Sustainability Basicso sus·tain·a·bil·i·ty adj \sə-ˈstā-nə-bil-ə-tē\: The long-term

maintenance of well being, which has economic, social and environmental dimensions and encompasses the concept of stewardship, the responsible management of resource use. 

o Sustainability is related to the quality of life in a community -- whether the economic, social and environmental systems that make up the community are providing a healthy, productive, meaningful life for all community residents, present and future.

Green Team MeetingWednesday, June 18, 2014

More Sustainability Basics

How has the quality of life in Grand Forks changed over the last 20 or 40 years?

How has it changed economically?Are there fewer or more good-paying jobs -- are people working more and earning less or are most people living well?Is there more or less poverty and homelessness?Is it easier or harder for people to find homes that they can afford?

How has it changed socially?Is there less or more crime?Are people less or more willing to volunteer?Are fewer or more people running for public office or working on community boards?

How has it changed environmentally?Has air quality in the urban areas gotten better or worse?Are there more or fewer warnings about eating fish caught in local streams?Has the water quality gotten better or worse?

• To act sustainably is to balance economic/fiscal, social and environmental aims with the need to use resources efficiently.

• Sustainability is not an end goal but a journey that governments take to improve the quality of life in their jurisdictions.

• Grand Forks made a commitment to that journey in 2007 when Mayor Michael Brown launched the Green3 Grand Forks Program.

• Since that time multiple sustainability efforts have been completed and/or are in progress throughout the community.

• The next step is creation of a sustainability strategy  and Action Plan that ties local sustainability policies to community programs and actions. 

Key Activities/Accomplishments of the GF Sustainability Program Green Team establishedGreenhouse Gas Inventory for City government completed for baseline year of 2007Green3 Action Plan PublishedEnergy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) awarded Energy audits of City-owned buildings completed Building EE effort initiated and ongoingPreliminary Sustainability reporting formats and criteria developed and updates published

What Now???

Mandate in Mayor’s 2014 State of the City Address - bring forward a plan later this year to better communicate, track, and report our successes in sustainable actions.

Green Team To Do List: Finalize the draft Sustainability StrategyRe-create an Action PlanTrack IndicatorsCommunicate and Report results

The components of a Sustainability Strategy are:o Sustainability Missiono List of Sustainability Areas to be addressedo Goals o Targets for Improvement/Sustainabilityo Actions to be taken with timeline and parties involvedo Metrics or Indicators to help measure how we are

doing 

These 4 items when grouped are frequently referred to as an Action Plan.

Sustainability MissionTo encourage sustainability through leadership and partnership.List of Sustainability Areas to be addressed

OursBuildings & Facilities Transportation Economic Development Waste Reduction & Recycling

Community Engagement

Healthy Living Land Use Water Use & Quality Climate Change & Urban Forestry

OthersTransportation

Land Use Planning

Open Space Protection

Energy, Air Quality & Climate

Water Supply, Stormwater & Wastewater

Solid Waste & Recycling

Climate Change

Any Changes???

Targets or Goals for Improvement/Sustainabilityhttp://grandforksgreenteam.weebly.com/sustainability-targets---working-version.htmlActions to be taken with timeline and parties involvedSee Weebly Website above

Here is where we got a bit off track…Our Targets are really a combination of Goals and Targets…..

So let’s Regroup……

Definitions Goals - overarching statements that communicate a long-term vision.

Targets - determine a course of action to achieve a goal. A target is a measurable short-term objective or a tool to inform decision-making that helps further progress toward a goal.

Actions - an implementation tool or step to reach a target.

Indicators - used to measure progress toward meeting both targets and larger, overarching goals. Indicators track the effectiveness of actions, and over time reveal whether the City is moving towards greater sustainability.

Example: Buildings & TransportationGoal – Reduce energy and fuel related expenses and associated green house gas emissions for City facilities and vehicles.

Target – Reduce electricity and gas usage in City owned-occupied buildings by 10% by 2020 from the 2012 baseline year.

Action – Monitor and report energy use, energy efficiency and conservation measures, associated costs and savings, building performance and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with City facilities and functions. Each specific building/facility/function will have a responsible person, the building manager, who will perform this task. This monitoring and reporting will be accomplished on a monthly basis using identical methods and software. The coordination of this data will be done through the Sustainability Coordinator office. Specific energy efficiency and conservation measures will be established for each building individually and then translating into how they affect the other measurable items.

Indicator – Energy Star ratings through EPA Portfolio Manager.

Categories of Quality of Life Indicators related to Natural ConditionsHousehold Economic ConditionAdequate Income and Job OpportunitiesHousing Affordability and Home Value ProtectionHealthAir, Water, and Land PollutionSafety (Food, Personal)Natural Resources and AmenitiesForestry, Fisheries, and TourismOpen Space, Parks, and Recreation OptionsVibrant CommunityAttracts BusinessesAttracts Retirees

Characteristics of effective indicatorsAn indicator is something that points to an issue or condition. Its purpose is to show you how well a system is working. If there is a problem, an indicator can help you determine what direction to take to address the issue. Indicators are as varied as the types of systems they monitor. However, there are certain characteristics that effective indicators have in common:Effective indicators are relevant; they show you something about the system that you need to know.Effective indicators are easy to understand, even by people who are not experts.Effective indicators are reliable; you can trust the information that the indicator is providing.Lastly, effective indicators are based on accessible data; the information is available or can be gathered while there is still time to act.

Indicatorshttp://green3gf.weebly.com/

We definitely need to reevaluate our Indicators.

What do we need to do?1.Determine Sustainability Areas2.Separate and reevaluate the current Targets into Goals and Targets3.Add Goals and Targets as needed4.Review Actions and update as needed5.Evaluate Indicators