Dumont Plaza was packed Tuesday, which happened to be Earth Day, as the City of Meridian kicked off it's "green" initiative with give-aways, "greening" tips, and the unveiling of the city's plan to "go green."

Wal-Mart was there to give-away free saplings and re-usable shopping goodie bags, Mississippi Power distributed some energy-saving compact-flourescent light bulbs, and many other sponsors were present to give away "green" goodies and information.

Representatives of city, county, and state government spoke to the crowd, which included hundreds of elementary school students from city and private schools, who covered the lawn in front of the stage.

The most informative part of the event occurred when Meridian Mayor John Robert Smith revealed, in a brief speech, some of his plan for the City of Meridian to "go green," or have a "commitment to conservation, environmentalism, efficiency, and cost savings."

Tuesday morning, the mayor issued an executive order requiring all city departments to begin implementing 90 specific "greening" actions, which ranged from having city employees "always speed up gently instead of aggressively" to conserve fuel, to making city departments "paperless," eventually eliminating the use of paper for things like time cards and purchase orders.

Smith said that while some of the "greening" actions, such as using both sides of a piece of paper, can begin immediately, others, like replacing old equipment with Energy Star equipment, will take time and money to implement.

"Today is not a one time deal," Smith said to the crowd. "Today is for real and greening Meridian is here to stay."

The city hopes to lead its residents by example, having city departments do all the small things, like switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs, that people can do at home to reduce their carbon footprint. In that vein, Smith read to the crowd an e-mail from a city employee who said he had saved $100 a month on his power bill by switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs and turning everything off when he wasn't using it.

Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture Lester Spell was also present at the event, and gave a speech thanking the City of Meridian "for providing this great leadership that will catch on all over the state of Mississippi."

Spell said later that, "when (other Mississippi communities) see the cost savings, they'll be quick to follow." He said Meridian's greening plan was a great start, and that once the initial goals have been met, "there are always ways to do even better things."

The plan got a good response from the crowd, many of whom said they plan to follow the city's "greening top 10 tips." However, the large amount of paper being distributed at the event and the lack of recycling bins there was conspicuous. Kat Owen, a local yoga instructor who attended the event, said that she was excited about the green initiative, but that she wondered why the issue of recycling wasn't addressed more thoroughly. Meridian does not have a comprehensive recycling system, and many residents cannot have their recyclables picked up at their homes.

When asked about recycling Smith said that Waste Management, the company that handles the city's trash, has pledged to have "a new, more aggressive, approach to recycling" but did not go into detail.

For a complete list of the city's 90 steps to going green, visit www.meridianstar.com.



The City of Meridian issued to following "greening top 10" tips to residents who want to reduce their carbon footprint:



1. Skip the bottled water. The bottles clog landfills, and the production and transport of them releases CO2 into the atmosphere. Drinking tap water from a re-usable bottle instead will help the environment and save you money, too.

2. Install Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs. This will conserve energy and save you money on your power bill.

3. Avoid ATM receipts. The city reports that these are one of the biggest sources of litter on the planet.

4. Drive Gently. If you brake and accelerate more gently, you can reduce your gasoline costs and your fuel emissions at the same time.

5. Check Tire Pressure. Under-inflated tires reduce gas mileage, and over-inflated tires wear out more quickly.

6. Commit to zero-idling. You can save fuel by turning off your engine instead of idling for long periods of time, especially while waiting in line at a drive-thru.

7. Think when you eat. Avoid using disposable napkins, cups, and plates. If we all gave up one napkin a day, we could save a billion pounds of paper waste a year.

8. Analyze Cleaning Supplies. Cleaning chemicals can pollute local waterways. Try to use cleaning products made from plant-based ingredients, and avoid aerosols whenever possible.

9. Choose Efficiency. Wash clothes in cold water, and purchase energy and water efficient appliances.

10. Recycle and Reuse. Start by reusing this newspaper, which can be used in a compost heap, as mulch, for crafts like paper mache, and is great for cleaning windows without leaving behind fibers or streaks.



More ways to be a "greener" Meridianite that didn't make it to the city's top 10 list include starting a compost heap in your backyard, buying organic foods and products made from recycled materials, turning off lights and unplugging appliances when you're not using them, and always choosing re-usable products over disposable ones.



How Meridian will "Go Green"



• The following are just a few of the things the mayor has asked the City of Meridian to do in order to reduce its carbon footprint. A complete list of the city's 90 "greening" methods is viewable at www.meridianstar.com:

• The new police station and the new ninth grade building at Meridian High School will be built according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, which they must demonstrate sustainability and environmental friendliness to meet. City Hall, an historic building, which is currently undergoing renovation, will be made more environmentally friendly.

• According to Meridian Chief Administrative Officer Ken Storms, new parking lots constructed by the city will be made of brick, which will allow rainwater to absorb into the ground rather than creating run-off.

• The city will eliminate unneeded stop signs and traffic lights, reducing the city's fuel emissions.

• Police Cars will be equipped with energy efficient LED light bars.

• Recycling bins will be placed in every city building.

• City buildings will use compact fluorescent light bulbs.

• All city employees will be given re-usable water bottles so that they can drink city tap water rather than creating more trash by buying water in disposable bottles.