Sustainability Success Stories
from Renew America

Chillicothe Long-Range Planning/Municipal Recycling -- Chillicothe, Missouri.
Explains a long-range sustainable planning program in Missouri that aims to generate new ideas, develop additional leadership, and involve the entire community. The program also includes a curbside recycling program and the creation of a paper pellet plant.

Community Energy Program -- Chicago, Illinois
Mobilizes community and other groups to advocate for, and help invest in, energy efficiency projects that benefit and employ low-income individuals in Chicago.

Energy Efficient Partnership -- Kansas City, Missouri
Presents a public and private sector partnership designed to reduce energy consumption in metropolitan-area government and nonprofit buildings by 25%.

Get In The Loop Recycling Program -- State of Washington Profiles a Washington State program aimed at increasing the market for recycled products.

Green Schools Energy Program -- Santa Cruz, California
Uses student-designed initiatives to reduce energy consumption in schools across the country by helping school districts switch to more energy-efficient technologies.

Groundwater Guardian -- Lincoln, Nebraska
Profiles a foundation project that helps communities promote knowledge about groundwater issues and institute local groundwater protection plans.

Imperial Recycling Project -- Nebraska
Presents an overview of a waste-reduction program in Nebraska that boasts the highest waste-reduction rate in any recycling program in the state's history.

Interfaith Coalition On Energy -- Melrose Park, Pennsylvania
Explains a project created to reduce energy costs for various communities of faith.

Jefferson Parish Christmas Tree/Marsh Restoration Project -- Harahan, Louisiana
Explains a project that uses discarded Christmas trees bound for the solid waste stream and uses them to protect threatened marshlands and wetlands along the Louisiana coast.

Materials Reuse And Recycling Program -- Chicago, Illinois
Describes a program that enables the city to shift from waste generation and disposal to policies and strategies that promote conservation and recycling of materials.

Midwest Wind Energy Program -- Waverly, Iowa
Describes a joint effort between Waverly Power & Light and the University of Northern Iowa to install and operate an 80-kW wind turbine. The program has reduced carbon dioxide output by some 119 tons and generated more than 325,000 kWh of electricity.

Multifamily Energy Savings Program -- Portland, Oregon
Profiles a program that provides comprehensive assistance to multifamily property owners and managers to improve the resource efficiency of their properties.

Municipal Utilities Demand Side Management Program -- Osage, Iowa
Presents a utility program in Iowa that uses giveaway programs, rebates, and energy audits to promote energy efficiency among its customers.

Native Sun-Hopi Solar Electric Enterprise -- Hotevilla, Arizona
Presents a program developed to provide clean, solar energy to the thousands of families living on isolated American Indian reservations.

NutriCycle Systems Water Conservation And Pollution Prevention Demonstration Site -- Jefferson, Maryland
Describes a demonstration project that features a waterless, composting toilet and a greywater filtration system that together serve as a complete, low-cost, and nonpolluting alternative to septic systems or sewers.

Orange Grove County Recycling Center -- Chattanooga, Tennessee
Describes a recently-expanded $2 million materials-recovery facility that employs 100 adults with developmental disabilities to process more than 55 tons of recyclables per day.

Planet Newark Recycling -- Newark, New Jersey
Explains a project that promotes Newark, New Jersey, as a prime location to establish or expand a recycling business through financial incentives. More than 80 recycling firms have been established as a result of this effort.

Resources Efficiency Awareness Program -- Tucson, Arizona
Presents a program designed to reduce resource use and utility bills throughout the Tucson school system.

The Sustainable City Project -- San Jose, California
Develops urban planning processes that identify, rank, and implement energy policies and program options for promoting urban sustainability. Through participation in this project, San Jose, California, designed and implemented an energy-management program that aims to reduce energy use by 10 percent across all sectors by 2000.

Wisconsin Energy Initiative -- Madison, Wisconsin
Presents a statewide partnership between the private sector and state government designed to conserve energy in existing and new state facilities.

Last updated August 28, 2000

Back to Top