CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission is the newest organization to join the Green Certification Program. A green ribbon cutting on Monday, Sept. 28 honored the RPC’s achievement.
Attendees included Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett and Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts along with representatives from the Green Certification Board. Mayor Pitts thanked the Regional Planning Commission for its work to become certified and commended its employees for working together to achieve certification.
Over the past few years, the RPC has been working diligently to undertake small projects to become more sustainable.
“Our staff looked at things we can do on a small scale that will have an impact. We have an older building so we looked at lighting and HVAC but we also evaluated waste and paper usage,” RPC Director Jeff Tyndall said.
The RPC is upgrading its lighting to LEDs as bulbs burn out and last year completed an HVAC upgrade that has resulted in electric cost savings of more than $1,000 for the year. The RPC also has reduced breakroom waste by eliminating Styrofoam and switching to reusable kitchen products. Another big success on waste reduction came from the RPC’s reduced use of paper. Last year the Planning Commission invested in technology that allowed it to prepare electronic packets for its commissioners. Prior to the investment, staff each month would prepare a dozen hard copy packets, sometimes several hundred pages each, for all the Commissioners. The initial cost of the technology has been recouped by the reduction in paper, toner, and employee’s time overseeing packet printing. Staff will continue to look for ways to reduce paper usage.
The RPC, with offices at 329 Main St, Clarksville, oversees all land development and zoning for the City of Clarksville and Montgomery County. For more on the Planning Commission, visit online at http://www.cmcrpc.com .
The Clarksville-Montgomery County Green Certification Program promotes environmental stewardship within Montgomery County. The free program is open to any organization with a physical location within Montgomery County and focuses on expanding recycling and improving resource efficiency. If your organization is interested in learning more about the program, contact Carlye Sommers at cmsommers@mcgtn.net or call 931-245-1867. You can also find information about the Program at http://mcgtn.org/green .
Helping to cut the Green Certification Program ribbon at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission are front row, from left, Melinda Shepard, Stan Williams, LaDonna Marshall, Jeff Tyndall, Angela Latta, Olivia Herron, Ruth Russell and Dani Melton. Middle row, from left, Rose Melton, Jill Hall, Jackey Jones, Daryl Pater and Gene Fish. Back row, from left, John Spainhoward, Mayor Jim Durrett, Mayor Joe Pitts and Doug Jones.