YMCA becomes Clarksville-Montgomery County Green Certification

Montgomery County, TN – The latest organization to host a Green Ribbon Cutting for becoming Clarksville-Montgomery County Green Certified is the Clarksville YMCA.

Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett, Clarksville Chief of Administration Charlie Gentry and Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce Melinda Shepard were there to congratulate the Clarksville YMCA for their work.

The green ribbon cutting took place as a part of the regularly scheduled YMCA board meeting where Mayor Durrett was asked to speak.

He began the celebration by letting them know that he was proud of them and discussed changes to his own habits towards conservation at work and at home when the Montgomery County Historic Courthouse went through the certification process.

Glenn Nanney, building and grounds property director of the YMCA and leader of the project, explained some of the conservation initiatives they had taken. “We installed industrial sized ceiling fans to bring keep the facility cooler in the summer while the fans are running at a faster pace and warmer in the winter when the fans run slow to push the warm air back down. We are recycling plastic bottles, paper and cardboard. Also, we have installed some occupancy sensors, use landscaping that requires minimal water and started an employee “green” team to help conserve and come up with new ideas for savings.”

O’Bee O’Bryant also commented, “The YMCA has a rich history of serving the community and we are proud to add our conservation efforts as another way to contribute to the community and support the values of the YMCA. Our filtered water stations are saving over 1,580,000 plastic bottles from being sent to the landfill each year. We are sharing the changes we’ve made with other YMCAs in the region to help them save resources as well.”

For more information about the Clarksville YMCA and the benefits of being a member visit www.ymcamidtn.org/clarksville or call 931.647.2376.

If your business is interested in participating in the Green Certification Program, contact Michelle Newell at manewell@mcgtn.net.