The City of Battle Creek is one of just four communities to receive a silver medal in this year’s Michigan Green Communities Challenge.
The program recognizes clean energy and environmental leadership across Michigan and allows communities to establish benchmarks for progress toward sustainability initiatives, compare and compete with other communities, and create a roadmap for accomplishing initiatives.
The silver award will be presented to the city at the City Commission meeting at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 16.
Participating local governments are awarded gold, silver and bronze medals, reflecting community leadership in areas like clean energy programs and sustainability planning. The Charter Township of Meridian, City of Farmington Hills and City of Novi also received silver medals.
Battle Creek received the honor, in part, in recognition of the upgrade this spring of our curbside recycling program to 96-gallon carts for all residents which, in the first three weeks of the program increased recycling collection by 85 tons over last year, resulting in participation of 80 percent.
Other items/projects considered in the challenge are performance of energy audits at government facilities, creating sustainability teams and plans, green development programs, renewable energy projects and upgrading local government-owned street and other lights to LEDs.
Some of the city’s qualifying projects include a wood chip boiler heater at City Hall that covers most of the heating for City Hall and the Police Department, staff conduct regular inventory of street lights, and the city has a Non-Motorized Transportation Network Master Plan.
In the 2016 challenge, gold medalists were the cities of Ann Arbor and Dearborn, and Delhi Charter Township. Bronze medalists were the cities of Allegan, Berkley, Coldwater, Grand Blanc, Ithaca and Petoskey; Muskegon County; and the villages of Milford and Quincy. Visit http://migreencommunities.com/ for more information.