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37 people, places and ways to live a greener life, right here in Springfield.
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Working Green
The sign that a movement is picking up steam is when corporate America gets involved. So it is with the green movement. In Springfield, there’s help for everyone from the C-level to the labor pool.
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You won’t find a more eco-minded company than R.B. Murray, a local industrial and retail brokerage firm run by Rob (at right, from left), Ryan and Ross Murray. Their new Terra-Green office complex is a sparkling showcase for their clients. Most refreshing, the guys say sustainable design is more than lip service; it’s good business. “We wanted to show it could be done,” says Ryan. The TerraGreen offices feature a southward facing, advanced glass design that maximizes sunlight in the winter and minimizes it in the summer to reduce energy costs. It also uses advanced building materials (even the area rugs are environmentally friendly) and will eventually connect more than a mile down Blackman Road to the future Jack Henry offices, via a trails and parks system.
The Ozarks Green Building Coalition is an organization of local green builders that held it’s annual FUN-Raiser, a high-energy event featuring raucous green trivia and other activities, in March at the Doubletree Hotel. Green Circle’s Matt O’Reilly—co-founder and hype-man for the group—says the group gave out the first-ever annual green building awards to local organizations and individuals including Habitat For Humanity (Outstanding Green Project) and Springfield Public Schools (Outstanding Achievement in Policy for its LEED standards for Hickory Hills school—above). O’Reilly says the awards will be an annual deal. If you want to nominate someone for next year’s awards, or just get more active with green building in Springfield, check out ozarksgreenbuilding.com.
If it’s of interest to business, there’s probably a conference to talk about it, and the biggest one in Springfield is April 30 and May 1 at MSU’s Plaster Student Union. At the 2009 Ozarks New Energy Conference, you can catch up on the latest trends in green energy and network with experts in the field. This meeting of the minds will explore the possibility of energy independence on a local scale. You can learn the practical ways to go green and save money by retrofitting your home or installing solar and wind generators. Learn more at ozarksnewenergy.org.
