Balancing financial sufficiency and community sustainability

In today's weak economy utilities are struggling to generate adequate revenues while attempting to respond to their communities' passion to be more "green," conservation-focused, and responsive to other programs that enhance community sustainability. A major part of the solution to this dilemma is for utilities to recognize the challenge, develop an effective solution, and gain community/stakeholder acceptance of the solution. The challenge is for utilities to find innovative ways to generate revenues, lower operational costs, and embrace effective sustainability initiatives. Some leading-edge utilities have gone outside their missions to meet these challenges, selling products and services to increase the revenue stream feeding their organizations. Toledo, Ohio's water utility produces and markets bottled water. Two utilities in South Carolina have found ways to expand their existing business: the Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority in Myrtle Beach provides plumbing services to homes and businesses and the Spartanburg Water System produces and sells ice in its community. Some utilities with large land holdings pump up their bottom line by selling timber. Many utilities are implementing or supporting programs to protect and preserve the environment; others are learning the value of gaining stakeholder acceptance of both creative revenue-generation approaches and community sustainability programs. They've come a long way from the engineering and operations-focused organizations of the past.