As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 the Department of Energy (DOE) awarded 206 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants to local municipalities and tribes across the country, totaling nearly $111 million. Closer to home, the City of Omaha received $4.3 million, and the City’s first step towards using that money was hiring Omaha’s first Sustainability Coordinator, Kristi Wamstad-Evans.

Evans, who was previously the National Sustainable Solutions Program Coordinator at HDR, Inc. (a common supplier of talent for Mayor Suttle), reported to City Hall for her first day on September 8, 2009 and will be paid $70,000 per year for the next three years. One of her primary objectives will be to lead the development of the City’s comprehensive sustainability strategy, which must be submitted to the DOE by November 24, 2009.