All About Green Bexley
In Bexley, the white buckets, purple coneflowers, and blue toters are all abundant and all part of Green Bexley, the joint outreach branch of the City of Bexley’s Sustainability Department and Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee (ESAC). Composed of passionate residents and institutional representatives eager to make Bexley more sustainable, ESAC focuses on work in five areas: zero waste, biodiversity, education, biking infrastructure, and establishment of a comprehensive, overarching sustainability plan.
The sustainability seeds seen today were planted in 2017, with a focus on waste reduction. In 2022, Bexley generated 3,862 tons of trash, the least in 14 years and a positive step towards the Zero Waste Goal to reduce material sent to landfill by 90% by 2040 or sooner. Reducing food waste–an impactful way to reduce trash volume–starts with buying only what is needed, saving food to be eaten later, and turning food scraps into a resource through participation in the curbside food waste recycling program. Currently, there is a ~40% participation rate which continues to grow.
In recent years, Green Bexley has branched out to include a focus on biodiversity, with an intention of restoring land as a community and fortifying the ecosystem on which we depend and with which we are inextricably linked. Planting native plants and utilizing sustainable mosquito management practices are easy ways to help biodiversity flourish; Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District’s online and in-person Community Backyard’s Program is a fun way to learn more while providing a cost offset for select native plants, a rain barrel, or compost tumbler.
A new pillar of the ESAC is sustainable transportation, including bike usage. This is in partnership with planned City projects to designate bike boulevards and the Safe Routes Bexley group, who are working with the City to implement a calm corridor along Cassingham Avenue. You can make a difference this summer by partaking in more carbon-friendly forms of transportation: biking, walking, scooting, skating, carpooling, and bussing.
To help canonize the goals and plans for sustainability in Bexley, and with help from community partners and students at OSU, a small working group is creating a plan with steps to reduce Bexley’s greenhouse gas footprint and manage the community’s environmental impact to create resilience and ensure equity. The creation of a final roadmap for a more environmentally sustainable community will require resident participation, so please be on the lookout for ways to get involved and provide feedback.
Embedded in all of these is the goal for community learning, engagement, and implementation of new sustainable habits. Over the last few years, residents and students have engaged in formal and informal education at schools, speaking engagements, community events, and online. We’re continually learning too, and ESAC members actively participate in MORPC roundtable discussions to learn from other grassroot community leaders.
The beauty of all of this is in the collaborative teamwork; Green Bexley’s programs work only with broad community involvement. The door is open for you to take part in any way that is meaningful to you–active committee member, spreading the gospel to your network, and implementing the strategies at home. We’re hopeful for your involvement in ways that speak to you, and more information about how to get involved can be found at greenbexley.org.
