April 2013
| Business World Magazine | 253
nicipal systems, the community has reduced
water consumption by almost 20 percent.
Collectively, despite growth in the commu-
nity, efforts have lowered green house gas
emissions to levels similar to that which ex-
isted more than eight years ago.
BUILDING BUY-IN
Hardin say implementing sustainable prac-
tices quite often comes down to effect behav-
ioral change. As much as the community ad-
ministration knew they would have to lead
by example, their strategy also involved edu-
cating residents and business owners about
things they could do.
Early on, Winston-Salem coordinated
staging of one of the largest green exposi-
tions ever to be conducted, an event that
included workshops and informational
booths that filled some 200,000 square feet
of space at their convention center. The city
also staged workshops throughout residen-
tial neighborhoods, yet went even a step fur-
ther by using grant funds to go directly into
people’s homes and provide free audits that
assessed areas where air might be escaping or
entering through deficient door jams and/or
windows. They also assessed how homeown-
ers were using lighting. In most cases, the
weatherization improvements were minor,
but even small adjustment can lead to big sav-
ings in utility consumption. Volunteers with
the local chapter of the U.S. Green Building
Coalition actually helped in the process, and
with the aid of grants, more than 125 homes
benefitted from weatherization upgrades.
