Delaware County has unveiled its first-ever sustainability plan, incorporating 200 actions that will create a more sustainable and resilient county, writes Kenny Cooper for WHYY.

The plan includes target dates for goals reached over the next five years.

Delaware County is vulnerable to climate change, with more 90-degree days in the year projected and more precipitation and flooding.

“It’s really important to know and be aware of these things now so we can really take action and make changes so our residents can be resilient to these changes,“ said Rebecca Yurkovich, sustainability and resilience manager of Delaware County.

The plan calls for a reduction in greenhouse emissions and water consumption by 20 percent five years out from 2019.

The county’s 49 municipalities would adopt climate resiliency practices that mean infrastructure built above the floodplain and roads and bridges that can withstand higher water levels.  

The plan calls for 5 percent more bike lanes, sidewalks, and trails and 50 percent more electric vehicle charging stations.  

There’s an ambitious goal to increase use by 400 percent and boost mass transit use by 20 percent.

Greater use of renewable energy and more open space are also in the plan, with a goal of zero waste.

See more details of the sustainability plan at WHYY.