WV HUB

Stonewood – Over a month ago, the City of Fairmont gained much deserved recognition for becoming the first West Virginia Sustainable Communities member. As travelers return from summer vacations, three more communities are gearing up to accept their membership into this innovative program.

Earlier this month, West Virginia Sustainable Communities (WVSC) selected the Counties of Fayette, Gilmer, and Wyoming as additional 2010 WVSC members. These communities participated in and/or hosted a sustainability awareness training. Since then, these communities rallied support from over 30 stakeholders in order to apply for the WVSC program. The steering team of the West Virginia Sustainable Communities saw that there is high level of interest and engagement in these communities to take advantage of the tools and resources provided by WVSC.

WVSC and the primary applicants for each community are currently establishing a broader support for the initiative. First projects in each of the communities involve outreach and education, including giveaways of conservation kits to 100 households.

“We really want to get the word out, that sustainable practices pad your wallets, make your house more livable, and your community richer,” says Tomoko Tamagawa, Program Manager of the WVSC.

All WVSC members will have a sustainability team by the end of September. The team will be diverse in its composition, be inclusive and transparent, and be the brain behind future initiatives and meetings culminating to the creation of a local Sustainability Action Plan. Volunteers for these teams will be a critical force behind the entire process.

“We would like to see new faces, individuals that didn’t click to old opportunities, but find sustainability to be their new calling,” said Herk Conner, a Program Director at the West Virginia Community Development Hub, the organization administering the WVSC and other programs in this state.

Institutions of Higher Education and High Schools in the area are advised to keep their eyes open for new volunteer and internship opportunities becoming available through the communities’ involvement in the WVSC process. Also, community members are welcome at any of the local workshops and meetings that are planned for this Fall!

Congratulations to Fayette, Gilmer, and Wyoming County for being accepted into the program. We look forward to hearing great stories as a result of applying sustainability principles*1 into our long-term decision making processes.

For more information, visit www.wvhub.org/wvsc or contact Tomoko Tamagawa at 304-566-7332 or wvsc@wvhub.org.

*1 – Sustainability is not an end or a goal in and of itself, but rather a path through which communities can improve the social, environmental, and economic condition within and beyond its boundaries. If you are interested in bringing a 6 hour sustainability awareness training to your neighborhood, give WVSC a call!

WVSC is a West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection initiative administered by the WV Community Development Hub with support from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation