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GR wins U.S. Chamber honor for sustainable cities
By Joe Boomgaard | MiBiz
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GRAND RAPIDS — People in Michigan might recognize West Michigan and Grand Rapids in particular for the collective work of the public and private sector in sustainability, but that effort isn’t usually known outside the region.
Consider the rest of the country put on notice.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center and Siemens Corp. awarded Grand Rapids the 2010 Siemens Sustainable Community Awards for a mid-sized city. The city beat out Davenport, Iowa and Hoover, Ala. for the honor.
“This honor by the U.S. Chamber is a recognition of the work we’ve done, and it’s encouragement to keep going,” Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell told MiBiz in an exclusive interview before the award was officially announced. “There’s something unique happening in this city. It was launched by business, particularly manufacturers with their school of quality management … and the government picked up on that. We’ve clearly passed the tipping point where people understand sustainability, and there’s enough people practicing it. We’re well ahead of the curve nationwide.”
Eric Van Dellen, sustainability program manager at Amway Inc. and a member of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce environmental committee, led the push for the nomination.
“It fits really well because of the strong business and community partnership that Grand Rapids has developed over the years,” Van Dellen told MiBiz. “I think it’s that partnership that makes Grand Rapids one of the most sustainable cities. … When you look at Grand Rapids as a Midwest manufacturing town, you really don’t see the same thing you do in other towns. You see a lot of growth and activity, and our downtown is very vibrant. These are all trends that bode well for Grand Rapids, and you see people actually moving downtown.
“I think (the award) is a powerful economic development tool both for attracting businesses to the Grand Rapids and West Michigan area and attracting talented people to work here.”
For Jeanne Englehart, president and CEO of the chamber, getting the award is an important step in getting Grand Rapids to become a better cheerleader for itself. It’s just in the nature of the region’s people and businesses to be modest.
“One of the reasons we felt it was important to do this is because in West Michigan, we need to do a better job of telling people about us. We don’t brag,” Englehart told MiBiz. “Thanks to the leadership of lots of businesses and Mayor Heartwell, Grand Rapids is on the map in terms of sustainability.”
Heartwell agreed wholeheartedly.
“Having this recognition, people all over the U.S. will look to Grand Rapids in a whole new way when they’re looking to relocate their businesses or expand,” he said. “It’s a secret that’s starting to get spread rapidly.”
The nominators said what makes the city’s sustainability effort work is its reliance on public-private partnerships to accomplish projects in any of the legs of the triple bottom line. Englehart pointed to the Community Sustainability Partnership — a loosely affiliated group of about 200 community organizations spanning business, government, human services, the faith-based community and others — and the city’s good track record of brownfield redevelopment projects as prime examples of all sectors coalescing behind a very forward-looking vision.
Heartwell likes to cite the “Get the lead out” campaign as a demonstration of the power of that cross-organizational cooperation. When the community learned that 46 percent of children in one inner city neighborhood tested above the medical intervention level for levels of lead, nonprofits, business interests, healthcare organizations and the government banded together to take on the problem. The coalition was able to support home remodeling efforts and attract $50 million in federal Housing and Urban Development funds to help educate parents and make minor repairs.
The program not only helped people’s health and removed a toxin from the environment, but it also helped address a key economic concern since children exposed to lead can often have neurological development issues and struggle in school, all of which draws on the city’s diminishing resources by the time the children enter school and, later, society.
Discussions about the city’s economic sustainability have at times put Heartwell and Englehart at odds with each other. Most recently, the chamber opposed a proposal to increase the city’s income tax to help it pay for preserving some police and fire services, citing issues in spiraling pension costs, among others. The city is facing massive deficits as revenues slide in the current recession.
“Our finances might not be in order in one sector, but I’d make the case for the economic sustainability of our community — just look at the 275 acres of contaminated property that’s been reclaimed,” Englehart said. “Yes, there are things that need to be fixed fiscally. … Despite our financial difficulties, we understand the importance of the future and moving forward.”
Heartwell said the city’s economic sustainability is really the “$64 million question” that everyone is trying to answer as the city looks to “move beyond the older and outmoded ways we function as a local government.” For his part, Heartwell’s pushing for the city to be as transparent as possible and engage more citizens about the best way forward.
“Not too many years ago, planning was done by a handful of business leaders who’d write the plan for the city,” he said. “When we plan, it’s a long, painful, drawn-out process, but it provides an opportunity for all voices to be heard. Sometimes we’re lost in the forest and can’t see the trees, and bringing in fresh ideas and insight is a very useful thing to do.
“In the long run, city government is only as sustainable as the community that supports us. Look at the Medical Mile, the downtown residential (sales), the neighborhood business districts coming back from abandonment — if they’re doing well, the city will have the means to provide the services to support these business functions. Half of our revenue comes from income tax, and during times like this, the city’s hit hard. But when the economy starts to roll again and the community enjoys the improvements we’ve made over the last decade, then the resources will be adequate or more than adequate.”
He also credited the chamber for its active role in leading sustainability education, whether in the form of its carbon calculator or its support of the Institute for Healing Racism.
“They’re really quite amazing, notwithstanding our differences,” he said. “They’re an amazing chamber that has been really at the heart and soul of Grand Rapids becoming a sustainable city.”
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