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As the result of a $95,000 electronics-recycling grant from the EPA to the Town of Blacksburg (TOB) and the Virginia Tech YMCA in 2005, a very active Sustainable Blacksburg organization was created. A Steering Committee of a diverse group of Blacksburg citizens set up its structure. A Sustainable Blacksburg week, organized by Sustainable Blacksburg, the TOB and Virginia Tech (VT), was held in August 2006, October 2007, October 2008, October 2009 and September 2010 with many events that were well attended.
In 2008 and 2009 Sustainable Blacksburg was led by Pat Bixler with administrative help of Jackie Pontious. In 2010 Bill Claus became the president of the Board of Directors; he established a Core Advisory Group and led in revitalizing the Board of Directors.
David Roper, a retired physics professor at Virginia Tech, and a 24-year-old engineer and Virginia Tech alumnus, Aaron Barr, worked with TOB Counsel member Don Langrehr to get the TOB to join Cool Cities in September to November 2006 TOB meetings, when the TOB Council voted 6-1 to join Cool Cities. Although the Mayor was the lone vote against Cool Cities, he quickly got on board and established an excellent Mayor's Task Force on Climate Protection and Sustainability.
A detailed inventory of the Town's and the community's GWG emissions was done with the help of Urban Affairs and Planning students of Dr. John Randolph and Dr. Damian Pitt at VT. (See also.) A climate action plan based on the GWG-emissions inventory was developed and approved by the TOB Counsel in 2009.
Virginia Tech has adopted a Climate Action Commitment Resolution similar to the TOB plan. (See also.) VT has a very active Office of Sustainability.
All of these events had a large effect on the citizens of the Town of Blacksburg. There is much interest in sustainability and global-warming mitigation here spanning the Virginia Tech, the business community and the citizenry.
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