The Town of Vienna has earned “green certification” in the Virginia Municipal League’s 2009 Green Government Challenge, a friendly competition among local governments to encourage reduction of carbon emissions. Awards were presented Oct. 20 at the annual VML conference in Roanoke.

Vienna was one of seven local governments in the state awarded silver certification for achieving scores of between 125 and 149 out of a possible 200 “green points.” In addition to the silver certification award, Vienna received a $2,000 cash award from Moseley Architects and Trane for achieving the second highest green score in the under 15,000 population category.

The Town’s efforts included the Vienna Green Expo, which took place last spring at the Vienna Community Center, where local organizations and businesses provided citizens with information on energy efficiency, purchasing local organic products, creating green gardens, and recycling options. Town employees have also implemented a number of on-the-job green programs such as office paper recycling, use of earth-friendly cleaning products, and purchase of hybrid vehicles. Employees Linnea Fechter, Cathy Salgado, Michael Miller and Matthew Randall make up the “Green Team,” which routinely reviews Town policies and procedures and looks for ways to improve efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of Town operations.