The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) and Siemens Corporation  announced the nine communities that have been selected as finalists for the fifth annual Siemens Sustainable Community Awards.  The finalists from across the country represent outstanding communities dedicated to improving their overall sustainability through impactful environmental, economic, and social solutions.

“American communities are hotbeds of social and environmental innovation,” said BCLC Founder and Executive Director Stephen Jordan.  “We received applications from 40 states across the country for this year’s Siemens Sustainable Community Awards.  The nine finalists who have made it this far deserve a lot of credit for their accomplishments and the positive impact they have

The 2012 Siemens Sustainable Community Award finalists are:

·        Large Community — Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Las Vegas, NV

·        Mid-Size Community — Jersey City, NJ; Riverside, CA; Santa Monica, CA

·        Small Community — Middleton, WI; Purcellville, VA; River Falls, WI

A panel of five business, environmental, and community development experts selected the finalists from more than 135 applicants.  This year’s judges were: Amy Chan, City of San Jose, winner of the 2011 Siemens Sustainable Community Award Large Size Community category; Joel Makower, Chairman and Executive Editor, GreenBiz.com <http://www.greenbiz.com/> ; Dan Nadenicek, Dean, University of Georgia College of Environment and Design; Michael Schmitz, Executive Director, International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives USA (ICLEI USA); and Tom Wright, Executive Director, Regional Plan Association (RPA).

“More and more cities are realizing that sustainability initiatives are important levers for economic growth and competitiveness today,” observed Alison Taylor, Siemens’ Chief Sustainability Officer for the Americas.  “People and businesses want to grow in sustainable environments, and the cities are now working hard to provide this,” she explained.   

Profiles of each finalist community, as well as judges’ biographies, are available on the Siemens Sustainable Community Awards website <http://bclc.uschamber.com/sustainablecommunityawards> .  The winner in each category will be announced at a reception on April 17, 2012 during BCLC’s 2012 National Conference <http://bclc.uschamber.com/event/2012-national-conference-forecast-corporate-citizenship-and-america%E2%80%99s-future> ,  in Atlanta, GA.