Greencastle named 2012 IACT Green Community of the Year

Friday, October 12, 2012

An old local shopping slogan used to urge consumers to "keep the green in Greencastle."

Now, the City of Greencastle has taken that to heart in other ways -- and apparently has been keeping the green here better than Indiana cities like Greenfield, Greenwood, Greentown or Greensburg.

While "the green" in that old slogan once referred to greenbacks or dollar bills, the City of Greencastle has given new meaning to the adage. It has now kept the "Green Community of the Year" title in town for a fifth consecutive year as its sustainability efforts and attention to environmental issues continue to receive statewide notoriety.

Despite moving up in class from the under 10,000 category to the under 50,000 population bracket following the 2010 Census, Greencastle was nonetheless named by the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns (IACT) as a 2012 IACT Green Community of the Year.

Greencastle, represented at the Annual Awards Luncheon by Mayor Sue Murray and City Attorney Laurie Hardwick, received the honor during the recent 2012 IACT Annual Conference and Exhibition in French Lick.

IACT launched the Green Communities Initiative to identify potential cost savings to communities facing budget shortfalls, promote economically competitive quality-of-life concepts, and ultimately serve as role models for citizens while better protecting our environment.

The initiative will expand educational opportunities for municipalities and create a consolidated clearinghouse of data and programs that can be accessed by municipalities.

Greencastle officials had to fill out a 51-question survey in the areas of purchasing, operations, measuring success and sample projects. Not only did the city meet the minimum score required to be a Green Community, but it ranked highest among other communities its size, IACT noted.

The city's exemplary efforts in the area of green programs earned Greencastle the 2012 IACT Green Community of the Year award in the 10,000-49,999 population category.

Joining Greencastle as 2012 Green Community of the Year award winners in the other population classes are Evansville and Whiting.

Meanwhile, IACT Green Communities designation recipients were: Bloomington, Carmel, Evansville, Fishers, Indianapolis, Dyer, Greencastle, Munster, Union City and Whiting.

IACT is a coalition of municipal officials who seek to improve the quality of life in Indiana through effective government, and is a member of the National League of Cities.

Founded in 1891, IACT is one of the oldest state municipal organizations in the country, with 465 cities and towns as members. IACT advocates for municipalities as the official voice of municipal government in Indiana, and promotes good government through education, training and leadership.

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