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Decatur is among the first Illinois cities to encourage green businesses, green jobs and other sustainable activities within the community. The City has partnered with several nonprofit organizations to encourage sustainable practices within the community. However, current City efforts have not been coordinated. The City of Decatur strongly believes that creating a cohesive sustainability plan would allow the city to coordinate between various sustainable efforts and channel its resources in the right direction. The City envisions a sustainability plan addressing measures to increase sustainability efforts within the municipal facilities as well as in the community and identify areas for improvement. In essence, the City of Decatur is looking for a "Comprehensive Sustainability Plan".

Recycling is an established green practice utilized by many residents and business in Macon County. Almost 31% of the total waste generated in Macon County is recycled, ranking third in Region Four of the Illinois EPA. With 70% of the County’s population, Decatur is the leading contributor to both waste and recycled materials. The City has an existing recycling program available to all residents; however the City is interested in ways to increase the community recycling rate.

The local private sector is also making strides towards sustainable practices. Secure Energy Inc., recently broke ground on an $809 million coal-gasification plant, which converts 1.5 million tons of coal per year into synthetic natural gas with zero net emissions. Moreover, Archer Daniels Midland, headquartered in Decatur, embarked on an $84.3 million carbon sequestration project which will involve capturing and storing CO2 in porous underground rock.

For more information and a complete list of FAQs, please cut and paste the following link into your browser:
http://www.ci.decatur.il.us/publicinformation/Sustainability%20Plan%20FAQs.pdf