City’s ‘sustainability manager’ takes over

Elevating its green reputation, Grand Rapids has announced the creation of a fulltime post designed to improve conservation efforts across the city. Portland, Chicago and other cities known for their commitment to environmental stewardship, already employ similar personnel.

Cortland Overmyer, 55, started as the city’s “sustainability manager” on July 1. He has spent the last 11 years overseeing the city’s environmental services department, handling a variety of tasks like wastewater treatment and air pollution monitoring. Overmyer will squeeze his new responsibilities into his schedule of previous duties, including management of the department’s 130 staff, until a replacement is hired this year.

Once a new director is hired, Overmyer will work independently as the sustainability manager, looking first to build a set of sustainability indicators to regularly track the city’s progress. He said one of the biggest challenges will be to translate a highly technical concept like “sustainable living” into a digestible definition for the general public; something he hopes to accomplish by reinforcing the concept of a stool propped up by the three legs of economic prosperity, environmental integrity and social justice.

Using the city’s sustainability plan (crafted into the 2002 Master Plan) as a starting point, Overmyer will encourage water and energy conservation throughout the city’s operations. He will also help local schools and businesses find ways to reduce waste, pushing for renewable energies, green building and other environmentally-friendly strategies.

Central to this push will be Overmyer’s role as coordinator for the city’s Community Sustainability Partners, a group that has agreed to aggressively pursue sustainable development and operations. Started in 2005, it originally included the City of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Public Schools, Aquinas College, Grand Rapids Community College, and Grand Valley State University, but has since ballooned to nearly 100 partners.

Another major challenge for Overmyer will be to secure various grants and other outside funding for sustainable projects in the city. The city will sign a three-year contract with Earth Tech, Overmyer’s employer, worth about $150,000 a year.

Source: Cortland Overmyer, City of Grand Rapids; http://www.grpartners.org/