Last week, BCLC and Siemens Corporation announced the winners in the 3rd annual Siemens Sustainable Community Awards. The ceremony took place in Houston, the site of BCLC’s National Conference on Corporate Community Investment (see event tweets).
Each winning community improved the quality of life for residents by achieving vital economic, environmental, and social goals.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Newton, Iowa won the awards, which were presented by Stephen Jordan, BCLC Executive Director, and John Palilla, Director, Intelligent Traffic Solutions, Siemens Industry. Siemens will provide each winner $10,000 worth of trees in their communities.
| Philadelphia, PA |
Grand Rapids, MI |
Newton, IA |
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Thanks Houston! CCI 2010 was definitely a memorable experience.
The sessions that the companies presented were particularly good — Shell really helped us gain a better understanding of deepwater drilling and exploration and what a complicated business it is. ARAMARK, with the help of Houston Mayor Annise Parker, helped us understand the value of the Neighborhood Centers Inc. model. The Siemens Sustainable Community Awards introduced us to Laura Spanjian, Houston’s new Director of Sustainability. Displaying the Awards winners — Newton, Iowa; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – on Times Square was also a kick.
North Little Rock Mayor Pat Hays did his best to steal the show, but also reminded all of us what sustainability was all about by showcasing his grandchildren. In a variation on this theme of investing for the future, Dr. Renu Khator, president of the University of Houston, talked about the development of the knowledge economy, and showed why the university will play a central role in Houston’s future economic development. John Zogby (Zogby International), Alan Webber (Fast Company), and Michael Tschong (ubercool) also brought fresh research and perspectives to the challenges that we as corporate citizens face.
Here are some of my take-aways in no particular order.
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I’m heading over to Houston in a few minutes for BCLC’s National Corporate Community Investment Conference, which starts tomorrow.
I wanted to give you a quick run-down of the agenda, so you can follow along Wednesday – Friday online (or, if you’re joining us in Houston, so you can participate online!). First, follow BCLC’s official Twitter feed, @chamberbclc. Conference hashtags are #bclc2010 and #csr, but you’ll also see us posting under some other tags as relevant, such as #sustainability, #jobs, etc.
There will be several different people posting under their own feeds, too, so be sure to also check out Taryn Bird (@tarynebird), Mark D’Alessio (@mfdalessio), Brooks Nelson (@brooksdnelson), and Jim Turner (@affinityjim). As more tweeters join in, I’ll share their names.
Conference: Corporate Citizenship and Competitiveness in the 21st Century
Wednesday
- Workshop on Sustainable Communities
- Off-Site Tour, ARAMARK – Neighborhood Centers Inc.
- Reception at Discovery Green
- Informal Networking Dinners in the Galleria District (3 dinner topics: Social Media, Volunteerism, and Disaster Response)
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BCLC: Please share some key sustainability targets and successes in your city’s plan. Also – what’s your outlook for your city 5 years from now? What about 25 years from now? (See questions #1, #2, and #3.)
Mayor Michael Nutter: “The Greenworks plan sets 15 targets to improve our City’s environment, energy use, economy, and quality of life. It also promises that we’ll report our progress on these goals every year. We’re looking forward to presenting these results in the first annual Greenworks Progress Report in just a couple weeks. The report will highlight our accomplishments to date and outline our plans for the future.
“Some of our progress is already visible in Philadelphia neighborhoods. Residents can see more hybrid buses, recycling trucks collecting from City-provided blue bins, weatherized homes with new windows and insulation, new bike racks, and streets with new plants that make traveling more pleasant, slow the flow of rainwater, and clean the air.
“Other areas of progress are less visible but just as important.
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Manhattan Beach, California, a “surfer’s paradise” located in southwestern L.A. County, is a finalist in the 2010 Siemens Sustainable Commuity Awards, Small Community category. A unique apsect of Manhattan Beach’s award application was the leadership of its citizens in defining how to create a sustainable community.
Here, city Enviromental Program Manager Sona Kalapura shares more.
BCLC: What motivates Manhattan Beach, California, to become a more sustainable community?
Sona Kalapura: The Manhattan Beach community is respectful of our environment, and as a small coastal community, our citizens realize the value of protecting our natural resources. The community is the reason that many of our environmental initiatives come before City Council, and are then so successful. Two programs that come to mind are our community’s support for the City’s endorsement of the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which has led to the recent adoption on a Climate Action Plan. And second, the community’s drive to have the City ban plastic bags from all point-of-sale establishments.
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BCLC: You laid out an ambitious “green” agenda in your Greenworks Philadelphia plan. Now the challenge is to make it a reality and get buy-in from residents and businesses. How do you plan to do that?
(See questions #1 and #2.)
Mayor Michael Nutter: “Greenworks Philadelphia is an exciting and ambitious plan to make Philadelphia the greenest city in America. The City is leading by example, but meeting our Greenworks goals isn’t just about my vision, or even my staff’s vision. It will require the talents and expertise of dozens of government departments, utility companies, corporations, nonprofits, and civic associations and the commitment of everyday citizens who live and work in Philadelphia.
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By Kristen Sawicki, City of Casselberry, Florida
Lake Concord Park
It has been the goal of the City of Casselberry, Florida, to promote redevelopment of our corridors, attract new businesses, revitalize our streets and thoroughfares, improve our environment, and continue to provide residents with enjoyable recreational experiences.
Casselberry has not only met these goals, but in a manner that exemplifies sustainability. The newly constructed Lake Concord Park contributed to the revitalization of the downtown area by creating a center for cultural activities that also functions as a stormwater treatment site. To attract new businesses to the area, the City created the Economic Development Division in 2008. This Division has implemented numerous incentive programs to entice new and existing businesses to develop in Casselberry as well as encourage commercial property owners to improve their exterior facades.
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BCLC: Where does sustainability fit in with your overall priorities for Philadelphia?
(also see question #1)
Mayor Michael Nutter: “Sustainability is a top priority for my administration and for the future of Philadelphia as we strive to become the number-one green city in the United States. Sustainability is an increasingly important component of everything that we do in City government.
“At a time when the City of Philadelphia is facing unprecedented budgetary challenges, cutting our energy use not only helps us achieve a sustainability goal, it saves the City real money that we can invest in further improvements or public services.
“With over 11% of Philadelphians unemployed due to the Great Recession, investing in and creating job opportunities through weatherization and solar panel installation training programs ensures that Philadelphia remains on the forefront of the new green economy.
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BCLC: Why are cities becoming so engaged in sustainability issues?
Mayor Michael Nutter: “I know that I’m not the only Mayor working to make my city the greenest. We’ve found ourselves in a friendly competition of sorts with many cities, but it’s the kind of competition you hope everyone wins. We come together to lobby for federal programs and legislation that we believe will help us all, and we – along with our staffs – share ideas and information regularly.
“At some level, cities have always been sustainability leaders. We house people in relatively compact urban centers, offer public transit systems to get folks around, and boast mixed-use neighborhoods where people can work, shop, and play.
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Atlanta is one of three communities that are finalists in the 2010 Siemens Sustainable Community Awards. Here, Atlanta’s Director of Sustainability, Mandy Mahoney, shares the city’s key sustainability targets and successes, tells us what she’s most proud of, and gives us a glimpse at the “ideal sustainable Atlanta.”
BCLC: Atlanta is obviously driving toward becoming a more sustainable and responsible city. What are the motivating factors behind these local initiatives?
Mandy Mahoney: Political will from our Mayor Kasim Reed, our City Council interest and individual actions from the citizens, business, academia, religious community, opportunities that make business sense. There is a general will among Atlantans to invest in initiatives that will improve our quality of life.
BCLC: Is there one thing you’re most proud of so far?
MM: Establishing the Division of Sustainability has been our proudest achievement so far. Before 2007, the division did not exist. In 2006, Mayor Shirley Franklin identified environmental sustainability as a critical factor in making Atlanta a “best in class” city. In early 2007, she charged her administration to create and foster a community dedicated to sustainability through best in class leadership and to implement solutions and practices as they are identified. To answer that charge, a team of city officials and expert consultants has assessed Atlanta’s current sustainable practices and has set forth on a course of action to implement new high impact programs and policies
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