Timm networking to set up green plan

Scott Timm is taking a five-prong approach to his job as Fairfield?s new sustainability coordinator.

During his first month on the job, that approach has meant ?working with schools, working with the religious community, working with the city government, working with businesses and working with community members.?

Networking has been a priority during his first few weeks on the job. Timm has begun contacting the leads and secondary parties responsible for implementing the Fairfield Go Green Strategic Plan. He?s starting to work with business leaders on forming a green business council, and he?s met with school officials about reducing the district?s energy use and implementing green curriculum.

He?s also working with Iowa City?s environmental coordinator on hosting the first meeting of all of Iowa?s sustainability coordinators in Fairfield this month.

?We?re going to get together and do a few presentations and talk shop about the efforts that are going on in town,? Timm said.

Work on the city?s green manual, a provision in the Power Fund grant awarded to Fairfield, is getting under way, and Timm is starting to plan for the energy audit that students of Maharishi University of Management and Indian Hills Community College will help perform in the coming year.

?I think really the main part of my job right now is finding common ground and common themes in sustainability and helping to work with all those different groups to move the plan forward,? Timm said. ?We?re looking at [objectives] that are quick and easy pieces that we can get in place, and then we?re also looking at the long-term pieces.?

Timm said his greatest interest lies with the long-term efforts, including attracting and establishing green businesses in Fairfield, influencing public policy and development and monitoring energy use to identify areas for improvement.

He?s especially excited about working with schools given his background in education. Prior to coming to Fairfield, Timm put his degrees in biology and education to use as teacher and director at a bilingual, environmentally focused school in Costa Rica.

For the full article, see the Friday, Oct. 23, 2009, printed edition of The Fairfield Ledger.