finishing lines
By Steve Watkins, Photo By Dero Sanford

GREENER ALL THE TIME
As we were thinking about the year ahead a few months back and contemplating the most interesting editorial pieces we could bring to our readers during 2008, it became more obvious to us over time that our local environmental and community “green” initiatives were worthy of some real attention.

Some community leaders have spent the better part of a career and a lifetime thinking about how they can shape the future through their work to help conserve and protect the environment. Others have come on just in recent years to begin making a real impact.

We were fortunate in this issue to benefit from the partnership of two local groups who are undeniably shaping the future of Jonesboro and Northeast Arkansas through their environmental foresight.

I’ll never forget the first time I visited Legacy Landfill. For years I’d been accustomed to taking our unwanted materials to the previous landfill in west Jonesboro. Well managed and directed by a visionary group of volunteer leaders, it was a functional facility, but still a landfill in every respect. It just wasn’t the most pleasant place you’d want to visit on a Saturday afternoon.

About a year ago, I had my first opportunity to visit the new Legacy Landfill. I’d heard it was a real improvement, but it’s still a landfill, right? Actually it’s a sight to see.

I’ll never forget being directed into an enclosed building, environmentally controlled, managers on duty and how quick, easy and painless it was to go through the process. I think I made three more trips that morning. The leadership of Legacy Landfill has created an asset that our community will realize for generations to come.

Brackett and Krennerich Architects have known for years that green design equals good design and over their careers and through their work they have left a real fingerprint on the very way that we see our community.

Just a few of their local projects that have taken green issues into consideration in a major way include the Arkansas Biosciences Institute at Arkansas State University, Liberty Bank, the Jonesboro Central Fire Station and the Laboratory Sciences facility at Arkansas State.

When we drive through our community and get a pleasing feeling from what we see and how we see it we can be thankful to those like Brackett and Krennerich who see the vision for how these things come together.

We think you’ll enjoy this issue and everything it says about our community.

You can always write me at steve@jonesborooccasions.com