GR sustainability success discussed at EPA conference

Norman Christopher, director Grand Valley State University’s Sustainability Initiative, will address a conference held by the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. on June 6 to outline Grand Rapids’ success in community sustainable development.

Sustainability relates to the environmental impact of human activity, the enhancement of social systems, and the improvement of economic prosperity — a triumvirate of factors commonly known as the "triple bottom line." Sustainable growth involves striking a balance among these three elements. Christopher’s topic will be “Building Community Sustainability Leadership.”

Christopher will be addressing a conference for the Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program, which a competitive grant program that offers communities a way to address the risks from multiple sources of toxic pollution in their environment. Through CARE, local organizations create partnerships that implement local solutions to reduce releases of toxic pollutants and minimize people’s exposure to them.

Christopher will speak at the conference as a representative of both Grand Valley and the Grand Rapids Community Sustainability Partnership, which is a network of 115 community organizations in West Michigan who embrace and support sustainability guiding principles in their planning and operations and are striving to make a positive impact in the community. The results are paying off--Grand Rapids was recently named one of MSNBC’s “Five Cities that are Greener than You Think.”