Bowling Green Praised for Energy Retrofitting, Green Job Creation

The Obama Administration is pointing to the success of federal spending in thirteen rural communities, including Bowling Green. The Warren County city was used as a case study in a recent report released by the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, which includes input from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.The report outlines the ways Bowling Green used nearly $1.3 million in funding from the U.S. office of Housing and Urban Development to install energy efficient windows in public housing units. The city also used the money and partnerships with state organizations to connect low-income families with green jobs and environmental education.The report found that Bowling Green leveraged the money into an increase of 30 percent in the area’s colleges and trade schools since 2008, mainly due to green job training. Energy retrofitting of public housing also kept energy costs low for low-income residents and helped them stay in the community.