While Hollywood has recently made going green more fashionable, Branson has had a sustainability mentality for the past 100 years.
Even as the small town grew into an entertainment and recreation destination for 7 million annual visitors, community and business leaders stayed focused on the triple bottom line – people, planet and prosperity.
Sustainability is nothing new in Branson. For nearly 20 years, the city of Branson has kept a full-time environmental specialist on board.
Big Cedar’s Wilderness Club alone recycled 27 tons of materials in 2009, and Silver Dollar City has recycled 2,800 tons in the past 18 years. The amusement park also replaced 3,400 lights with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs, resulting in annual energy savings of $40,000.
Clearly, Branson was green before it was cool.
Last year, Branson City Administrator Dean Kruithof launched the city’s Sustainability Council, appointing representatives from every city department in an effort to initiate the best possible ideas and outcomes as city government leads the way to sustainability by example.
The Branson Board of Aldermen recently voted to take the first legal step toward changing how residential solid waste is handled in the city limits. This would include providing curbside recycling for our citizens.
Other ideas being explored:
• Having Branson water and wastewater treatment plants participate in an Environmental Protection Agency pilot program to reduce overall power consumption, as these plants consume more electricity in municipalities – to the tune of just less than $1 million in Branson.
• Recycling aluminum signs the city uses to direct visitors.
• Adding incentives in the planning department to encourage developers to pursue Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design standards and make less impact on the landscape.
• Transitioning the Police Department to an enhanced electronic reporting system, which would eliminate more than 100,000 sheets of paper a year.
• Researching digital plan review for city engineering and mapping, which would substantially reduce hard copies.
These are just a few of the ideas; the full bulleted list is four pages long.
In the meantime, the city continues to pursue sustainability.
The mayor and board hosted a four-part series on sustainability earlier this year, and sent city representatives to the first national Green Cities convention in Portland, Ore., to bring other initiatives home.
On April 30, the 2010 Green Initiatives Award winners will be named, joining 2009’s inaugural winners: Hollister R-V School District, Tantone Industries Inc., Mazzio’s Italian Eatery, Myer Hotels and Cooper Creek Resort.
Also this year, the city of Branson will share in a $175,000 federal grant received by Taney County to reduce energy use and costs.
Branson will receive $119,000 – $59,000 in grant funding, and the remainder as in-kind labor – for installation, equipment and projected energy savings related to upgrading to energy-efficient fixtures at City Hall, the Branson RecPlex and the water tower, which also houses city offices.
It’s not just city government that’s making sustainable strides. Myer Hotels was recognized by the Missouri Hotel and Lodging Association as having three of the first five Certified Green Hotels in the state. The company recycles all products and installed thermostats with sensors that adjust the temperature when rooms are empty. It also uses low-flow aerator faucets and showers, offers eco-friendly linen and towel replacement options for guests and reuses laundry detergent containers to grow trees and seedlings.
Both Hilton Hotel properties in Branson, as well as the Branson Convention Center, are certified green by the association, too. Those facilities’ efforts entail co-mingled recycling, and Hilton also uses environmentally friendly cleaning products and tracks utility consumption and solid waste generation each month companywide.
Jaspers Events, owned by Jaspers Family Hotels Inc., will showcase four large events with a new green living program that pairs sustainability interests with an all-inclusive weekend in Branson.
The Going to Seed weekend, Aug. 19–22, will include Joel Salatin, a nationally known, third-generation alternative farmer. Details are at www.visitmonow.com.
And the Tri-Lakes Board of Realtors has formed Realtors for Green Living, which offers a green living class for its members and the public.
It’s springtime, and Branson is getting greener than ever.
Mona Menezes is an environmental specialist with the city of Branson. She may be reached at mmenezes@bransonmo.gov.
