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By Joe Boomgaard | MiBiz
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WEST MICHIGAN ­— A triumvirate of sustainability themed events have coalesced for a major, four-day undertaking in Grand Rapids in early September.

Rather than hold separate, but related events on their own, the city of Grand Rapids, GreenTown and the U.S. Green Building Council West Michigan Chapter decided their messages made sense to be part of a joint effort to be held Sept. 9-11.

Underlying the gathering are three sustainability-focused meetings:

• Future Cities: Climate Strategies for Sustainable Communities, the inaugural meeting of Michigan mayors and township supervisors that have signed the U.S. Conference of Mayors climate protection agreement;
• The Green Buildings of West Michigan tour, the first-ever and reportedly world’s largest tour of 40 LEED certified buildings in the region, coinciding with the release of a book examining the impact of the buildings and their certification;
• and GreenTown: The Future of Community, the second Grand Rapids gathering of public and private thought leaders to promote the sustainable communities.

Filling the void

In her executive order 2009-4, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm charged the approximately 30 statewide signatories of the U.S. Conference of Mayors climate protection agreement to co-host a conference on climate change with the state to better inform cities about the state’s climate action plan, increase awareness of climate change issues and to help develop local climate initiatives.

That order was a call to action for Mayor Heartwell.

“I’ve stepped into a bit of a leadership void on this question,” Heartwell told MiBiz. “The U.S. Conference of Mayors, which manages the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, has done nothing in the states to convene signatory communities. It seems to me that there is much to gain in learning from one another’s experiences, comparing data sets on (greenhouse gas) reduction, and even seeking opportunities to work together on projects. What city is better than Grand Rapids to host such a discussion given our recent designation as America’s most sustainable mid-sized city?”

The conference has brought together MDNRE, Michigan Municipal League, the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth, Grand Valley State University and other partners to engage one another to develop actionable strategies for member communities that attend the event.
“The conference is focused on results and outcomes,” Haris Alibasic, director of Grand Rapids’ office of energy and sustainability, told MiBiz. “We’re putting together something very unique in the Climate Management Toolkit. It has information on strategies, how to do a greenhouse gas inventory, how to address climate action planning, and energy usage ­— all areas of the operation that impact climate.”

The toolkit, developed by the city with another partner, will be distributed without charge to the attending community representatives prior to the conference, Alibasic said.

“The conference is a great opportunity to get a variety of partners and stakeholders to talk about sustainability,” he said.

The DNRE’s Rebecca A. Humphries said cities have a chance now to plan for how to deal with the challenges climate change will pose in the coming years. “As we look at climate change, we need to think about how we will live in urban centers,” Humphries told MiBiz. “We must think about greening our cities…. Designing infrastructure that reduces our carbon footprint will be vital. All of this needs to be part of a climate change adaptation plan for our state.”

Sense of community

Somewhat in concert with the mayoral organization’s message, GreenTown aims to find a way to help the regional community sustainability partnerships take their efforts to a new level, said John Harris, principal of a5 Inc.

“The event shines a spotlight on Grand Rapids and Mayor Heartwell’s leadership in trying to create sustainable communities,” Harris told MiBiz. “But we want to continue to spur the city and the citizens and the business community to move forward, to start to bring the region closer together. Hopefully, GreenTown can bring together the community around West Michigan to a greater degree.”

Highlights of the conference include case studies and best practices in sustainable development, climate and energy strategies, food and green infrastructure, among others.

By bringing together the public and private sector, as well as the centers for higher learning, Harris hopes the knowledge holders will be able to rally behind some common theme. While the goal for the CSPs is for them to maintain their individual character, a core group of their regional CSP leaders would like to find a project on which to work together, perhaps in the realm of alternative and renewable energy. Such an effort could bring opportunities for local businesses as well.

GreenTown — a production of a5, a Chicago-based brand consultancy with an office in Grand Rapids, and Seven Generations Ahead, a nonprofit sustainable community advocate — will be held Sept. 9 and 10 at GVSU’s Eberhard Campus. More information can be found at www.greentownconference.com. MiBiz, a leading source of local news and information on sustainable business, is the media sponsor of event.

LEEDers of the pack

In conjunction with GreenTown and the Future Cities event, the local chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council will be conducting a regional tour of 40 LEED-certified buildings in West Michigan on Sept. 10 and 11.

Renae Hesselink, chair of the West Michigan chapter of the USGBC, said the goal of the tour is to help establish the region as a “leader in innovation” for green building. The tour will give participants an intimate look at LEED buildings in diverse market segments, including office, manufacturing, healthcare, education, residential, hospitality and nonprofit. Buildings on the tour are all part of a new book, “Green Buildings of West Michigan,” being published by the USGBC West Michigan Chapter.

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• economic development
• greentown
• leed
• sustainability
• tbl
• us green building council
• usgbc
• west michigan