City Zoning Laws are preventing us from "Going Green"

In Columbus, Ohio - Going green is not productive due to zoning laws. In today's Columbus Dispatch, there is an article called "Family might get burned by solar panels". Where the city basically disagreed with itself when they gave a homeowner permission and then they got a violation notice.

Columbus have this website called "Get Green Columbus". On February 22, 2007, Mayor Coleman, with the support of City Council, signed the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement. However, according to the latest article we have read, it is not really happening. In 2006, they have this "Green Principles" in which The City of Columbus is committed to achieving an environmentally sustainable community that meets today’s needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs, and accepts the responsibility to promote these Green Principles in policy decisions and programs.

Many companies, local governments and others are going green. "Going green" means to pursue knowledge and practices that can lead to more environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible decisions and lifestyles, which can help protect the environment and sustain its natural resources for current and future generations.

U.S. EPA have a website that is called Green Power. The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that supports the organizational procurement of green power by offering expert advice, technical support, tools and resources. Partnering with EPA can help your organization lower the transaction costs of buying green power, reduce its carbon footprint, and communicate its leadership to key stakeholders. Green power is electricity produced from a subset of renewable resources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and low-impact hydro. Buying green power is one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve your organization’s environmental performance.

What can a local zoning code do about these huge global issues? Local zoning regulations can help promote solar power by making sure residences have access to the sun.