I read in the letters to the editor of the Lakes Region Weekly that Kaile Warren, a member of the Windham Town Council, is asking for input from Windham citizens into his proposed Windham economic plan that he will soon be submitting to the council. It was so easy to make the call, and he was sincerely appreciative to hear my suggestion.

His point in the letter, and my point is:

1) We, as members of this community, are responsible for the decisions made for us by members of our town council and members of the planning board.

2) But, how will they know of our wishes if they don’t hear from us?

Our forefathers paid a great price in order for us to be able to have this choice. We owe it to them and to our children to protect this precious right.

So, I am asking you now to make your wishes known to all members of the town council and planning board by writing letters to the editor of this paper and any other newspaper you wish. Letters to the editor are known for being the most-read part of most newspapers.

Further, however, I am going to suggest that when you write, you keep in mind that any economic programs you might suggest must include information on how your suggestions would affect the environment. For instance, my suggestion to Warren was that any future building done in Windham would be “green,” and that our future economic development in this country will be based on new industries created from our current environmental crisis.

You may have heard of LEED. The U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System has been adopted as a standard in many U.S. cities and towns. Before any building is done, a LEED architect would consider such things as:

• Site development-landslides, erosion or wildfires; habitat to endangered species; wetlands.

• Alternative transportation – Reduce pollution and land development impacts from car use by locating buildings near transit, providing bicycle amenities, encourage carpooling, and providing alternative fueling stations.

• Green water – water use reduction – Maximize water efficiency within buildings to reduce the burden on municipal water supply and wastewater systems. Specify water-efficient fixtures and equipment.

• Optimize energy performance – through siting, orientation, building form, insulation, glazing, daylighting, and controls.

• Renewable energy – Promote energy self-sufficiency and minimize reliance on limited fossil fuels by incorporating on-site renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal and biomass.

• Building reuse – Extend the life cycle of building stock, conserve resources, retain cultural resources, reduce waste, and reduce environmental impact of new buildings

• Certified wood – Specify wood from certified sustainably-managed forests.

• Indoor chemical and pollutant source control – Install entry grates to capture dirt. Segregate and separately ventilate areas of chemical use and storage. Appropriately plumb drains used for liquid waste disposal.

Oh, but the cost, you say! The World Business Council for Sustainable Development and other studies find there is only about a 5 percent increase in the cost of building “green.”

In addition, there are other benefits that will far outweigh this increase in cost. There will be a much lower use of energy for heating and cooling a green building, cleaner indoor air to help reduce the incidence of asthma, and a long-term benefit of increased resale value. I propose that if Windham becomes known as the towns that fosters care for our earth, it will attract the kind of businesses we need in our community.

Let’s challenge our town council and our planning board to be forward looking – plan to protect our environment with green architects and by thinking “green” is all their decision making.