Sustainability Policies and Best Practices

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  1. Dubuque to Host 6th Annual Sustainability Conference

    DUBUQUE, Iowa – Three women who have helped community leaders and some of the world’s most successful companies plot a course toward a more sustainable future will deliver keynote addresses at the 6th annual Growing Sustainable Communities Conference Sept. 24-25 at the Grand River Center in Dubuque. Michele Hunt, founder of Vision & Values, a leadership consulting firm based in Washington D.C., will share her thoughts on The Power of Visionary Leadership, which she defines as leaders who put vision and values to work to achieve extraordinary success. Hunt is a strategic advisor on leadership, team and organizational development, cultural transformation and communications. She is known internationally for her work helping leaders develop strong, cohesive leadership teams to enable them to create high-performance, high‐energy organizations. Read more about Michele Hunt.

  2. Buffalo 'Green Code' to Replace City's 60-Year-Old UDO

    BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Two years in the making, Buffalo’s new Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) – dubbed the Buffalo Green Code – is about to be unveiled. In a bold and daunting initiative, the city decided in 2010 to completely scrap its 60-year-old development code and rebuild it from the ground up, using a New Urbanism model steeped in smart-growth development principles, green infrastructure, clean energy and sustainability best practices. Working with consulting company Camiros, Ltd., urban design company Goody Clancy and more than 5,000 citizens over the past two years, the city has refined the draft ordinance that officials hope to adopt by the end of the year.

  3. Will Vegas be the First ‘Net-Zero’ City in America?

    If you’re one of those people who think the glitter of Tinseltown will never last, Tom Perrigo has some news for you. “Las Vegas will be around for hundreds of years.”

  4. Planning for an Aging America

    “I hope I die before I get old…” That line from Pete Townsend's iconic rock and roll anthem, “My Generation,” might have helped American baby boomers break free from the shackles of a repressive establishment in 1965, but it’s evident today that not many of them got their wish.

  5. Best Practices for Land Use Planning in Coastal Communities

    Since 1932 the Mississippi River delta in south Louisiana has lost 2,300 square miles of land. Every hour it loses the equivalent of a football field to erosion, subsidence and the rising sea. As the water closes in on the two million people who live and work there, urban planners are busy grappling with a looming crisis. How will humans continue to thrive in a place that is literally sinking beneath their feet?

  6. The Top 20 Biggest Placemaking Mistakes

    A group of urban planners literally sang and danced their way through a presentation that identified the 20 biggest placemaking mistakes and the top 10 tools for making places great. No, we are not kidding.

  7. Conspiracy Theorists Fear Loss of Control

    According to the United Nations, sustainable development is a “mode of human development in which resource use aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come.” Yet according to conservative talk show host and commentator Glenn Beck, “sustainable development means centralized control over all of human life on planet earth.”

  8. Resilience and Adaptation Key Topics in 2013 Conferences

    The 2013 sustainability conference season is in full swing, starting with this week’s New Partners for Smart Growth Conference in Kansas City. After a year of devastating storms, droughts and wildfires, it’s no surprise that resilience and climate-change adaptation are reoccurring themes at many of the upcoming events. Get out your calendar; chances are there’s a conference, forum or symposium coming to a city near you. If not, you’ll also find a variety of online training opportunities you can attend live or download for later viewing.

  9. STRONG Act Prepares Local Communities for Extreme Weather

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy, Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today introduced legislation to strengthen existing extreme weather resiliency efforts. The legislation would provide state and local governments with the tools and information they need to develop and improve local infrastructure in an effort to better manage and withstand extreme weather in the short and long term.

  10. Leading Change Toward Sustainability

    You'd think Michael Mucha would be crowing a little more about the progress his wastewater district is making toward energy independence, but that success has come only after learning a lot of lessons the hard way. Leading in sustainability, he says, requires more than just a vision and a plan. The hard work is in developing trust, relationships, and collaboration among friends - friends that might include people who don't share your vision and don't like your plan.

  11. Sustainability Planning in Newport News

    Plant 100,000 trees. Replace conventional traffic lights with LEDs. Convert a fleet to run on alternative fuels. Attract clean tech jobs. Build more parks. Go paperless. Each initiative can be carried out separately, but local governments are finding it useful to approach them together through a broadly defined sustainability plan.

  12. Environmental Programmatic Permitting Saves Oregon DOT $73M

    Oregon is famous for clear streams, towering trees, abundant fish and stunning views. Permits, statutes, laws and regulations are the tools that keep these scenic fixtures and enviable habitats safe and intact. Fourteen of them applied to construction on the OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program, administered by 11 state and federal regulatory agencies that had a valid say in our work. Individual projects could perhaps afford to wait the six to nine months usually required to apply for and receive permits from each agency in succession. But for a program with hundreds of bridges, such a process might have taken 50 years — and we needed to get the job done in one fifth that time.

  13. Water Leak Detection System Finds Bubbling 'Spring' in PA Borough

    PITTSBURGH, Penn. -- Monaca Borough Manager Mario N. Leone Jr. likes to tell the story of the old spring on the 14th Street hill. At least, everyone thought it was a spring until the day it showed up on the borough’s new leak detection system as—just that—a leak. Leone says the “spring” had stayed underground in a sandstone formation until the day he and other officials found out it was leaking as much as 200,000 gallons a day, which is about one-third of the 600,000 gallons the borough normally pumps each day to residents on its system.

  14. Sustainability Conference Focuses on Water, Energy and Transportation

    ROHNERT PARK, Calif. -- More than 100 municipal government leaders and staff representing 40 Western jurisdictions will be on hand for the Growing Sustainable Communities Conference - Western Region next week. Late registrations are still being accepted at http://gscwest.com.

  15. HUD Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities

    Having drawn a funding goose egg in fiscal year 2012, the Obama administration's Sustainable Communities Initiative is going back to the well for 2013, asking for $100 million to restore two popular sustainability grant programs. The mission of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities (OSHC) is to create strong, sustainable communities by connecting housing to jobs, fostering local innovation, and helping to build a clean energy economy.

  16. Sustainability Metrics for Municipalities

    DUBUQUE, Iowa - A unique partnership between a Big Ten university and this Midwestern town of 58,000 has developed a set of sustainability metrics that might be a good place to start for any community. Acknowledging that each city has its own set of unique circumstances, Cori Burbach, sustainable community coordinator for the city of Dubuque, said a group of graduate students from the University of Iowa’s School of Urban and Regional Planning has put a lot of research into measuring sustainability, and the lessons learned could apply almost anywhere.

  17. Sustainability Concepts are 'Cutting-Edge' at California Conference

    ROHNERT PARK, Calif. - The Growing Sustainable Communities Conference – Western Region, scheduled for May 2-3 in Sonoma County California, will feature sessions on some of the most cutting-edge concepts in sustainability for local governments, particularly for those on the West Coast. Community choice aggregation, climate adaptation planning, neighborhood-scale water reuse systems, sustainable energy utilities and advanced urban water conservation techniques are just some of the topical programming sessions on the agenda for the May 3 general conference. Four concurrent tracks in water, transportation, energy and resource management will round-out the educational programming, and a variety of networking sessions and roundtable discussions will also be held at the conference. A pre-conference legislative roundtable for California local government officials and senior staff will be held at a separate location on the afternoon of May 2.

  18. West Coast Conference to Develop Federal Agenda for Sustainability

    SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. - Municipal leaders and legislators will meet in the heart of wine country on May 2 and 3 to learn best practices in sustainability and develop a 2012 federal sustainability agenda. The Growing Sustainable Communities Conference, Western Region, will feature four tracks of educational sessions for municipal government professionals and elected officials on Thursday, May 3 at the Double Tree Hotel in Rohnert Park. The general conference will be preceded by a special, half-day legislative roundtable for top leadership, and an evening networking reception for all conference and roundtable attendees at the St. Francis Winery and Vineyards on May 2 (transportation will be provided from the hotel).

  19. Citizen Action Groups Help Leaders Form Energy Policy

    MADISON, Wis. - Can local governments work together with citizen action groups to effectively transition America away from reliance on fossil fuels? The answer in Wisconsin and Colorado seems to be yes. Members of Wisconsin's renewable energy industry convened in Madison for the RENEW Wisconsin Energy Policy Summit last week. The diverse crowd of renewable energy manufacturers, installers, state utilities, environmental advocacy groups, university representatives, and government officials, including Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and Madison Mayor Paul Soglin, came together to focus their efforts on retaking the initiative in the fight for a more sustainable energy future for Wisconsin.

  20. Corporate Sustainability: Selling the Sizzle

    Some might call it "greenwashing," but others say sustainability can be an important public relations and marketing tool that can justifiably be used to enhance a company's image and reputation - even in an industry that hasn't been proud of its environmental record in the past. Stewart Leeth should know. In the late 1990s Leeth, who was an assistant attorney general for the State of Virginia at the time, helped prosecute Smithfield Foods for violations of state and federal environmental regulations. In 1997, accused of releasing millions of gallons of untreated hog manure into rivers and streams, the world's largest pork producer was fined $12.6 million for violating the U.S. Clean Water Act, the third largest civil penalty levied under the act. The company has also been the target of animal welfare activists concerned about the way pigs have been treated at its farms and processing facilities in the U.S. and around the world.

  21. IBM Exec Says Smart Systems Will Transform Our World

    DUBUQUE, Iowa -- IBM executive Dr. Mahmoud Naghshineh, Ph.D., says supercomputers have only just begun to change our lives in dramatic ways. As the technology gets smaller and less expensive, the artificial intelligence that now powers the most elaborate applications might "fit in the palm of your hand within three decades." "What then?" he asked an audience of municipal leaders and business professionals at the Growing Sustainable Communities Conference in Dubuque last Wednesday. "When you have computing power of that magnitude in the palm of your hands, what are the applications? We think what you can apply to a system like this is just limitless."

  22. IBM’s Naghshineh to Deliver Keynote at Growing Sustainable Communities Conference

    DUBUQUE, Iowa - Dr. Mahmoud Naghshineh, vice president of services research at IBM Watson Research and director of the IBM Services Innovation Lab, will present the luncheon keynote address at the fourth annual Growing Sustainable Communities Conference, Oct. 12 in Dubuque. The conference's morning keynote address will be given by D. Michael Mucha, chief engineer and director of the Madison, Wis., Metropolitan Sewerage District and chairman of the American Public Works Association's Center for Sustainability. The conference, held at the Grand River Center in the Port of Dubuque, 500 Bell St., will feature four tracks of educational sessions for municipal government professionals and business leaders. Attendees may register online now at www.GSCDubuque.com. Special "early bird" pricing is available for a limited time. Students may also attend, and the first 100 to register will be admitted free.

  23. New Institute Establishes Sustainable Infrastructure Guidelines

    The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI), Washington, D.C., is a new, non-profit and independent group developing and overseeing a comprehensive sustainability rating system for North American infrastructure, currently covered by almost 1,000 separate state and federal rating systems and/or guidelines. The goal of ISI is to do for infrastructure - roads, bridges, power plants, sewage treatment facilities, airports, dams, etc. - what the U.S. Green Building Council's voluntary, third-party verification LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Demand) system has been doing for commercial, institutional and residential buildings since 2000.

  24. APWA Congress & Expo Slated for Sept. 18-21 in Denver

    For more than 100 years, the APWA International Public Works Congress & Exposition has drawn thousands of public works professionals from all over the world. This year will be no exception. The early-bird registration deadline for the 2011 congress in Denver has been extended until Aug. 8 to accommodate those on a fiscal year budget cycle. The early bird registration saves qualified attendees $50 over the regular admission price.

  25. Public Works Pros Talk Sustainability at National Conference

    PORTLAND, Ore. - Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and American Public Works Association president George Crombie opened the third annual APWA Sustainability in Public Works Conference in Portland Tuesday by encouraging attendees to build consensus and develop partnerships to address the nation's looming environmental and economic challenges. Blumenauer described the contentious atmosphere in Washington as "the clash of two diametrically opposed world views" - one that believes government regulation has gone too far, and another that believes it hasn't gone far enough. Both views, he said, are equally earnest and sincere, but the result has been near gridlock in Congress, stalling reaction to important issues like climate change, the economic recovery and America's deteriorating infrastructure.

  26. Albany Planners Engage Citizens in Creative Ways

    Sarah Reginelli says urban planners should put down their "tool kits" and pick up their tackle boxes when engaging citizens in comprehensive planning. "With tools, you're doing different jobs," she said. "With fishing, you're doing the same job - fishing; you're just trying to catch different kinds of fish, so you need different types of lures."

Policy Product Announcements

Tuesday 09/25/2012
EPA Releases Guide for Local Government on Resource Conservation
Posted: September 25, 2012

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a new climate and energy strategy guide for local governments, titled Resource Conservation and Recovery: A Guide to Developing and Implementing Greenhouse Gas Reduction Programs.

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Wednesday 11/30/2011
First Book to Help Planners Develop Climate Action Plans
Updated: November 30, 2011 - 8:43 am

WASHINGTON -- As more communities begin addressing the need to reduce energy consumption, a new set of tools will be required to inform that process.

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Tuesday 10/04/2011
Cradle to Cradle Certified Products Contribute LEED Points
Posted: October 04, 2011

TORONTO -- McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry announced that Cradle to Cradle Certified products are now eligible for an additional point in the LEED certification.

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Tuesday 08/09/2011
New Energy Star Initiative Recognizes Cutting-Edge Products
Updated: August 09, 2011 - 9:35 pm

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy are releasing for the first time products recognized as the most energy-efficient in their categories among those that have earned the Energy Star label. This pilot program is part of Energy Star's overall commitment to protect people's health and the environment by encouraging energy efficiency. The "Most Efficient" initiative also continues Energy Star's work to provide consumers with the best efficiency information so they can make investments that will lower their energy bills and environmental impact. The new designation of "Most Efficient" aims to provide all manufacturers with an incentive for greater product energy efficiency while providing consumers new information about the products that comprise the top tier in the categories.

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Thursday 04/28/2011
Local Government Automation Solution Available in the Cloud
Updated: April 28, 2011 - 8:26 pm

POULSBO, Wash. -- Paladin Data Systems introduced Paladin SMARTGov Community, the first community development and land use automation solution for cities and counties that is available for deployment in the Microsoft Windows Azure cloud. By streamlining, automating and expediting permitting, planning, inspections, code enforcement and citizen request activities, SMARTGov Community enables local governments to better serve citizens, reduce costs and increase transparency.

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Project Portfolio Management and Automated Web Publishing Service
Updated: April 28, 2011 - 7:57 pm

POULSBO, Wash. -- Paladin Data Systems announced the availability of SMARTGov Future, the first local government project portfolio management and automated web publishing solution designed to track and report on all of the projects and programs happening in a jurisdiction. The new service enables cities and counties to meet growing state and citizen demand for project and funding accountability and transparency.

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Tuesday 04/19/2011
Breakthrough Tool to Measure Community's Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Posted: April 19, 2011

OAKLAND, Calif. -- A powerful and free online application released recently will enable hundreds of California cities and counties to measure their community's greenhouse gas emissions, taking an essential first step to addressing climate change and saving energy and taxpayer dollars. The SEEC Online Inventory Tool was released through the Statewide Energy Efficiency Collaborative, a new alliance to help California cities and counties reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save energy. SEEC is a collaboration between three statewide nonprofit organizations and California's four investor-owned utilities.

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Saturday 04/09/2011
New Community-Based Applications Introduced
Updated: April 20, 2011 - 4:23 pm

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- Cartegraph, a provider of integrated government technology, announced its release of a new pair of community-based applications: REQUESTdirector and RESERVATIONdirector.

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Tuesday 04/05/2011
YourGOV Mobile for iPhone and Android
Updated: April 20, 2011 - 4:24 pm

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- Cartegraph, a provider of integrated government technology, has released an updated version of YourGOV Mobile, an innovative citizen request application that allows users to report non-emergency issues and service requests, such as potholes, vandalism and street light outages, directly from their mobile smartphones.

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Monday 04/04/2011
New Compliance Application Package Introduced
Updated: April 20, 2011 - 4:24 pm

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- Cartegraph, a provider of integrated government technology, has announced its release of Compliance Solutions, a group of web-based compliance applications. Together, the applications automate and streamline community compliance functions such as code enforcement, land management, licensing and permitting.

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