Mayor Richard Daley may not be keeping score, but a green accounting of his 21-year reign includes:
*More than 600,000 trees have been planted and 93 miles of landscaped medians have been built.
More than 7 million square feet of planted roofs have been added, including a 20,300-square-foot green roof atop City Hall.
Establishment of the Museum Campus and Northerly Island (the latter at the expense of Meigs Field, which Daley infamously had bulldozed in 2003 in the wee hours of night).
339 teaching gardens at Chicago Public Schools.
One of the first cities in the nation to adopt LEED certification for public buildings, Chicago has more LEED-certified green buildings than any other city.
Adoption of Climate Action Plan to reduce emissions and adapt to expected changes in climate by 2020.
More than 1,500 acres of new open space have been added to the city, including Daley’s crowning glory: Millennium Park (which we must point out was four years late and $300 million over budget).
More than 700 acres of natural areas created.
Source: Openlands; U.S. Green Building Council.
