Sustainable Rebuilding for a Robust Downtown Mt. Airy

Citizens for a Green Mount Airy strongly suggests that MAMSA and the businesses involved seriously consider rebuilding downtown Mt. Airy in a sustainable way.

I read the following quote on the MAMSA website with regard to the recent fire: "Tragic event seen by many as an opportunity to rebuild to make downtown 'bigger and better.'" This is exactly right - and rebuilding in a sustainable fashion will make Mt. Airy even more attractive and bring widespread attention to it, possibly being one of the first predominantly green downtowns in America.

The benefits of building in a sustainable fashion are numerous. Consider:

Economic: tenants will save money by having highly energy efficient buildings that require much lower energy expenditure. Given the boom of "green" in mainstream culture, Mt. Airy could become especially attractive to loads of audiences around MD and the country that want to support environmental sustainability with their consumer dollars. (This website lists the numerous (and substantial) federal tax incentives and benefits that are associated with green/sustainable building (of particular relevance is the "Commercial Buildings" section - these incentives are rich and completely applicable to Mt. Airy's current situation). Also, the Database for State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) provides an exhaustive list of Maryland-specific benefits for sustainable development.)

Environmental: the buildings will be built with materials that are friendlier to the earth, use appliances, construction processes, and energy sources that are less destructive and more sustainable.

Social: Mt. Airy would become widely known for its progressive leadership in making positive good come out of tragedy - not just coming together as a community to help one another, but also building in a way that truly thinks about the future and will allow for a sustainable, thriving downtown for generations to come.

Political: the forward-thinking leadership demonstrated in response to this tragedy would set an example both socially and environmentally for municipalities and governments at all levels.

And so forth... one can see that certainly, there's no disadvantage to rebuilding in a green/sustainable fashion, and the advantages could be listed ad nauseam. When I asked at the Planning and Zoning commission meeting in July whether the town was considering sustainability issues, the reply was that they are, especially with future buildings. What better chance to prove our commitment to sustainability while improving and rebuilding our community to make it more robust than ever before.

The town engineer is LEED certified, meaning that we have a great resource right there to advise in the rebuilding... also, Mayor Johnson and I along with others met with John Spears from the Sustainable Design Group, a company that specializes in all aspects sustainable building - so there's no shortage of know-how or expertise, and we can still very easily proceed with rebuilding in the timeliest fashion. Good primers on the idea and methodology of green building can be found from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources here and this article from the New York City government. Additionally, the U.S. Green Building Council has exhaustive resources and information to tap into, as well as the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy branch.

Sustainability is the wave of the future, with the green building industry being a $50 billion/year industry growing at 30% annually. There are plentiful reasons for Mt. Airy to tap into this economic groundswell while doing the right thing for our community and the Earth. Imagine in 2200 when Mt. Airy citizens can reflect on their historic downtown that was rebuilt sustainably with them as citizens of the future in mind.

Respectfully submitted,

Tim Richards

Director, Citizens for a Green Mount Airy