Green3 Awards Recognizes Cedar Hill’s Initiatives
CEDAR HILL—After a number of eco-friendly initiatives have been woven into the landscape, Cedar Hill is being recognized for its diligence.
Melissa A. Valadez-Cummings, City of Cedar Hill Assistant City Manager, said the city recently received its first award from the North Texas Corporate Recycling Association.
The North Texas Corporate Recycling Association was established over 20 years ago. According to its web site, the organization “Exists to promote recycling and the use of recycled goods to area businesses through leadership, advocacy and education.”
The award was presented during a recent Cedar Hill City Council meeting.
Green Government Center
“This Green3 Award recognizes Cedar Hill for the city’s comprehensive efforts to grow green and in a sustainable way,” said Valadez-Cummings. “It first focused on recognizing Cedar Hill for its leadership and partnership with the school district with the shared Government Center. In addition to that, the renewable energy efforts the city has taken to integrate solar and wind energy, provide electric vehicle charging stations and solar powered trash cans in the building.”
Valadez-Cummings said there are numerous green initiatives in Cedar Hill. Members of the community who wish to learn more about Cedar Hill’s green efforts may even take a Sustainability Self-Guided tour.
One example of a significant green initiative is the July 2011 installation of a Solar PV system on top of the Government Center building. The system, totaling 152.64 kilowatts, works to harness the energy received by the Earth from the Sun.
In June, 2012, the City activated a 4.5 kilowatt wind turbine system located on the south lawn of the Government Center. There are also two Nissan electric vehicles in the city’s fleet and the Government Center offers two electric car charging systems available to the public.
“We have undertaken significant efforts to be a sustainable and [a] green City,” Valadez-Cummings said.
Future Investments
Cedar Hill has always had a nod towards a “green” mindset. Valadez-Cummings pointed out how city leaders believe in tree preservation and insuring that the urban atmosphere can be enjoyed by citizens and tourists alike. She notes that even the name of the city “Cedar” Hill, illustrates a bent toward trees and the environment.
“It’s part of our DNA. We have implemented significant measures to insure that going forward. We understand we are borrowing the city from our children’s future. We need to leave it to them better than when we found it,” she explained.
Looking ahead, the City of Cedar Hill is about to undertake a process to establish the future Sustainability Strategic Plan for the city early in 2017. The idea is that the plan will help to set the stage for the future goals, strategies and initiatives in the future.
“It’s natural for Cedar Hill [to be green] to be honest,” Valadez-Cummings concluded. “Of course, we always want to be sure what we do is environmentally friendly, but also that we have the support from our community and that it makes financial sense. Everything we do needs to make good business sense from all angles.”