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Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker is gaining a national reputation as an environmental leader — so much so that he's making an international trip.
Becker and officers from five other U.S. cities will travel to Hamburg, Germany, this week to share ideas with their European counterparts on green initiatives for cities.
The exchange on sustainability is being organized by the National League of Cities, which will pay for Becker's trip, according to the Mayor's Office.
"It's both a fact-finding and information-sharing trip," Becker spokesman Art Raymond said Monday. "Hamburg is widely recognized for its green ideas. It's a great place for our mayor to find out how Hamburg has had such great success in this area."
Among other things, Hamburg was awarded the 2011 designation as "European Green Capital" by the European Commission.
The league has an ongoing effort to encourage environmentally friendly programs that foster economic growth, Raymond said. Becker will be among municipal officials from Baltimore; Los Angeles; Cleveland; St. Paul, Minn.; and Dubuque, Iowa.
The U.S. delegates will "present a ground-level view of sustainability efforts in their cities," according to a statement from the league. They "will tour projects known for significant sustainability achievements in Stockholm and Malmo, Sweden, and Hamburg."
Becker was selected because he is "well known nationally for making sustainability a top priority," Raymond said. "And city government is well suited to carry out these initiatives."