DreamMakers Creating Sustainable Communities. Dubuque Iowa – Surprised? So was I!
(This post was published in the Huffington Post on November 21, 2013, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michele-hunt/) Sustainable Dubuque: “The Masterpiece on the Mississippi” , that’s what the people of Dubuque affectionately have named their city, and they have every right and so many reasons to be proud of their community. I was recently invited to keynote the Growing Sustainable Communities Conference in Dubuque. My plan was to give my speech and spend a couple days learning about their sustainable “activities” and “programs”. My condescending attitude was shattered within hours after I arrived. Cindy Steinhauser, the Assistant City Manager, picked me up at the airport and before taking me to my hotel she took me on a city tour. I was tired and even a little annoyed because my trip was full of long lines, long delays and a bumpy flight, so all I wanted to do was check into my hotel and regroup. When Cindy began to weave the compelling story of Dubuque’s Sustainability journe