FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

APRIL 22, 2008

Meridian Unveils ‘Green’ Strategic Plan

Becomes First City in Mississippi to Go ‘Green’

MERIDIAN, MS—The City of Meridian’s ‘Green Team’ rolled out its comprehensive plan to “go green” in a downtown celebration attended by hundreds of citizens and Mississippi’s Commissioner of Agriculture & Commerce, Dr. Lester Spell.

The event, held in conjunction with Earth Day, April 22, culminated in the presentation of nearly 90 strategies to make Meridian the first city in Mississippi to go “green.” Also on hand was Barbara Door, the state director of Keep America Beautiful, as well as many local officials.

“This is a tremendous undertaking, and I am very proud of the hard work that has produced this real plan of action for our city,” said Mayor John Robert Smith. “Meeting the goals put forward in this plan will not only improve our city’s environment today, but will reach well beyond, ensuring an improved quality of life for generations to come.”

Some of the top items announced for the greening of Meridian include:

• Establishing a baseline carbon footprint that will provide a measurement tool for progress in reducing the city’s environmental impact

• Establishing a “Green Hotline” for citizens

• Eliminating unneeded stop signs and traffic signals so citizens use less gas stopping, starting and idling

• Purchasing only Energy Star equipment and appliances in the future

• Using LEED recommendations when building new city facilities or upgrading old ones

• Encouraging the use of tap water instead of bottled water. As part of the rollout, each city employee was given their own plastic water bottle to use and reuse. City tap water meets or exceeds the standards used for bottled water, and plastic recycling is almost non-existent in this area.

• Installing programmable thermostats in all city buildings

• Upgrading all lights to high efficiency compact fluorescent bulbs and T-8 tubes

• Going paperless whenever possible. The city will work to implement the following: paperless purchase orders, travel requests, payroll, timecards and inner-office memos.

The recommendations of Meridian’s Green Team have been endorsed via an executive order by Mayor Smith and are listed on the city’s website at www.meridianms.org.

Including Mayor Smith, members of the Green Team are: Bunky Partridge, Team Leader; Jimmy Hoffer, Meridian Fire Department; Sharon Smith, Keep America Beautiful; Don Jemison, Community Development; Sandra Scott, Parks & Recreation; Lee Moffett, City Fleet Manager; Wallace Heggie, Purchasing Agent; Lori Scoggins, Engineering Division; Sharon Allen, Meridian Police Department; Teresa Radcliffe, Homeland Security Department; and Odell Hopkins, Public Works.

Click here to see pictures from the unveiling of Meridian's "Green" Strategic Plan 

For more information:

Jena Thompson, 601-527-3074

Maureen Lofton, 601-485-1819