Farmers Branch sustainability committee highlights Texan by Nature, SolSmart and DOE recognitions
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Summary
The Farmers Branch Sustainability Committee on its most recent meeting reported that the city has received several national and regional sustainability recognitions that staff say validate ongoing local conservation and energy work.
The Farmers Branch Sustainability Committee on its most recent meeting reported that the city has received several national and regional sustainability recognitions that staff say validate ongoing local conservation and energy work.
Staff said the city earned a project certification from Texan by Nature and was named one of that nonprofit’s Texan 20 awardees, a selective list the organization compiles from roughly 2,000 reviewed entities to highlight about 20 exemplary conservation efforts. "They evaluated about 2,000 organizations and selected 20; we were the municipal services category," one staff member said.
Committee members also heard that the U.S. Department of Energy–backed SolSmart program granted Farmers Branch a bronze designation for the city’s efforts to reduce permitting and zoning barriers to solar deployment. Staff described the bronze award as recognition that the city has addressed key obstacles; they said the city had submitted materials to pursue higher tiers (silver/gold) but that code and ordinance updates will influence final certification.
The committee discussed how to display the awards; staff proposed hanging plaques in Public Works or the city hall entry. Members welcomed the recognition as momentum for other sustainability priorities the committee is pursuing.
What happens next: staff said they will post the awards internally, pursue additional SolSmart scoring once code updates are enacted, and include the recognitions in outreach and volunteer communications.
