Winston-Salem
WINSTON-SALEM -- The Sierra Club's "Cool Cities" program recognizes communities that are responding to the threat of global warming by signing the Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.
"It commits cities to taking action on reducing their greenhouse gas emissions," said Elise Jung, the Cool Cities coordinator for the Foothills Chapter of the Sierra Club.
The group recognized Winston-Salem's efforts during a ceremony at Grace Court Park with the presentation of a certificate.
In May, City Council members passed a resolution to look at reducing its greenhouse emissions after Mayor Allen Joines signed the Conference's agreement in March.
The Sierra Club Thursday recognized Winston-Salem as a participant in the "Cool Cities" program, an effort to cut greenhouse emissions. Officials hope the example will inspire other cities.
AON Corporation executive Bob Whaling talked to the mayor about the program after reading about it in former Vice President Al Gore's book about global warming, "An Inconvenient Truth." He thinks there are business benefits.
"It helps us recruit employees, younger employees especially, if we're doing something for the environment," he said. "It helps us recruit business."
The city is doing things like putting some hybrid cars in service and using low energy stoplights.
Forsyth County also broke ground on a new social services building, the first in the county that would be certified "green."
Officials at the groundbreaking of a "green" building
Oficials think it'll save taxpayers money. "Any time we can reduce energy in our vehicles or our buildings, it'll translate into dollars that we're saving," said Joines.
"Winston-Salem's now the state's largest city to join the "Cool Cities" program. Organizers hope it'll inspire other cities across the state, like Charlotte and Raleigh, to follow suit.
The Sierra Club's Tom Jensen said, "it makes a lot more folks aware that their cities need to be operating in an environmentally friendly manner."
The group says there are now a total of 18 communities in north carolina who are part of the program.
Joines said, "we believe cities can band together and make a difference." Over 547 cities now have signed on across the country now representing about 70-million Americans"