Title: ICLEIs Sustainability Planning Toolkit and Five Milestones for Sustainability
1ICLEIs Sustainability Planning Toolkit and Five
Milestones for Sustainability
- Justus Stewart
- Program Associate
- ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability USA
Jennifer Ewing Project Manager ICLEI - Local
Governments for Sustainability USA
2Background on the Sustainability Planning Toolkit
- Goal
- Create a replicable planning process and model
based on PlaNYC - Objectives
- Develop PlaNYC case study and Sustainability
Planning Toolkit - Pilot guidelines and templates in toolkit with
- New Rochelle, NY
- Newark, NJ
- Miami-Dade County, FL
3How does ICLEI define sustainability?
- Affordability Social Equity (affordable and
workforce housing, poverty, human services and
race and social equity) - Children, Health Safety (community health and
wellness, access to health care, and public
safety) - Education, Arts Community (education
excellence, arts and culture, and civic
engagement and vitality)
Social
Economic
Environmental
- Natural Systems (ecosystems and habitat, water
and stormwater, air quality, waste, and resource
conservation) - Planning Design (land use, transportation and
mobility, and parks, open space and recreation) - Energy Climate (energy, greenhouse gas
emissions and other air pollutants, renewable
energy, and green building)
Sustainable
- Economic Development (clean technologies and
green jobs, local commerce, tourism, and local
food system) - Employment Workforce Training (green job
training, employment and workforce wages, and
youth skills)
4Why develop a sustainability plan?
- Tie together all sustainability initiatives and
programs under an overarching plan - Develop metrics and indicators for measuring
progress - Raise community awareness
- Develop common goals
- Encourage interdepartmental cooperation
5Example policy areas to include in the plan
? Part of plan ?Existing policy
6What to include in a Sustainability Plan
- Facts, charts, and figures
- Goals
- Emissions reductions target (short-term and
long-term) - Transportation, air, water, buildings, open
space, etc. - Initiatives with implementation plans
- Timing, funding, and responsibilities
- Matrix of initiatives and goals
- Short-term initiatives
- Long-term initiatives
- A timeline and framework for monitoring
implementation process and updating the plan - Relationship to other plans
- Planning process
7Key Factors for Success from PlaNYC
- Buy-in from the top
- Central management and coordination for plan
development and implementation - Research and analysis from interdepartmental team
- Aggressive but achievable initiatives
- Guidance from an external advisory board
- Inclusive and transparent planning process
- Annual progress reporting
- Institutionalization of the plan and the planning
process
8When to develop a Climate Action Plan vs. a
Sustainability Plan?
9The ICLEI Five Milestones for Sustainability
Getting Started Make Commitment and Organize Team
Milestone 1 Conduct Sustainability Assessment
Milestone 2Set Sustainability Goals
Milestone 5Monitor/Evaluate Progress
Milestone 3Develop Sustainability Plan
Public Outreach
Milestone 4Implement Sustainability Plan
10Stakeholders Involved in Developing a
Sustainability Plan
Sustainability Team
Sustainability Coordinator
- Coordinate planning process
- Manage writing of the Sustainability Plan
- Coordinate implementation of the Sustainability
Plan
Interdepartmental Team
Sustainability Advisory Board
- Analyze Issues
- Research Best Practices
- Develop goals
- Develop strategies and initiatives
- Participate in topic specific working groups
- Brainstorm high priority issues
- Develop goals
- Input on strategies and initiatives
- Advice on planning process
Sustainability Plan
External Experts (Universities, Consultants etc)
Community Stakeholder Groups
General Public
- Brainstorm high priority issues
- Brainstorm strategies via public outreach process
- Define high priority issues
- Analyze issues and strategies as requested
- Provide supporting data
- Participate in public meetings
- Submit ideas online
11Getting Started Make Commitment and Organize
Team
Start
MS1
MS2
MS5
MS3
MS4
- Designate a Sustainability Coordinator
- Define the vision and purpose for the plan
- Make a commitment obtain chief elected official
buy-in for the plan - Develop a workplan for the planning process and
for public outreach - Organize an interdepartmental team of local
government staff to develop the plan - Gather ideas for the scope of the plan
- Form a Sustainability Advisory Board
- Kick-Off Sustainability Advisory Board meetings
- Launch and publicly announce the planning process
- ICLEI Tools and Templates
- Sample timeline
- Outreach and Public Communication Template
- Sustainability Team Formation Checklist
12Milestone 1 Conduct Sustainability Assessment
Start
MS1
MS2
MS5
MS3
MS4
- Begin to define the scope of the plan
- Inventory existing sustainability initiatives
- Develop a greenhouse gas emissions inventory for
government operations and the community - Gather and analyze data for the Sustainability
Assessment - Gather ideas from key stakeholder groups
- Create a sustainability assessment report
- ICLEI Tools and Templates
- Sustainability Assessment Checklist
- Clean Air Climate Protection (CACP) Software
- Local Government Operations Protocol for
Greenhouse Emissions Gas Inventories - Forecasting Guide (coming soon)
13Milestone 2 Set Sustainability Goals
Start
MS1
MS2
MS5
MS3
MS4
- Define clear, relevant, and measurable goals that
address the key issues identified in the
Sustainability Assessment - Brainstorm and analyze strategies for achieving
goals - Set an emissions reductions target that is
aggressive but achievable - Solicit ideas from the public for sustainability
goals - Announce the goals to the public
- ICLEI Tools and Templates
- Matrix of Sustainability Strategies
- Sustainability and Climate Action Plan examples
- ICLEIs Climate and Air Pollution Planning
Assistant (CAPPA) decision support tool - Target Setting Guide (coming soon)
14Milestone 3 Develop Sustainability Plan
Start
MS1
MS2
MS5
MS3
MS4
- Prepare for public outreach process
- Perform outreach
- Develop and prioritize initiatives
- Develop implementation plans for each measure
- Create outline for the plan
- Write the plan
- Release a draft plan for public comment (if
appropriate) - Finalize and release the plan
- ICLEI Tools and Templates
- Measures Analysis Template
- ICLEIs Climate and Air Pollution Planning
Assistant (CAPPA) decision support tool - Matrix of Sustainability Strategies
- Sustainability Plan Template
- ICLEIs Outreach and Communications Guide
15Milestone 4 Implement the Sustainability Plan
Start
MS1
MS2
MS5
MS3
MS4
- Implement the measures in the plan and track
implementation status - Formalize the planning process
- Coordinate with a coalition of advocacy groups
- ICLEI Tools and Templates
- ICLEIs Action Center and Member Center on the
ICLEI website for a variety of guidebooks, best
practices, and implementation tools. - Revolving Energy Fund Guide
- Solid Waste and Recycling Guide
- Green Playbook Neighborhoods website
- Environmentally Preferrable Purchasing Guide
16Milestone 5 Monitor/Evaluate Implementation
Progress
Start
MS1
MS2
MS5
MS3
MS4
- Develop an Annual Progress Report
- Develop and report on a set of sustainability
indicators - Update the Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- Highlight successes on sustainability plan
website - Keep the sustainability team updated
- ICLEI Tools and Templates
- Sustainability Assessment Checklist
- STAR Community Index
- What to Include in Annual
- Progress Report
- Responsible Parties
- Status of Measures
- Quantified Progress
- Achievements and challenges
- Next steps
17Sustainability Planning Toolkit
- On the ICLEI website at www.icleiusa.org/action-c
enter/planning/sustainability-planning-toolkit - Download or web-based
- Part public and part members-only resource
- Sustainability Planning Resources (download only)
18Questions and comments?
Justus Stewart Program Associate justus.stewart_at_ic
lei.org 206-684-5345
Jennifer Ewing Project Manager jennifer.ewing_at_icle
i.org 212-788-1629