Creating An Environmental Sustainability Plan: A How-to Manual for Local Governments
It is easy to become overwhelmed when considering the actions necessary to set our communities and local government operations on a more sustainable path. This path involves not just technical solutions, but also social, economic, health and cultural issues — in short, every area of our lives.
A sustainability plan provides a framework that breaks down the necessary work into manageable pieces. A plan promotes a focus on those elements necessary for effective action, and minimizes the chance of getting lost in less important details.
It is important to stress that a Sustainability Plan is only an instrument used for achieving sustainability goals. A good Sustainability Plan is the first step towards creating a Sustainable City.
The files in this section provide a detailed framework for the process of creating a sustainability plan document. The material is loosely adapted from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Communities program. The manual asks questions necessary for baseline analysis, projections, visioning, goal setting and implementation. It emphasizes community engagement throughout the planning process.
The importance of having a strong community engagement process during the development of a Sustainability Plan cannot be underestimated. Properly executed, a Sustainability Plan built by the community will enjoy the kind of enduring support necessary for implementation of long term goals. This support will also increase the likelihood that the plan and its funding will survive the administration and budgetary upheaval that all cities experience.
Plan updates executed every few years will remind past participants of the importance of the work while recruiting new participants and confirming the original plan goals. Additionally, regular updates are an opportunity to analyze progress and include technology improvements.
