From an article by Meredith Thorn in the Stevens Point Journal:
Environmental sustainability can be a large concept. But from grants to purchase hybrid buses to a designation of Tree City USA, Stevens Point officials say small steps must be taken when talking about environmental sustainability and saving energy.
“We’ve got to get our feet wet before we jump into the deep end of the pool,” Mayor Andrew Halverson said.
Wednesday marked Earth Day, a day of recognition for the environment that began in 1970 and was founded by Gaylord Nelson, a then U.S. senator from Wisconsin.
With all the talk about carbon footprints, sight is often lost of the simple things that can be done for the environment, such as planting a tree, Halverson said Wednesday at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he spoke at a tree-planting to commemorate Earth Day.
He said it’s about taking small steps that will help the city, which was declared an eco-municipality in June, achieve realistic goals. This can include the planting of trees, but also planting vines on fences, or growing in a denser way, he said. As a city, he said, we’ve go to start somewhere.