Environment
I have been and will continue to be aggressive on environmental protection. Introduction of my legislation led to Milwaukee formally signing onto the U.S. Conference of Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement a few years ago.
Because I stood with environmentalist to preserve some precious land along the Kinnickinnic River from developers I received the River Hero Award from the Milwaukee River Keepers in 2008. Afterward I reached out to the developers and we identified suitable land for their project. In the end, everyone was happy and that is the approach I will take to Madison.
I helped spearhead efforts for renewable energy developments such as a Solar Revolving Loan Fund that will make it easier for people to convert their home to solar power. Moreover, I have been able to convince developers in my district to include renewable energy components such as solar power. Solar power emits no greenhouse gases whereas fossil fuels emit greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.
By passing legislation a couple of years ago, making Milwaukee the first major Fair Trade Town in the United States I am helping to protect the environment (there are more than 300 Fair Trade Towns in Europe). Farmers that belong to the Fair Trade movement must take certain steps to preserve the environmental sustainability of their farmland.
