By Westland Mayor William R. Wild
February 13, 2012

As mayor, I remain committed to providing a high quality-of-life for my constituents and while Michigan has suffered a recession, I continue to actively seek opportunities to create a thriving community. In 2009, Westland adopted Mission Green, a program designed to promote sustainable living while also encouraging our citizens to incorporate environmentally best practices into their daily lives.

One inventive – Westland Mission Green program, curbside recycling, has saved the city several hundred thousand dollars each year on landfill costs, recycling over one million pounds of trash annually. This program has neighboring communities, as well as cities around the nation, contacting us to find out how they can establish a similar program. In this recycling program, Westland partners with a group called Recycle Bank, a National Rewards Program that awards participants with discounts to be used at area retailers. Because this program is easy and rewarding, both economically and environmentally, it became an instant success, with 90 percent of Westland residents participating in the recycling program within the first six months, nearly doubling our recycling intake. In the first year alone $6-15 million was awarded to participating residents to inject back into the Westland economy. As the program progresses, all city buildings, businesses, apartment buildings and condominium complexes will be, or are, a part of curbside pickup and the rewards system as well.

As the program progresses, all city buildings, businesses, apartment buildings and condominium complexes will be, or are, a part of curbside pickup and the rewards system as well.

Additionally, from the start, alternative sources of energy have been encouraged. Most notably, several police cars have been replaced with flex fuel vehicles, with the intention of eventually having a completely green fleet. I have also encouraged the conservation of energy by frequently sending residents e-newsletters containing energy'saving tips. Additionally, our efforts to decrease various forms of pollution have been remarkable. Specifically, our efforts to clean up Rouge River through storm water pollution prevention have had widespread effects on the local ecosystem and wildlife. Active community awareness and participation has also been encouraged in our green initiatives. For example, residents are encouraged to work as volunteers in the Westland DTE Community Garden, which serves to feed the homeless in our county through sustainable, local gardening practices.

More recently, the United States Department of Energy awarded Westland with an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) in the amount of $731,100. With the goal of reducing our energy costs, the majority of the grant is being spent on municipal building retrofits of existing, low energy efficient heating and cooling equipment that was installed 25 or more years ago. The city expects to see approximately a 28 percent reduction in energy costs. This grant has also afforded us with a tremendous opportunity to continue our work with the community and businesses, providing seminars focused on energy saving strategies. Our first seminar was held February 1, giving the attendees an opportunity to learn more about low cost energy upgrades, operational energy cost savings, utility rebates and incentives, tax credits and deductions.

To honor the green achievements in Westland, I created two awards including the Mission Green Eco Friendly award and the Green Leadership Award. To date, we have honored seven individuals and businesses with the Mission Green Eco Friendly award and bestowed three Green Leadership Awards. These awards were created to inspire, educate and recognize those in the community who are taking proactive steps to protect the environment. One of our awards was presented to the owner of the Westland Colonial Village Apartments, Jeffery Spoon, for putting our city on the map as the first complex in the nation to install an electric vehicle charging station in January of 2011.

As a staunch supporter of numerous green initiatives and smart energy policy, Westland was honored to present United States Senator Carl Levin (MI), was with our third Green Leadership award on January 13. As a proud owner of a Chevy Volt, the Senator’s visit to Westland included an opportunity plug-in the first Volt purchased by a Westland Citizen at the new charging station. It was certainly a proud day for the city.

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about our Mission Green Programs, please do not hesitate to contact my office.