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The Home Depot Foundation’s Sustainable Cities Institute has awarded the City of Fayetteville a half million dollars to increase long-term solutions for green planning and development. Fayetteville is one of only 2 cities nationwide out of 37 who applied to get the grant.
Initial plans are to build 40 ENERGY STAR-certified homes for low to moderate-income families in the Walker Park neighborhood. In addition to building to meet LEED standards, the design will maximize tree canopy conservation and will consider urban cooling eco-services. A section of the trail system will be extended to the neighborhood and a community garden is also included in the plan.
For more information, click here.
Showing posts with label green valley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green valley. Show all posts
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
NW Arkansas is Getting Greener Every Day and Not Just Because It’s Spring
Mother Nature endowed the Ozarks with mountains, millions of green trees, lakes and rivers everywhere. This beauty and diversity calls people outdoors to enjoy it. It is heartening to know governments, corporations and individuals are working to preserve it all for generations to come.
You can walk, hike, mountain bike, or jog at your own pace on hundreds of miles of trails throughout NW Arkansas, many of which interconnect. Springdale has been a bit slower than other cities in building new trails, but now has plans under consideration to repair an old dam and reopen an existing trail around a lake. Additionally they may convert an empty building in the downtown area into a staging area connecting trails.
Green is more than just a buzzword in these parts. As everyone knows, NW Arkansas is the home of Walmart, one of the leaders in the sustainability movement here and throughout the country. Walmart’s membership-club arm, Sam’s Club, is a great illustration of green possibilities. The Fayetteville store showcases numerous environmentally sustainable features such as wastewater recycling, motion-sensor lighting, harvesting rain water for landscape plants, and more than 200 sky lights.
In 2007, Walmart Foundation gave a $1.5 million grant to fund The Applied Sustainability Center, based at the University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business. According to the Center’s web site, they have developed a broad-based coalition of partners to advance efforts in building and supporting an economy built around people, planet and profit.
The Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce introduced a new program named the GreeNWAy Initiative to certify businesses that are going green. The GreeNWAy committee partnered with the City of Fayetteville, the University of Arkansas Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE), and the University of Arkansas Applied Sustainability Center to develop the certification process.
Some time back, many separate organizations joined together to form Green Valley Development in NW Arkansas. The idea is to bring together sustainability innovators, businesses, and technologies to coordinate resources and services for green companies to excel in the world market. Charter members include Walmart, several construction companies, banks, real estate companies, retailers, electric cooperatives and more.
What I’m trying to say is…
The continuing greening of NW Arkansas and adoption of sustainable policies is alive and well. It’s one of those things that make Fayetteville and NW Arkansas regular visitors to national “best places” (to live, retire, raise children, etc.) lists. And the green is one of those things that contribute to our high quality of life here.
You can walk, hike, mountain bike, or jog at your own pace on hundreds of miles of trails throughout NW Arkansas, many of which interconnect. Springdale has been a bit slower than other cities in building new trails, but now has plans under consideration to repair an old dam and reopen an existing trail around a lake. Additionally they may convert an empty building in the downtown area into a staging area connecting trails.
Green is more than just a buzzword in these parts. As everyone knows, NW Arkansas is the home of Walmart, one of the leaders in the sustainability movement here and throughout the country. Walmart’s membership-club arm, Sam’s Club, is a great illustration of green possibilities. The Fayetteville store showcases numerous environmentally sustainable features such as wastewater recycling, motion-sensor lighting, harvesting rain water for landscape plants, and more than 200 sky lights.
In 2007, Walmart Foundation gave a $1.5 million grant to fund The Applied Sustainability Center, based at the University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business. According to the Center’s web site, they have developed a broad-based coalition of partners to advance efforts in building and supporting an economy built around people, planet and profit.
The Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce introduced a new program named the GreeNWAy Initiative to certify businesses that are going green. The GreeNWAy committee partnered with the City of Fayetteville, the University of Arkansas Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE), and the University of Arkansas Applied Sustainability Center to develop the certification process.
Some time back, many separate organizations joined together to form Green Valley Development in NW Arkansas. The idea is to bring together sustainability innovators, businesses, and technologies to coordinate resources and services for green companies to excel in the world market. Charter members include Walmart, several construction companies, banks, real estate companies, retailers, electric cooperatives and more.
What I’m trying to say is…
The continuing greening of NW Arkansas and adoption of sustainable policies is alive and well. It’s one of those things that make Fayetteville and NW Arkansas regular visitors to national “best places” (to live, retire, raise children, etc.) lists. And the green is one of those things that contribute to our high quality of life here.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
NW Arkansas Positions Itself as a Leader in the Sustainability Movement
It wasn’t too many years ago that NW Arkansas was known as a rural farming area, if it was known at all. But Sam Walton had a small store in Bentonville – and you know the rest of the story.
As Wal-Mart grew by leaps and bounds, so did NW Arkansas. Wal-Mart’s major vendors started opening branches here and they and their families needed housing, schools, banking, hospitals, shopping centers, highways, sewer systems, and on and on.
The burgeoning population created the housing and construction boom which, of course, brought more families with more needs.
But the economic downturn around the country and the world caused folks in NW Arkansas to wonder if this growth could continue.
The answer may well be yes! Sustainability-based research and development has the potential to drive Northwest Arkansas for years to come and action is already underway to position itself as “Green Valley.” (Think California’s Silicon Valley 40 years ago.)
Fayetteville in particular has been a leader for living green. The city has had a recycling program for several years, recently won the Arbor Day Foundation’s award as “Tree City USA” for the 14th consecutive year, and frequently wins the Garden City award for cities of its size.
Those recognitions may be small compared to the overall sustainability movement, but it bodes well for the mindset of residents and local governments.
The University of Arkansas-Fayetteville has an Applied Sustainability Center already up and running.
Forbes Magazine ranked NW Arkansas as #4 in the entire country on their new list of Top 25 Best Places for Business and Careers.
Some companies that specialize in such things as ways to improve fuel efficiency, maximize resources, minimize environmental footprints, reduce greenhouse gases, and the world's dependence on fossil fuel have moved here to take advantage of both the favorable business climate and the sustainability movement.
A few companies from Sweden, long recognized as a leader in sustainability technology, have set up U.S. headquarters here. Several other Swedish firms are in the process of doing the same and still more are seriously investigating the possibility.
Perhaps we have to give another nod to Wal-Mart for taking the position 3 years ago to reduce waste to zero and make sustainability a priority. It takes time to achieve a goal that mammoth but the fact that they’re working on it has garnered attention around the world.
Wal-Mart has more than 1,300 locally based suppliers who answered the call to develop new packaging, logistics and other practices that are now spreading throughout the industry.
Even The Washington Post and Wall Street Journal have recognized and published articles about what’s taking root in NW Arkansas.
The potential for NW Arkansas as a major player in the sustainability (green) movement is here and it’s very exciting!
For more information:
http://www.nwarktimes.com/adg/Business/252507
http://www.nwarktimes.com/adg/Business/240533
http://www.nwarktimes.com/nwat/News/75202/
As Wal-Mart grew by leaps and bounds, so did NW Arkansas. Wal-Mart’s major vendors started opening branches here and they and their families needed housing, schools, banking, hospitals, shopping centers, highways, sewer systems, and on and on.
The burgeoning population created the housing and construction boom which, of course, brought more families with more needs.
But the economic downturn around the country and the world caused folks in NW Arkansas to wonder if this growth could continue.
The answer may well be yes! Sustainability-based research and development has the potential to drive Northwest Arkansas for years to come and action is already underway to position itself as “Green Valley.” (Think California’s Silicon Valley 40 years ago.)
Fayetteville in particular has been a leader for living green. The city has had a recycling program for several years, recently won the Arbor Day Foundation’s award as “Tree City USA” for the 14th consecutive year, and frequently wins the Garden City award for cities of its size.
Those recognitions may be small compared to the overall sustainability movement, but it bodes well for the mindset of residents and local governments.
The University of Arkansas-Fayetteville has an Applied Sustainability Center already up and running.
Forbes Magazine ranked NW Arkansas as #4 in the entire country on their new list of Top 25 Best Places for Business and Careers.
Some companies that specialize in such things as ways to improve fuel efficiency, maximize resources, minimize environmental footprints, reduce greenhouse gases, and the world's dependence on fossil fuel have moved here to take advantage of both the favorable business climate and the sustainability movement.
A few companies from Sweden, long recognized as a leader in sustainability technology, have set up U.S. headquarters here. Several other Swedish firms are in the process of doing the same and still more are seriously investigating the possibility.
Perhaps we have to give another nod to Wal-Mart for taking the position 3 years ago to reduce waste to zero and make sustainability a priority. It takes time to achieve a goal that mammoth but the fact that they’re working on it has garnered attention around the world.
Wal-Mart has more than 1,300 locally based suppliers who answered the call to develop new packaging, logistics and other practices that are now spreading throughout the industry.
Even The Washington Post and Wall Street Journal have recognized and published articles about what’s taking root in NW Arkansas.
The potential for NW Arkansas as a major player in the sustainability (green) movement is here and it’s very exciting!
For more information:
http://www.nwarktimes.com/adg/Business/252507
http://www.nwarktimes.com/adg/Business/240533
http://www.nwarktimes.com/nwat/News/75202/
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