwest Indiana, Altenberg said. He’s excited to see how development grows in the Great Lakes region.
“(Collaboration) is the whole point,” he said. “Whether a business is going to be located in or near Gary, people are going to get jobs. You need to think about transportation, you need to think about housing, all those things that make life for residents good and prepare for growth.”
