Click here to read Mayor
George Heartwell’s letter to the Editor of Newsweek magazine, which called
Grand Rapids a dying city.
Grand Rapids has been
named the most sustainable midsize city in the U.S. by the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce Civic Leadership Center and Siemens Corp. Chosen over finalist cities
Davenport, Ia., and Hoover, Ala., Grand Rapids received the 2010 Siemens
Sustainable Community Award tonight in Houston. Grand Rapids Mayor George
Heartwell, Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce President Jeanne Englehart and
Amway Corp. Sustainability Program Manager Eric Van Dellen were on hand to
receive the award, which also was set to be announced on the big screen in
Times Square in New York City, Englehart said. "That puts us front and
center as a leader in sustainability," Englehart said.
"It is a strong
affirmation of the work that we’ve been doing in Grand Rapids for the past six
years,"; Heartwell added, "which means we’re organizing the work of
local government around the triple bottom line of economic strength,
environmental stewardship and social equity."