HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – The City of Huntsville is taking steps toward becoming what’s called a sustainable city.

Huntsville officials say they are addressing environmental, social, and economic impacts through city planning.

Mayor Tommy Battle established the committee to assess Huntsville’s progress in sustainability since its Green 13 initiative in 2010. For nine months they have been researching and getting public input.

Now, the committee has a report for Mayor Battle that will provide him with a framework for the City of Huntsville’s future sustainability efforts.

“One of the things you realize in the sustainability work that you do is that it’s not a one-and-done,” said Mayor Battle. “You don’t just say, ‘I’m finished. I’m done.’ You have to keep working at it day by day by day. I think that the sustainability commission will be something that will help us move over the next several years in some great directions.”

Mayor Battle said while the commission is just now being formed, the notion of being sustainable is nothing new for the city.

“In 1986, we started burning garbage and turning it into steam. We expanded John Hunt Park as a part of our environmental movement. We’ve done a number of projects across the city over the past ten years. We had our first environmentally zero net gain. Environmental apartments are being built. So you go step by step by step. There’s such a broad range of things that you can do sustainability and environmentally wise that you do them quickly and easily.”

Mayor Battle also said the city would keep the report’s goals and recommendations as a top priority in its day-to-day decision-making.