Creating an Office of Sustainability: Evanston, IL
Located within the Department of Public Works, the Office of Sustainability is charged with implementing the "eco-friendly" practices that will help the city pursue the primary goals set forth in its strategic plan. The city has made a commitment "to adopting best ecological practices and policies in our government, services and infrastructure."
By engaging and including many stakeholder groups, the City of Evanston was able to reinforce the sense of ownership and participation in creating a sustainable community. This maximized the reach of the sustainability effort and helped galvanize strategic groups and individuals into advocacy for the efforts.
This partnership approach to creating an office of sustainability can be a model for small and large initiatives that hope to actively engage stakeholders. Users may also find this model helpful in showing how to increase the capacity and expertise of staff by collaborating with external stakeholders that may not otherwise readily provide information to sustainability efforts.
