Recently, the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns selected Westfield as one of the cities to receive the 2016 IACT Green Community of the Year distinction. Only three cities in Indiana accomplished this, the other two being Fishers and Whiting.
All three received an award during the IACT Annual Awards Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 5 in French Lick.
“The IACT Green Communities program is a fantastic way for cities and towns to showcase their hard work and commitment to smart, efficient practices,” IACT Executive Director and CEO Matt Greller stated in a press release sent to Current. “The survey required is extremely comprehensive, lending credibility and prestige to the Green Community designation. The fact that Fishers, Westfield and Whiting have all earned this designation in previous years is evidence of a true commitment to green practices that improve the quality of life for their residents.”
Representatives from participating cities had to complete a 51-question survey regarding purchasing, operations, measuring success and sample projects. In addition to the three Indiana cities meeting the minimum score required to be a Green Community, they also earned the highest score in their population category to become a 2016 IACT Green Community of the Year.
Fishers’ population category was more than 50,000. Westfield was 10,000-50,000 and Whiting was less than 10,000.
IACT launched the Green Communities Initiative in 2008 to “identify potential cost savings to communities facing budget shortfalls, promote economically competitive quality of life concepts and ultimately serve as role models for citizens while better protecting our environment.”
For more, visit citiesandtowns.org.