Earth Day in Chesterfield
>Adam White, our regional political director, was with the Governor during his most recent Hometown Day stop—which coincided with Earth Day. Here is his report from the field:
Governor Warner celebrated Earth Day on Tuesday with a Hometown Day visit to Chesterfield, Caroline, and Richmond.The day began with a visit to the Sustainability Park, a business park emphasizing and facilitating eco-friendly companies in Chester. The Governor met with the founders and tenants of the park to discuss the present and future relationships between industry, business, and environment. At the end of the visit, Governor Warner planted a dogwood sapling at the park and promised to use the Sustainability Park as an example of how we can grow our local economies and protect our local environments simultaneously.
Our next stop took us to Beach Station for a lunch with business leaders from Chesterfield County. Beach Station, a recently renovated historical landmark near a former rail hub in Chesterfield, served as a beautiful setting for Governor Warner to meet and speak over 60 local business people.
Next the Governor helped officially break ground at the site of the new Virginia State Fairground in Caroline County. The new fairground is located on the spot where the legendary Secretariat was born, and with such historical significance, it was only appropriate that the Governor broke ground the old fashioned way—a wooden plow pulled by two mules!
To finish out Earth Day, Governor Warner visited a company founded by some of Virginia’s own Darden Business School graduates. They founded Intrinergy in order to help manufacturing companies turn their own waste into gas and electrical energy to be reused in the manufacturing facilities. The fascinating process not only saves the manufacturers money, but it reduces carbon emissions and landfill waste significantly. Intrinergy is just another great example of how industry and environment can co-exist and was a great way to finish Earth Day.
Mark Warner steers a plow as he breaks ground at the new State Fairgrounds in Caroline County, Viriginia.