Michigan local governments have a new tool to earn recognition for and measure their progress in implementing energy, economic development and environmental improvements. The updated Michigan Green Communities Challenge uses a rating system to recognize sustainability accomplishments and serves as a guide for communities looking to learn from their peers. Participation is free and open to all local governments in Michigan.
Participating communities earn points for their green initiatives and bonus points for reporting quantitative data. Top achievers will receive emblems to display on their website and promotional documents and a customized press release from the network. All participating communities will be recognized at the third annual Michigan Green Communities conference Friday, November 2 at the Michigan Municipal League’s Lansing office. Register now for the conference, free of charge, at http://mml.org/green/events.php.
To coincide with the launch of the Challenge, Michigan Green Communities will be offering a series of workshops to help local government staff and officials become familiar with the reporting mechanism, an online-based checklist. These workshops should provide ample time for an individual to complete the checklist and Green Communities network members and supporting staff will be present as technical advisors. Essentially, we want these workshops to make it as easy as possible for communities to participate in the Challenge, because the larger we grow, the more opportunities emerge for your community to enhance its sustainability practices.
Workshops are free and open to any local government staff or official. We will be offering workshops September 17 in Farmington Hills, September 24 in Saginaw and September 28 in Grand Rapids. We are also planning additional workshops, as well as a webinar, for the fall. RSVP for a workshop by email here.
September 17 Workshop, 1-4pm
31555 W. Eleven Mile Road
Farmington Hills, MI
September 24 Workshop, 8:30am-2pm
Curtiss Hall
Saginaw Valley State University Main Campus
September 28 Workshop, 1-4pm
DeVos Place
303 Monroe Ave NW
Grand Rapids, MI
Luke Forrest is Project Coordinator for the Center for 21st Century Communities. Contact him via email or Twitter.
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