City of Missoula | 17
by the effluent from the Waste Water Treat-
ment Plant, eliminating that discharge from
the river, and at the appropriate can be har-
vested and sold for any number of purposes.
As Jones says, “This is another example of
holistic thinking in our approach to infra-
structure improvement.”
Missoula is striving to achieve carbon
neutrality by 2025, and the City continues
to engage in studies and advance in strate-
gies to conserve water, conserve energy and
reduce its overall carbon footprint. Jones
says the City is supported by a variety of en-
gaged citizens who are equally dedicated to
these goals, as well as businesses that have in-
creasingly implemented conservation prac-
tices within their operational bases. Such
examples can be found at the University of
Montana, or at St. Patrick Hospital which
recently appointed a new sustainability di-
rector, and at one of the local breweries,
there is buzz involving the potential of har-
vesting rainwater and repurposing of spent
grain in conjunction with new sustainabil-
ity practices in brewing processes. These are
just a few of the examples, but as Jones says,
“None of us can do this alone. We’ve created
a network which is helping us communicate
what we can only do by working together...
that’s how it works in Missoula.”
And with respect to working, Mayor En-
gen says the projects that have taken place,
as well as those that will come, are helping
to create new jobs and helping the city to
achieve savings, allowing public dollars to
be directed for purposes other than paying
utility bills. He also notes that Missoula is
looking beyond its own municipal borders
to partner with the County and other com-
munities to develop even more programs to
promote sustainability.
It is anewday inMissoulawhichyet prom-
ises even greater days ahead. And at night,
the stars can be seen shining as splendiferous
as that sunlight which sparkles on the ripples
of the Clark Fork River. When hiking a trail
or bike riding along a mountain trail, one is
more likely to discern the aroma of pine as
opposed to those vanquished smoke stacks,
and when the fall foliage fosters shades of or-
ange intensity to rich red and golden yellow,
a green hue continues to add color and char-
acter to Missoula, a leader among the great-
est of America’s greenest communities.
