YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY - AS A BUSINESS EXHIBITOR, SPONSOR, OR PARTICIPANT!  

Check out  LINK TO SEE SCHEDULE!   on this WEBSITE. 

January 25 - Free to the public: Tours of some of Wichita Historic Buildings; Free Screenings of two Videos and a Repair and Paint Certification for Lead Paint (Fee for Workshop)

January 26 & January 27 - Preregistration or Walk-in - Fee required.

January 28th.  -  FAIR  Free to the General Public. 

Contact: Kay Johnson, Office of Environmental Initiatives Manager
Phone: 268-4251
E-mail: kjohnson@wichita.gov

Eligibility Covers Four-County Area

Nominations for the third annual Metro Wichita Clean Air and Sustainability Awards are now being accepted by the City of Wichita Air Quality Improvement Task Force.

The awards recognize companies, organizations, institutions, government entities, community groups, neighborhood associations and individuals who are taking steps to reduce air pollution and emissions in the urban area.  Those steps may include energy efficiency measures, pollution reduction, increased recycling and conservation of natural resources. 

The efforts can have a significant impact on improving air quality in the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and avoiding the risk of falling out of compliance with federal air quality standards. 

Entries are welcome from the four-county metro area including Butler, Harvey, Sedgwick, and Sumner counties.  A panel of judges from local and state government, business, and the private sector will select the winners. Application deadline is Jan. 4.   

Award winners will be recognized in public ceremonies at the 2012 Kansas Preservation, Energy and Sustainability Summit and Fair at Century II Jan. 27-28.  They will also be featured on City7, the City’s Cox Communications cable channel. More information about the 2012 conference can be found at  www.greenwichita.org.

Completed applications can be mailed to Kay Johnson, Office of Environmental Initiatives Manager, Planning Department,  455 North Main Street, Wichita, KS, 67202.  They may be emailed to kjohnson@wichita.gov or faxed to 316-858-7392.

Applications and general guidelines can be viewed and printed from the City’s website at Wichita.gov or at www.greenwichita.org   For more information, contact Kay Johnson at 268-4251.  For assistance in filling out the application or quantifying environmental improvements and cost savings, contact Kansas Small Business Environmental Assistance Program (SBEAP) at 800-578-8898 or by email at sbeap@ksu.edu.

Documents to download:

• AQITF CAA General Information and Criteria 2011
• AQITF CAA Application Form 2011

Wichita Ranks Last in 2011 US Sustainable Cities Survey and Complete Streets Forum Report

While gathering information for the 2011 Sustainable Cities Survey, I realized I hadn’t reported on the successful results of the Complete Streets Forum held in July.  So, this blog has two topics:

Wichita Ranks Last

Did you know this year we were ranked dead last in a 2011 survey for sustainable cities?  Kent Portney, Ph.D., Tufts University, has released results of a survey that shows Wichita is last among 55 of the largest US Cities for sustainability.  The Wichita Eagle’s Ron Sylvester interviewed the professor and highlights were published on Saturday, August 6^th, in an article  "Environment study ranks Wichita last".

Sylvester also discussed sustainability and and the survey in his weekly column – Keeping the Plains where he provides a list of sustainable actions under the subheading Tip Off.  The reporter has taken a bold step in asking Wichitans to help improve our score. 

I am asking Wichitans to do the same.  Go online to Keeping the Plains and pick an action that you commit to take over the week to help us out.  IF we all pitch in and sustain our efforts, we can move that dead last ranking up the line to a better position.  The Wichita Eagle has now published an Editorial on this topic so check this out, too - Take Ranking Seriously.  (Updated blog - 8/16/2011.)