Norman touts sustainability in all industries

Mary Norman's goal is to make Springfield more sustainable.

The green initiatives advocate was the featured guest Tuesday morning at the September installment of Springfield Business Journal's "12 People You Need to Know" event at the Clarion Hotel's Newsroom Café.

Norman helped found the Partnership for Sustainability, a partnership between a litany of local government, school, health care and community organizations dedicated to encouraging green practices throughout the area, in 2008.

Even though her position with the partnership has since been eliminated, which she attributed to budget constraints, she said the groups involved - the city, county, City Utilities, Community Foundation of the Ozarks, the city's major universities and the Discovery Center - are looking to make sustainability a lasting issue.

"'Green' came from the whole climate-change issue, and taking care of nature is important," Norman said. "But sustainability is so much broader - it has to do with every aspect of life. How do we sustain our culture? How do we sustain our lives? How do we sustain our businesses?"

She said the best reminder of the concept of sustainability is an old Iroquois saying: "Every decision we make today, we need to think of the impact for 250 years."

Most industries, Norman said, are working toward being more environmentally conscious, but the building trades are leading the way. She said the movement locally is driven by efforts from the city and the county, as well as regulations related to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, which is now a requirement for new city government construction. Other groups working to push green building include the Ozarks Green Building Council and Ozarks GreenScore, a new program that offers free self-tests and site assessments for businesses to rate their sustainability.

Private builders are getting on board as well; Norman mentioned Eko Park, a new apartment complex from Miller O'Reilly Co. on Kansas Expressway featuring a plethora of green construction and energy efficiency features. The facility is holding an open house and grand opening celebration Sept. 24.

And while "green" may at times seem like a catch phrase or fad, Norman said the concept of sustainability is not going away.

"I think we have reached a tipping point globally," she said. "People are tired of feeling that they don't have control, and frankly, it's been my experience that when people feel they're doing sustainable things they feel more empowered."