On September 25, 2012 the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University recognized 111 innovative government initiatives as Bright Ideas. This year’s cohort hails from all levels of government—including school districts, county, city, state, and federal agencies as well as public-private partnerships—and demonstrates a creative range of solutions to issues such as urban and rural degradation, environmental problems, and the academic achievement of students. Programs were evaluated and selected by a team of policy experts from academic and public sectors.
“Government innovation does not require endless resources and generous budgets,” said Stephen Goldsmith, director of the Innovations in Government Program at the Ash Center. “As exemplified by this year’s Bright Ideas, some of our country’s smartest innovations can in fact reduce government’s size while serving our citizens more efficiently and effectively.”
This is the third cohort recognized through the Bright Ideas program, an initiative of the broader Innovations in American Government Awards program. Applications are accepted year round for consideration as a Bright Idea; programs must currently be in operation or in the process of launching and have sufficient operational resources. In addition, programs must be administered by one or more governmental entities; nonprofit, private sector, and union initiatives are eligible if operating in partnership with a governmental organization. Bright Ideas are showcased on the Ash Center’s Government Innovators Network, an online platform for practitioners and policymakers to share innovative public policy solutions. Read more about this cohort of Bright Ideas here.
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Environmental Protection & Conservation
Both Maryland and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, have created innovative programs to protect the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland’s BayStat identifies and tracks farming, public land filtering, and waste water goals to restore the Bay, while Lancaster’s Restoration with Green Infrastructure has found cost effective solutions for curbing storm water runoff from emptying into the Bay. Indianapolis’ Clean Water Initiative and Edmonston’s Green Street have also addressed storm water challenges: through innovative engineering solutions, Indianapolis will prevent 3.5 million gallons of sewage from polluting waterways, and Edmonston has employed natural water filters during storms and dramatically reduced localized flooding. Other Bright Ideas protect local resources: Massachusetts’ MassGrown & Fresher connects consumers to local agriculture, Hawaii’s Maui Nui Seabird Colony Champions engages community in the protection of endangered seabird colonies, and Arizona’s HabiMap and Wildlife Overpass uses GPS mapping technologies to prevent wildlife-vehicle collisions.
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Clean Water Initiative
City of Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis applied value-engineering techniques to its storm water systems in an effort to find cost savings while speeding up efforts to clean the city’s water. As a result, Indianapolis will prevent 3.5 million gallons of sewage from polluting local waterways, while saving residents upwards of $1 billion. Indianapolis also made significant upgrades to the city’s crumbling roads, bridges, and sidewalks while incorporating sustainable technologies. Full implementation will entail creating economic development opportunities along Indianapolis’ waterways.
Combined Sewer Overflow Control Technology
City of South Bend, IN
In order to meet federal environmental mandates on combined storm and sanitary sewer overflows, South Bend installed real-time monitoring and control “smart valves” technology. The program uses distributed sensing and control logic which optimizes performance of infrastructure already in place, saving the city an estimated $114 million over a conventional approach.
Clean Energy Works Portland
City of Portland, OR
Because a major barrier to retrofitting existing buildings is the up-front cost of improvements, Portland launched Clean Energy Works Portland, a pilot program that has created quality jobs through an integrated home energy remodeling process. The initiative provides a personal energy advisor, certified contractors, and simple financing that is repaid on the homeowner’s energy bill.
Chesapeake Bay Restoration With Green Infrastructure
City of Lancaster, PA
Heavy wet weather events have overwhelmed Lancaster’s combined sewer system: untreated storm water has overflowed into rivers and over one billion gallons of polluted water have emptied into the Chesapeake Bay. The city’s Green Infrastructure Plan reduces storm water runoff and mitigates the negative impact of combined sewer overflows in a cost-effective way.
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