City of Missoula | 17 by the effluent from the Waste Water Treatment Plant, eliminating that discharge from the river, and at the appropriate can be harvested and sold for any number of purposes. As Jones says, “This is another example of holistic thinking in our approach to infrastructure improvement.” Missoula is striving to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025, and the City continues to engage in studies and advance in strategies to conserve water, conserve energy and reduce its overall carbon footprint. Jones says the City is supported by a variety of engaged citizens who are equally dedicated to these goals, as well as businesses that have increasingly implemented conservation practices 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 director, and at one of the local breweries, there is buzz involving the potential of harvesting rainwater and repurposing of spent grain in conjunction with new sustainability 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 Engen 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 communities to develop even more programs to promote sustainability. It is anewday inMissoulawhichyet promises 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 orange intensity to rich red and golden yellow, a green hue continues to add color and character to Missoula, a leader among the greatest of America’s greenest communities.
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