Fayetteville-Center of Environmental Sustainability

[greenblogger]

We moved here from Portland and Seattle to work for a WMT vendor, so I'm a newbie by most standards. We bought a "green" home, work in a LEED office, and plan to stay and retire here, so we have a vested interest in making this community safe and healthy for our family, neighbors and friends.

I agree Arkansas public policy regarding all things green is not friendly-and in fact is often unfriendly-to the environment compared to my home states of Oregon and Washington (Oregon is in my opinion as "rural" as Arkansas). In fact, Oregon public policy is a good role model for Arkansas because the economies are and geographies are more similar than you might first think.

As green as I want to be, I think we (Arkansans) have a lot of work to do to catch-up. Yes, we may be delusional about our chances of becoming the "Center of Sustainability". Population and infrastructure is probably just too small to get on the radar anytime soon, except through occasional clever press releases from the Chambers of Commerce, and association by default with WMT. But that's o.k. by me. We need every passionate voice we can find to promote and ingrain living green, and to push public policy forward. We need every voice challenging the perceptions of the local status quo. The region is years behind the rest of the country in most basic measures, but we need fanatics to catch up to the rest of the country.

I also like the comments by the posters who dare to opinionate and confront the common misperceptions. I also find amusing the responses by others who say "if you don't like it here, then leave." Leave? We need MORE people like this to move the region forward!

[zman9810]

I also like the comments by the posters who dare to opinionate and confront the common misperceptions. I also find amusing the responses by others who say "if you don't like it here, then leave." Leave? We need MORE people like this to move the region forward!

[akahogfan]

By my previous comment, I am not trying to say that anyone who has problems with anything that we do here must leave. By no means. I am merely saying that constructive criticism would be better. I even say that in my post. I have been an Arkansan my entire life, and while I love this state, I will be the first to admit that there are problems with it. I would be delusional to say otherwise. I, however, know that we cannot be perfect and like to add ideas on ways that we can change if there is something that I think needs that change. I welcome people who bring new and creative mindsets to the state, and there are many things that I think they can bring to the table. Ideas that we may have never thought of. But it pisses me off to see people who know so little about our state, be ones who judge it while offering no ideas on how to change the problems. If you are not willing to try to fix the problems, you should not be so willing to complain about them.

[cowbreath]

Negative comments by themselves won't help any region move forward. Only if those negative comments are followed by ideas on how to change the negatives are they constructive- otherwise they seem to be only the words of someone that is unhappy with their personal situation.

[Mith242]

I guess I've just been trying to stay somewhat in the middle. There are certainly some challenges to this. But I do think some people are rather quick to dismiss the area making inroads to environmental sustainability. It might be overly optimistic to think we can be 'THE' center of environmental sustainability in the US. But I still don't think it's out of the question that we could become an important center of environmental sustainability.

[butttrumpet]

I think its a good goal for the city of Fayetteville to pursue. I think it should be a priority. I think we should invest in attracting these companies to Fayetteville. So far, we've done a land deal with the U of A to encourage the development of technology businesses. I think we can leverage Wal-Mart's gravity to get some relocations to Fayetteville that would provide some synergy. Just look what Wal-Mart has done to Benton County in the last 15 years. Its incredible.

I think a lot of people confuse healthy enthusiasm and optimism with "hype". I have no problem with the Green Valley branding and I hope that we get as much out of this movement as we possibly can. Negativism doesn't help anybody. At this point, the game is so wide open, I see nothing wrong with what I interpret as enthusiasm and optimism about this area's potential in that field. Its not like there is another Green Valley out there whose thunder we are trying to steal. This nation is very early in its "green" development curve. There's plenty of room for growth, and I see no reason why Fayetteville can't be a leader in that growth.

[Galls]

Negative comments by themselves won't help any region move forward. Only if those negative comments are followed by ideas on how to change the negatives are they constructive- otherwise they seem to be only the words of someone that is unhappy with their personal situation.

[OnDickson]

My concerns are all very valid as they prove going after the green industry is a misuse of a regions finite resources that can be better directed in other ventures.

[Mith242]

Walmart gets slammed for just being into the environmental sustainability movement for the money. But isn't that true with most companies? There are quite a few European companies known for being 'green'. But many of them have admitted they're into it because it makes financial sense. It's ironic how when a European company makes a move it's because they're a good 'green' company. But if Walmart does something it's nothing but a publicity stunt. No Walmart won't ever be the most 'green' company out there. But in a sense because Walmart is such a huge company the moves it makes in ways makes a bigger impact than what a small company might do.

[butttrumpet]

Wal-Mart, as a massive retailer, is so multi-faceted that there are many angles from which to attack them. Their business involves real estate, construction, purchasing, importing, logistics, transportation...

I can't think of another company with as broad a range of activities as Wal-Mart. As such, there are many fields in which they are involved which allow a lot of room for improvement with respect to their environmental friendliness.

A broad dismissal of Wal-Mart's activities based on a dislike of their business model is entirely too vague for a company involved in as many activities as they are. Wal-Mart is neither all good, nor all bad.

Mith makes a good point that they have the capacity to impact the world and business community by setting examples of best practices, simply because they are so large.

[butttrumpet]

To be honest I do not see how this area can become a power player in green technology, that is unless it becomes economically efficient for Walmart to start adopting those technologies.

-You do not have an abundance of knowledge down here.

-Until the economics for Walmart makes sense there is no demand, the locals certainly are not going to fill that void.

-The NWA culture does not align itself with the typical culture of those in the green industry; young, atheist/agnostic and all that goes with those things.

-Then of course there is the actual environmental aspects of NWA. Living in NWA means you are anything but green and when you compare the per person emissions of NWA to Portland, Seattle, San Fransisco, and the North East (New York City having the lowest per person emissions in the country), NWA looses by a long shot.

So when you compare the possible places for a company to locate their green business, where are they going to locate? Blue collar jobs I can see down here, but not many region advancing white ones.

[zman9810]

Fayetteville combines the lower cost of living found in many medium sized southern metros with a, albeit relatively small, larger core of environmentally aware people, from political leadership to everyday joes and jills.

Finally, Wal-Mart is not just a big company. Its a company that has been growing extremely rapidly, which touches virtually every aspect of business and technology, from informatoin systems, to packaging, to logistics, to transport, to construction, real estate, and on and on. Compare Wal-Mart's growth and potential for gaining market share to a company like General Motors. Now, compare Wal-Mart's ability to influence its own vendors, transporters, builders, etc with any other company on the planet. The potential is huge, and we all know how Wal-Mart has insisted on local vendor representatives in the past.

Fayetteville has plenty of bars, and plenty of outdoor activities for people to meet other people, socialize and enjoy themselvs, regardless of their belief systems. We aren't Austin with its endless pool of young, single professionals, but we're not Fort Smith or Wichita either, for that matter. I don't agree with your assessment that Fayetteville cannot and will not be a leader in sustainability-related industry.

[johnnydr87]

Interesting discussion. Reading my last post over, I was pretty haughty. My bad. Although I don't believe with the way Galls presented his viewpoint, I have to admit I have some of the same frustrations.

I think Green Blogger's right: NWA needs to catch up before it can think about becoming a capital of sustainability.

There's a lot of glamor associated with the green movement--and I think it's getting to people's heads. But as with any truly transformative idea/movement, there's a lot of grinding ground work to make it truly happen.

For example, how's the recycling scene looking up there? What are the options? It's a pretty simple, utilitarian green technology. Not glamorous, and certainly not convenient if you're used to chucking all your garbage down one, undiscriminating hole. My college has recycle bins (paper, bottles, cans) and trash bins. But I have to admit, when I first started school I never recycled simply because I never grew up with that habit (I'm from Hot Springs). It's slowly getting ingrained in me--partially because I'm immersed in the culture. And maybe, if there weren't some social pressure involved, I wouldn't be recycling.

Most importantly, what are YOU doing to live a greener lifestyle? What are YOU doing to alter the way you interact with the environment? You say you want Fayetteville to become a center of sustainability, but, let's be honest, is it largely because of the prestige involved with such a designation? (I'm not accusing.)

Why would a progressively-minded engineer want to come to a place like Northwest Arkansas and work on alternative energy? NWA's nice. It really is. Compared to the rest of the Arkansas, it's progressive, and to the nation, mildly progressive. But how does it compare to other places that also want to become green centers? Is Wal-Mart the only factor that could attract some sort of sustainable companies? That's a very, very flimsy grounding. Hoping that one single corporation divinely intervenes and bestows environmental sustainability to the people of NWA.

If I had to compare Fayetteville to two places I've been in the past year--DC/Maryland and St. Louis--it's pretty far behind. These places have smart growth plans, hybrid buses (oh, public transportation in the first place), and lots grassroots level initiatives going on.

But I don't think it's farfetched for Fayetteville to become a center of sustainability. It's a college town. Reasonably progressive. Mayor Dan Coody and the city aldermen voted against the construction of new coal plants in Arkansas--which is a good mindset of this type of thing. But it takes real work. And if you really want it to happen, you should get involved. In a place as small as Fayetteville, the little voices matter. And you can't always wait for someone else. Like I said, other places around the nation have way more citizens and community activists than does a place like Arkansas. Every additional voice is worth more in a place like Fayetteville than in Portland.

Someone else said that America's in the very early part of the green curve, which sounds about right to me. If Arkansas wants to get a foothold in this, especially over the Obama administration, it needs to stick its foot in now and hard...before it's yet another movement where the state is left behind. The window of opportunity is closing.

Interesting sites to look over:

http://socialsustenance.org/

http://www.omnicenter.org/

http://www.arnetwork.org/

http://www.sustainablearkansas.com/

http://www.arkansasconservation.org/

http://sustainar.org/

On another note, I indirectly know a bright NW Arkansan from Fayetteville (I'm friends with his cousin) working in the alternative energy industry. While living in AR, he set records in mathematics and physics, eventually studying in CalTech. Now he's working at a solar energy company in CA.

[Mith242]

Interesting discussion. Reading my last post over, I was pretty haughty. My bad. Although I don't believe with the way Galls presented his viewpoint, I have to admit I have some of the same frustrations.

I think Green Blogger's right: NWA needs to catch up before it can think about becoming a capital of sustainability.

There's a lot of glamor associated with the green movement--and I think it's getting to people's heads. But as with any truly transformative idea/movement, there's a lot of grinding ground work to make it truly happen.

For example, how's the recycling scene looking up there? What are the options? It's a pretty simple, utilitarian green technology. Not glamorous, and certainly not convenient if you're used to chucking all your garbage down one, undiscriminating hole. My college has recycle bins (paper, bottles, cans) and trash bins. But I have to admit, when I first started school I never recycled simply because I never grew up with that habit (I'm from Hot Springs). It's slowly getting ingrained in me--partially because I'm immersed in the culture. And maybe, if there weren't some social pressure involved, I wouldn't be recycling.

Most importantly, what are YOU doing to live a greener lifestyle? What are YOU doing to alter the way you interact with the environment? You say you want Fayetteville to become a center of sustainability, but, let's be honest, is it largely because of the prestige involved with such a designation? (I'm not accusing.)

Why would a progressively-minded engineer want to come to a place like Northwest Arkansas and work on alternative energy? NWA's nice. It really is. Compared to the rest of the Arkansas, it's progressive, and to the nation, mildly progressive. But how does it compare to other places that also want to become green centers? Is Wal-Mart the only factor that could attract some sort of sustainable companies? That's a very, very flimsy grounding. Hoping that one single corporation divinely intervenes and bestows environmental sustainability to the people of NWA.

If I had to compare Fayetteville to two places I've been in the past year--DC/Maryland and St. Louis--it's pretty far behind. These places have smart growth plans, hybrid buses (oh, public transportation in the first place), and lots grassroots level initiatives going on.

But I don't think it's farfetched for Fayetteville to become a center of sustainability. It's a college town. Reasonably progressive. Mayor Dan Coody and the city aldermen voted against the construction of new coal plants in Arkansas--which is a good mindset of this type of thing. But it takes real work. And if you really want it to happen, you should get involved. In a place as small as Fayetteville, the little voices matter. And you can't always wait for someone else. Like I said, other places around the nation have way more citizens and community activists than does a place like Arkansas. Every additional voice is worth more in a place like Fayetteville than in Portland.

Someone else said that America's in the very early part of the green curve, which sounds about right to me. If Arkansas wants to get a foothold in this, especially over the Obama administration, it needs to stick its foot in now and hard...before it's yet another movement where the state is left behind. The window of opportunity is closing.

[butttrumpet]

Interesting article about new alderman Matthew Petty's presentation to the Shewmaker Center at NWACC:

http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Business/249312/

[Mith242]

Interesting article about new alderman Matthew Petty's presentation to the Shewmaker Center at NWACC:

http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Business/249312/

[butttrumpet]

Haas Hall students hatch plan for solar-powered traffic signals:

http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2009/01/...studentsreq.txt

Cool.

[Mith242]

Haas Hall students hatch plan for solar-powered traffic signals:

http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2009/01/...studentsreq.txt

Cool.

[Mith242]

Fayetteville will be testing out solar power at the Fayetteville Public Library in the upcoming year. There will be 48 solar panels added to the roof of the library. It will be a test for new solar technology for Fayetteville based Arkansas Power Electronics International. There will also be an educational kiosk in the library so that people will be able to see for themselves how much power the solar panels are generating. It will also help try to get more people interesting into looking into solar power themselves.

[zman9810]

Fayetteville will be testing out solar power at the Fayetteville Public Library in the upcoming year. There will be 48 solar panels added to the roof of the library. It will be a test for new solar technology for Fayetteville based Arkansas Power Electronics International. There will also be an educational kiosk in the library so that people will be able to see for themselves how much power the solar panels are generating. It will also help try to get more people interesting into looking into solar power themselves.

[Mith242]

This has been building for a while now as things change and shift under the new city management. But the Fayetteville Economic Development Committee will change their name to Green Valley Development and will focus more on sustainability technologies and businesses for the area. No longer will it focus on Fayetteville's general economic development. More of the general economic development will shift back to the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce. Now I'm sure Fayetteville will still play a major role in Green Valley development. But it would be better to look at the metro and not just Fayetteville for future sustainability growth.

[zman9810]

[quote name='butttrumpet' date='Nov 7 2008, 05:47 PM' post='1026708'

"I shudder to think what will happen to the city's economy if Lioneld Jordan becomes our mayor. We'll instantly lose all the green business momentum, international contacts, and our planning and development process will stagnate even more overnight. Plus, the guy talks like a redneck hippie. I really don't want him representing Fayetteville to the world."

Very prophetic post- the Fayetteville Economic Development Council, which has been the organization specifically focused on economic development in Fayetteville, is becoming Green Valley Development, which will focus on a regional approach- meaning NOT Fayetteville. This is being done on Mayor Jordan's watch and evidently with his blessing. The Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce (led by Jordan's supporter Steve Clark) will be the economic development organization for Fayetteville now even though the chamber is most concerned with ensuring that it's dues paying members do well. While making sure that existing business thrives is a very important goal, Fayetteville will not have the organization whose sole focus is to bring new business to Fayetteville like the Green industry that Jordan says he wants and what should be the future of the city.

The true anti-growth/development nature of the Jordan administration is starting to become painfully clear. This group of individuals is going to set Fayetteville's economic development back for many years if not permanently....of course that is the plan- they want to keep Fayetteville the way it was 50 years ago. No growth equals decay- anyone who cares about Fayetteville's future and it's ability to have a leadership role in NWA needs to speak up and let the city leaders know that their policies are not acceptable.

NWA Times editorial

[/quote

I hadn't read Mith's post about the FEDC's change when I posted in the South Pass topic about it so just to keep the discussion going I'll add it here.

[Mith242]

Very prophetic post- the Fayetteville Economic Development Council, which has been the organization specifically focused on economic development in Fayetteville, is becoming Green Valley Development, which will focus on a regional approach- meaning NOT Fayetteville. This is being done on Mayor Jordan's watch and evidently with his blessing. The Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce (led by Jordan's supporter Steve Clark) will be the economic development organization for Fayetteville now even though the chamber is most concerned with ensuring that it's dues paying members do well. While making sure that existing business thrives is a very important goal, Fayetteville will not have the organization whose sole focus is to bring new business to Fayetteville like the Green industry that Jordan says he wants and what should be the future of the city.

The true anti-growth/development nature of the Jordan administration is starting to become painfully clear. This group of individuals is going to set Fayetteville's economic development back for many years if not permanently....of course that is the plan- they want to keep Fayetteville the way it was 50 years ago. No growth equals decay- anyone who cares about Fayetteville's future and it's ability to have a leadership role in NWA needs to speak up and let the city leaders know that their policies are not acceptable.

NWA Times editorial

[johnnydr87]

I've been reading up on Fayetteville a lot lately--especially at http://fayettevilleflyer.com--and I'm really impressed overall.

Fayetteville is becoming its own destination itself, a la a small Austin.

One of the Fayetteville Alderman is particularly interesting/fascinating/cutting edge--something you'd expect in Portland but not necessarily Fayetteville: Matthew Petty. http://matthewpetty.org He's done some great stuff in getting Fayetteville link to larger environmental/green energy movements: he's literally, I think, the city's only tenuous connection to Power Shift and other great sustainability movements. He's also very up to date on new social media.

(In fact, Fayetteville has become very exciting to me in the past several months because I'm friends with a couple of the UA students who have really helped push the city forward as far as sustainability/progressiveness.)

Anyways, my point in all this is that I have definitely noticed a heightened activity about Fayetteville over the past several months, even though I'm off in St. Louis. Maybe that's just because of my contacts.

I'm not quite sure what the nuances of the Green Valley Development and FEDC are, but hopefully the general momentum will be kept up by elected officials and engaged citizenry, like yourselves. No time to let other cities claim the title of Green Valley, pursue it with full force!

[Mith242]

I've been reading up on Fayetteville a lot lately--especially at http://fayettevilleflyer.com--and I'm really impressed overall.

Fayetteville is becoming its own destination itself, a la a small Austin.

One of the Fayetteville Alderman is particularly interesting/fascinating/cutting edge--something you'd expect in Portland but not necessarily Fayetteville: Matthew Petty. http://matthewpetty.org He's done some great stuff in getting Fayetteville link to larger environmental/green energy movements: he's literally, I think, the city's only tenuous connection to Power Shift and other great sustainability movements. He's also very up to date on new social media.

(In fact, Fayetteville has become very exciting to me in the past several months because I'm friends with a couple of the UA students who have really helped push the city forward as far as sustainability/progressiveness.)

Anyways, my point in all this is that I have definitely noticed a heightened activity about Fayetteville over the past several months, even though I'm off in St. Louis. Maybe that's just because of my contacts.

I'm not quite sure what the nuances of the Green Valley Development and FEDC are, but hopefully the general momentum will be kept up by elected officials and engaged citizenry, like yourselves. No time to let other cities claim the title of Green Valley, pursue it with full force!