Grand Rapids earns sustainability award - Michigan Environmental Council

Michigan
Environmental Report

Volume 25 . Number 2
Spring 2007

MEC STAFF

President
Lana Pollack

Office Manager and
Assistant to the President
Judy Bearup

Policy Director
James Clift

Senior Policy Advisor
Dave Dempsey

Campaign Coordinator
Roshani Deraniyagle-Dantas

Development Director
Andy Draheim

Education Specialist
Keith Etheridge

Communications Specialist
Elizabeth Fedorchuk

Energy Program Director
David Gard

Land Programs Director
Brad Garmon

Project Manager and Development Associate
Brianna Gerard

Health Policy Director
Tess Karwoski

Deputy Policy Director
Kate Madigan

Communicatons Director
Hugh McDiarmid, Jr.

Land Use and Energy Program Associate
Ariel Shaw

Land Programs Associate
Benjamin Stupka

MER Design & Layout
Rose Homa

LAND STEWARDSHIP

Grand Rapids earns sustainability award

The City of Grand Rapids has earned a sustainability award from the United Nations University for its Community Sustainability Partnership efforts. It is the first city in the U.S., and one of only 30 in the world, to receive the award.
      Grand Rapids has established goals to raise the use of renewable energy sources in the city, develop programs to harness landfill gas and capture wind power to produce energy for municipal buildings.
      “I applaud Grand Rapids’ efforts to grow their community while utilizing innovative approaches to protecting our environment,” said Steve Chester, director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). “I look forward to our continued partnership with the city to enhance the environment and invest in our future.”
      Eight companies in Grand Rapids have been designated by the DEQ as Clean Corporate Citizens, the most of any city in the state, and Grand Rapids has more LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings than any city in the United States other than Seattle.

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