MAYOR ISSUES ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY EXECUTIVE ORDER
Appoints committee, staffer to work on environmental initiatives
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 19, 2008) -Mayor Karl Dean today announced the appointment of a Green Ribbon Committee and an environmental sustainability manager to further develop and implement environmental policy for Metro Government.
The appointments were made through Executive Order. The committee will be chaired by President of Lipscomb University Randy Lowry and Chairman of Ingram Industries Inc. John Ingram. Jenna Smith, a long-time Metro employee, will serve as the environmental sustainability manager in the Mayor’s Office.
“Nashville needs to be a leading city for sustainable living with clean air, clean water and plenty of preserved open space. This is important for the livability of our city for current residents and for our future economic growth. Businesses and individuals are attracted to cities with strong environmental practices and transportation options,” Dean said.
“Jenna and all of the members of the Green Ribbon Committee bring to the table unique expertise in these areas. I look forward to working with each of them.”
The Green Ribbon Committee will seek community input as it develops actions for improving environmental practices throughout Nashville. Starting today, Nashville residents can share their ideas through an online survey at www.nashville.gov/mayor/green_ribbon.
Lowry and Ingram will lead the committee’s efforts. Lowry, in addition to serving as president of Lipscomb, is the founder of Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law. He also is an annual visiting professor at the Environmental Law Center at Vermont Law School, a nationally recognized leader in environmental law and policy programs.
“I am honored to be working with this new forward thinking group as we develop a plan for the city to put sustainability into practice. These issues impact the way all of us live, work and do business. I am happy to be involved in this community process,” Lowry said.
In addition to serving as chairman of Ingram Industries Inc. Board of Directors, Ingram is chairman of the Ingram Content Companies and a member of the Ingram Micro Board of Directors.
Both Ingram and Lowry also are members of the Nashville’s Agenda Steering Committee, which led a citywide effort last year that identified, among other issues, the need to make Nashville a “greener” city.
“Over the years I've had a growing personal interest in environmental issues and my family has always believed that you should be willing to do it yourself and be willing to help others do it when something needed to be done. I'm glad to be a part of this community effort,” Ingram said.
Smith will serve as staff support for the committee and ensure policies resulting from their recommendations are implemented with measured results throughout Metro Government.
Smith has been a Metro employee since 1992, most recently overseeing waste and recycling policies for Public Works. She has worked to expand recycling throughout Davidson County, including Metro schools.
The appointments follow several environmental initiatives already underway by Dean. In conjunction with Earth Day in April, the mayor announced the expansion of Metro’s in-house recycling program, funding for Metro employees to ride MTA, thermostat and no-idling policies, and a policy to replace all incandescent light bulbs in Metro facilities with compact fluorescent bulbs.
Green Ribbon Committee
Co-chairs:
John Ingram, Chairman of Ingram Industries Inc.
Randy Lowry, President of Lipscomb University
Members:
Alicia Batson, M.D., Owner and Market Grower of Hungry Gnome Farm
Michael Blosser, Vice President of Environmental Health and Safety for Louisiana Pacific
Linda Breggin, Senior Attorney and Director of Southeast Environmental Programs for the Environmental Law Institute
Laurel Creech, Director of Team Green
Anne Davis, Chair of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Environment
Gary Gaston, Associate Design Director of Nashville Civic Design Center
Tom Hardin, Retired, Resident of Historic Edgefield
Doug Hausken, Executive Director of Cumberland River Compact
Jennifer Hagan-Dier, Assistant Commissioner of the State Department of Revenue
Lawrence Jackson, Retired, President and CEO of Global Procurement for Wal-Mart
Ellen Jacobson, Dermatologist, Skin MD
Decosta Jenkins, President and CEO of Nashville Electric Service
Skip Lawrence, Chief Managing Officer of Lawrence Bros LLC
Bert Mathews, President of The Mathews Co.
Diane Miller Mulloy, President of Milagro Biofuels
Diane Neighbors, Vice Mayor of Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County
Jean Nelson, President and Executive Director of Land Trust for Tennessee
Mike Pearigen, Attorney with Farmer and Luna PLLC
Dave Pelton, President of Trust for the Future
Greer Tidwell, Director of Environmental Management for Bridgestone North America
Steve Turner, Principal of MarketStreet Enterprises
David Williams, Vice Chancellor for University Affairs and Athletics, General Counsel, Secretary of the University and Professor of Law for Vanderbilt University
Tiffany Wilmot, President of Wilmot Inc.
For media inquiries contact:
Bonna Johnson
615-862-6461
bonna.johnson@nashville.gov