Earth Day

“The Earth was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children.” I think that sentiment has particular resonance today, Earth Day. When hundreds of millions of people around the globe are making an extra effort to conserve and promote our natural resources.

And the proverb has also been the driving force behind our efforts over the past year – to create a comprehensive plan for a brighter, healthier, more economically prosperous city. A place that we want to “return” to our children, as magnificent as it can be. And that’s what I’d like to discuss with you

Our parks, once dumping grounds, are now cleaner and greener than they’ve been in decades. Our housing stock – once abandoned – has been renovated and revitalized. Our waterfront – once polluted – is now home to a growing network of parks and wildlife.

 But it will also pose challenges that – if left unmet – could be paralyzing: Infrastructure, stretched beyond its limits. Parks, bursting at their seams. Streets, choked with traffic. Trains, packed beyond capacity. Dirtier air, more polluted water. And climate change that is real and worrisome.

we’re on the leading edge of one of the most dramatic effects of global warming: rising sea levels and intensifying storms.

The science is there.  It’s time to stop debating it and to start dealing with it. Of course, no city or country can address this issue alone. But that doesn’t mean we can walk away from the responsibility to do our part and to show others it can be done in ways that will strengthen the economy’s long-term health.

We’ve done it before. Just look at the smoking ban. 

We improved public health – and the economy. And whole countries followed us. We’re not interested in preaching to others. We’re doing what’s best for our City – and when we reap the benefits, perhaps others will again follow.

I’d like to suggest that we face up to those challenges, not tomorrow, not in the future, not when it’s too late, but right...