Bring the Blue-Green Games to Chicago

There's a lot riding on the International Olympic Committee vote Friday, including a very unique opportunity to make the Chicago region a cleaner, greener, healthier place for 2017 and beyond.

Chicago 2016 has put together an impressive vision for a Blue-Green Games that deals with the air, water, habitat, open space, climate, and other issues associated with an event on this scale. Chicago's games will be very compact, not contributing to urban sprawl. All spectators will take public transit to all events - no parking lots. The games will be powered by 100% renewable energy, and leave our wonderful parks bigger and better after the Games leave town.

There is a tremendous amount happening in our city and our region in the area of sustainability. With environmental protection at its heart, the 2016 games have the potential to bring new energy, audiences, funding, and commitment to these already strong efforts.

I've really enjoyed being a part of the 2016 environment team, and am excited to get to work on the next phase of implementing the Blue-Green vision after we win on Friday!