Outside of the Clintons, you don’t hear too much about Arkansas, “the Natural State,” but this sleepy Southern state looks to be working hard to make good on its motto. Big box retailer Walmart’s headquarters can be found in Bentonville, AR, and the state’s new-found inspiration to go green has been largely fueled by the company’s stated commitment to eco-friendly business.
While there seems to be something suspect about speaking of the Walmart behemoth and sustainability in the same breadth, a recent Washington Post article outlines some interesting developments in the college town of Fayetteville, just a few country miles down the road from Bentonville.
Local officials hope Fayetteville will become to sustainability what Detroit is to the automotive industry and the Silicon Valley is to technology. In fact, they’ve coined their own term for the vision: Green Valley. “We are driving a stake in the ground to become the center of the sustainability movement,” Fayetteville Mayor Dan Coody
said.
But perhaps more interesting than the idea of Arkansas as a hotbed of green intentions is what the city of Fayetteville has already done to forward the idea of sustainability:
The mayor regularly rides an electric bike to work and is planning to build a solar-powered home. He appointed the town’s first sustainability director, whose salary is paid by energy savings that he implements. All traffic signals have been outfitted with LED lighting, chopping $53,000 from the town’s electrical bill.
Washington Post: Green Valley In Wal-Mart’s Back Yard
-Contributed by Jocelyn K. Glei
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