[OKC] FW: [OSNBoard] 100 Ideas for Oklahoma's Future

[Jennifer Gooden]

From: osnboard-bounces at lists.oksustainability.org on behalf of Seneca Scott
Sent: Sun 1/14/2007 12:55 PM
To: ok-sus at lists.oksustainability.org; osnboard at lists.oksustainability.org
Subject: [OSNBoard] 100 Ideas for Oklahoma's Future



OSN:

You can go to http://www.100ideas.org <http://www.100ideas.org/>  and submit ideas for Oklahoma's future. They will be reviewed by state officials as part a project by the new House Speaker Lance Cargill. This looks like a great opportunity to promote sustainability concepts for our state. For our future lets get more innovate and creative as a state, promoting smart growth and sustainable development in both rural and urban Oklahoma. For example:

*Lets build on our energy heritage of oil and natural gas and our agricultural background with investments in research and development for renewables like wind, solar, and biomass. Pull these efforts together through a comprehensive state Energy Plan. Market Oklahoma as the energy capital of the plains.

*Work together on the state Water Plan with good public buy-in and have vision with this highly valuable resource.

*Grow our transit system through commuter rail especially making the OKC to Tulsa connection.    

*Have public buildings constructed with LEED standards for green design and encourage private contractors to move in this direction.

*Look at changing our state's land use enabling legislation which is nearly fifty years old, to promote greater density in our towns and cities, thus decreasing sprawl and preserving farmlands and forestlands.

*Create greater incentives for reinvestment in our low income urban areas that will help with municipal sales tax collections and stem the exodus to suburbia. 

*Look at rebates for restaurants and grocery stores that do business with our state's farmers and producers. 

*Allow Dept. of Human Services food stamps to work for produce at farmers markets.

*As the Oklahoma Academy for State Goals calls for-----Fund and implement a state Sustainability Plan to bring these ideas together for our next 100 years.  


Mr. Seneca Scott 
Trivestco Energy, Operations Manager 
Oklahoma Sustainability Network, President 
3271 E. 2nd St. 
Tulsa, OK 74104 
918-576-9111 
chiefseneca at hotmail.com  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

What are your ideas?
Capitol: The state's new House speaker wants to know ... 
Oklahomans encouraged to envision and submit innovations and goals.


By Jennifer Mock 1-11-07 Daily Oklahoman
Capitol Bureau

House Speaker Lance Cargill put out a call to all Oklahomans on Wednesday for ideas to improve state government, all the while not telling the public who is paying for his "100 ideas" initiative. 

The initiative, which Cargill announced last week, will solicit ideas from people across the state for a year. 

It mirrors one completed in Florida, where Democrats criticized its agenda as being driven by Republicans. 

Former Republican Rep. Thad Balkman of Norman is running the initiative as its executive director. Balkman said the entire project will be funded through private donations. 

Balkman said he did not have permission to release the names of the donors who already have given to the project. 

Balkman said he expects many Oklahomans to donate to the initiative, which also will fund his salary. Total costs expected for the project are unknown, Balkman said. 

People will be able to submit ideas online or through town hall meetings across the state over the next year. 

"I want 2007 to be the year of ideas for Oklahoma," said Cargill, R-Harrah. Cargill said he hopes the program will "foster more faith in our government and bring democracy directly to the people." 

The advisory panel
All ideas will be considered, Cargill said. To ensure the best innovations are selected, the advisory panel includes Democrats and Republicans, Cargill said. 

Several members of the advisory board were named at the kickoff Wednesday, including former Govs. George Nigh, David Boren and Frank Keating. Former Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys also will serve. Ideas created in the Florida program ranged from requiring inmates to learn to read before being released to making physical education classes mandatory in public schools. 

Some far-fetched ideas also were included on Florida's Web site, including wanting the space industry to work with the state to develop sky cars. 

But in Florida, the ideas were narrowed by Republican lawmakers, and the project and book were financed by the state Republican Party. There, Democrats criticized the process, saying their ideas were left out. Cargill said that will not happen in Oklahoma. 

"We are not interested in Republican ideas or Democratic ideas, we just want good ideas," Cargill said. 

House Minority Leader Danny Morgan said he is optimistic all ideas will be considered. 

"(Cargill's) commitment to work in a bipartisan fashion is very refreshing, and the House Democrats look forward to working with Speaker Cargill on issues that will move Oklahoma forward," said Morgan, D-Prague. 

Morgan also encouraged Cargill and Balkman to look to the Oklahoma Academy of State Goals, a nonprofit organization researching the problems facing Oklahomans, and coming up with solutions to the top issues. Much research has been done through the academy on the most pressing issues, and Morgan - who is on the academy's board of directors - said there is "no need to reinvent the wheel." 

Balkman also serves on the Academy of State Goals' board of directors. 


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