Searcy Energy Smart

April 12, 2013 (vol. 1, no. 1)

We are very excited about being selected as a participant in the Sustainable Energy Scorecards and Education for Municipalities Program.
Searcy Mayor David Morris
Searcy public schools have been recognized for a 34.1 percent reduction in school utility bills, and Searcy smart power strip promotion events have resulted in annual energy savings in excess of 277,000 kilowatt hours. These environmental endeavors have come to form an energy efficiency initiative titled Searcy Energy Smart. On Feb. 28, Searcy Mayor David Morris officially proclaimed the day to be Searcy Energy Smart Day. The kick-off event drew more than 100 residents at the Searcy Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the attendees were informed on actions they can take to conserve power. According to Paul Ford, Entergy Arkansas regional customer service manager and the chairman of the Searcy Energy Smart Committee, Entergy, CenterPoint Energy and the citys recycling center all have programs that can benefit the residential, commercial, and industrial segments of Searcy. This began with a conversation of Mr. Paul Ford and myself about six months ago, said Buck Layne, president of Searcy Regional Chamber of Commerce. He asked if the chamber was interested in partnering with those organizations and work on something to get our chamber board involved with green industry and trying to reduce carbon footprint, save energy and save people money. So I said, Absolutely sure. Ford said the benefits of this program include energy savings both in terms of electricity and natural gas consumption, the corresponding monetary savings that can help with the local economy and the reduction of environmental damage by reducing the carbon footprint as well as environmental benefits achieved through recycling. In addition to the launch of the domestic program, the Applied Sustainability Center at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas has selected Searcy as one of eight cities to participate in its Sustainable Energy Scorecards and Education for Municipalities (SESEM) program. One of the reasons why Searcy was selected was that there was already a wide range of support, Layne said. A number of local businesses agreed to bring in their resources to the table (with two) of them being Mat Faulkner of Think Advertising and Stephen Rose at Larrys Pizza. He also said the timing of the program was right in which it was new for the Searcy communities and that it allowed people to participate where they were not given opportunities before. The Searcy community is very unique and old fashioned in a sense that this neighborhood cares about those who live around you, Rose said. So theres a trend that not just benefitting from what Searcy has to offer, but also giving back is important. Ford said they will also have Speakers Bureau to talk to schools and the students about saving energy at home. Along with these public awareness initiatives, he said the goal of Searcy Smart Energy is to track the reduction in energy consumption and carbon emissions during its first year. Once they establish a baseline of potential savings, they will strive to increase the savings during future years. Chanhee Song

A Publication Of the Harding University Department of Communication