Governments Work Together with Business to Create Little Rocks Green Economy

Both the City of North Little Rock and the City of Little Rock, have
recently experienced a surge in green economic growth. The Little Rock area experienced 10.5 percent annual growth in the green-job sector over the last seven years, ranks eighth in green-job concentration, and established a median wage of $33,857 for green jobs.1 Government spending was instrumental to this growth. Recently, the City of North Little Rock spent $599,000 to reduce energy use and emissions and $450,000 to modernize hydroelectric facilities. The City of Little Rock, as well, recently spent $462,000 to enhance its energy assurance plan and $823,000 to assist the development of electricity policies.2 In 2010, the Little Rock area added 11,933 green jobs, mostly in manufacturing and the wind energy industry.1 In 2010, the City of North Little Rock earned the US Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Award for smaller cities. The award honored Mayor Patrick Henry Hays for his Think Global, Act Local strategy, which was based on the belief that sustainable changes (e.g., reducing greenhouse emissions, improving quality of life, and creating jobs) begins at the citizen level. The strategy aims to increase citizen environmental awareness by implementing a citywide residential curbside recycling program, mandatory municipal building standards, and City vehicle fleet policies. North Little Rocks effort to grow its green economy has resulted in real impacts. In 2009, Caterpillar accepted $2.5 million in Renewable Energy Certificates from the City, which resulted in building a motor grader manufacturing plant that added 600 new jobs; the City was awarded the Tree City USA for the 16th year in a row, audited all public buildings for energy use, and led the state in natural-gas fueled, public vehicles.3

The Green Agenda Programs were created in 2009 by Metroplan, a regional council of local governments, when the board of directors unanimously approved to expand services to include a regional Green Agenda. The programs aim to:

help communities deal with common environmental issues that transcend local political boundaries, and develop and support plans and projects that enhance the natural environment and contribute to long-term economic vitality.
Key Programs include: Green Central Arkansas- established and maintains an Internet networking community that serves as an information clearinghouse for governments and public agencies. Green Task Force- created to guide the Green Agenda.

Funded by federal grants, the task force developed a Central Arkansas Green Agenda that offered 13 strategies and 106 actions. Select suggestions include: Improve Energy Efficiency- conduct energy evaluations on municipal buildings, align regional and local energy plans, and update municipal codes. Increase Renewable Energy Use- identify feasible local sources, encourage local providers to set renewable standards, and identify barriers in municipal codes Increase Public Awareness of Benefits- develop a communication strategy and community-wide demonstration projects Provide Educational Resources- create and publish an inventory of green government practices, conduct public forums, and inform local leaders about green issues Showcase Efforts- develop regional award for communities, apply for regional, state, and national recognition awards

For more information: https://sites.google.com/site/greencentralarkansas/green-agenda-programs

Also in 2010, the City of Little Rock was selected as a project by Greening Americas Capitals, a program of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities between the Environmental Protection Agency, US Department of Housing, and the US Department of Transportation. The project funded a team of designers to visit the City, hold workshops with property and business owners, and produce schematic redevelopment designs. Greening Americas Capitals is an effort to work with residence and business owners to redesign vacant lots, create parks, line streets with gardens, and expand public transportation. The Little Rock redevelopment design focused on improving green infrastructure and pedestrian, bike, and transit use, and identified key development projects. In addition to City efforts, the Little Rock area has several organizations that have formed partnerships to advance green economic growth. There are several local chapters of national and international nonprofit organizations. The Arkansas Environmental Federation, for example, is committed to environmental protection within the manufacturing and business section, and Winrock International, a nonprofit organization, works with farmers, communities, and businesses to grow market opportunities, manage resources sustainably, and develop innovative technologies. There are also several local and statewide nonprofit organizations focused on developing the Little Rock areas green economy. Examples include the Arkansas Sustainability Network, Sustainable Business Network of Central Arkansas, and Arkansas Advanced Energy Association.
The Little

Rock Sustainability Commission was established in 2008 to provide

education, leadership, and vision for current and future citizens, organizations, and departments of the City of Little Rock. The Commission provides a monthly forum for citizens to discuss how to improve the sustainability of Little Rock. It also serves a liaison between citizens and the City. Select committees include: Green City Operations Green Collar Jobs Land Use and Planning Built Environment
For more information: http://www.littlerock.org/mayorsoffice/taskforces/lrsustainability.aspx

Today, the Little Rock area has a vibrant green economy. In North Little Rock, green projects are projected to save 44,295,327 gallons of water, 2,586,439 kWh of electricity, and 184,859 therms of gas over the next 10 years and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 395,834.7 pounds annually.4 The City of Little Rock recently adopted a resolution for all newly constructed City buildings to be LEED-certified, is retrofitting all street lights with LED lighting, and is installing specialized equipment to convert methane gas from landfills into usable energy. These efforts have resulted in the growth of green economy jobs, primarily in the regulation and compliance, remediation, waste management, conservation, and green consumer products sectors.1 Additionally, the Little Rock area is the second largest exporter of green products in the nation, paying an average of $57, 514 per job.5 The per capita income in this area is $24,142.6
The Sustainable Business Network of Central Arkansas is a local chapter of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies that supports the growth and development of a local sustainable business community. Founded by four Little Rock business leaders, the network aims to secure long-term growth for local businesses, advance sustainable business practices and operations, increase collaboration, networking, and support, and promote the preservation of environmental, economic, and social systems. The network established a sustainable business certification. To obtain the certification, a business representative must attend a certification workshop and complete six self-audits. These include four environmental audits: greenhouse gas emissions, energy, waste, and water. There is also a social impact audit and am economic impact audit.
For more information: http://www.sbnca.org/

Brookings Institute. 2011. Sizing the Clean Economy: The Clean Economy in Little Rock, AR Metropolitan Area. Retrieved October 21, 2012 (http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/series/clean%20economy/30780). US Department of Energy. 2012. Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program: Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals. Retrieved November 17, 2012 (http://www1.eere.energy.gov/wip/retrofit_guidelines.html). 3 Cochran, Tom. 2010. Mayors and Climate Protection Best Practices. Mayors Climate Protection Center, The United Sates Conference of Mayors. Retrieved October 21, 2012 (http://www.usmayors.org/climateprotection/documents/2010-mcpc-bestpractices.pdf). 4 Hays, Patrick Henry. 2010. State of the City of North Little Rock. Report to the City Council, North Little Rock, Aransas. 5 Lupton, Jonathan and Lynn Bell. 2011. Metroplans Review and Outlook. Retrieved October 22, 2012 (http://www.metroplan.org/index.php?fuseaction=p0007.&mod=26). 6 United States Census Bureau, The. 2006. Little Rock-North Little Rock, AR Metro Area. Retrieved February 16, 2013 (http://trade.gov/manufactureamerica/facts/tg_mana_003078.asp#P8_191).
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