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SMART CITIES ARE GREEN CITIES: Smart Investments for City and County Managers

An informative guidebook on smart growth, containing a number of resources and ideas useful to local government officials. Included in the publication are successful strategies for smart growth and related activities and examples from a number of cities and counties, plus information on smart investments in energy efficiency, water resources conservation, waste reduction and recycling, transportation, and development. It also contains a section on how to gain support for smart investments. Each section has case studies, contact information, and strategies for starting projects. To obtain a free copy of the guidebook, contact Deloris Swann at EPA at 202 / 260-1514, and ask for document # EPA 231-R-98-004.

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Local Government Environmental Assistance Network

http://www.lgean.org/

The Local Government Environmental Assistance Network (LGEAN) is a "first-stop shop" providing environmental management, planning, and regulatory information for local government elected and appointed officials, managers and staff. LGEAN also enables local officials to interact with their peers and others on-line. In an effort to reach all local governments, LGEAN publishes a quarterly newsletter, SCAN, and manages both a toll-free and fax-on demand service.

LGEAN is managed by the International City/County Management Association and co-sponsored by the American Water Works Association, Air & Waste Management Association, Environmental Council of the States, National Association of Counties, Solid Waste Association of North America, and the Water Environment Federation.

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Smart Talk for Growing Communities: Meeting the Challenges of Growth & Development

"Smart Talk for Growing Communities" is a guide for public dialogue and problem-solving that helps communities address the effects of growth in diverse places, such as rural towns experiencing rapid growth; metro areas where inner cities and older suburbs are in decline while new "edge cities" prosper around them; and communities where new housing developments and industrial sites are pushing into surrounding farmlands and wilderness.

The guide includes discussion topics (see below), tips on organizing & facilitating study circles, strategies for moving from discussion to action, and resources for further discussion, learning, & action.

Discussion topics include:

• How is growth changing our community?
• Why is our community experiencing these changes?
• What are our options for addressing growth issues?
• Meeting with public officials
• Shaping the future: What can we do in our community?

This guide is for use in study circles ­ small-group, democratic, participatory conversations that offer everyday people the chance to get to know one another, consider different points of view, explore disagreements, and find common ground. Study circles connect dialogue with action by creating opportunities for people to work together to solve common problems as individuals, in small groups, as members of organizations, as voters.

Available for $5 + $2 S&H from the Study Circles Resource Center, PO Box 203, Pomfret CT 06258; Tel: 860 / 928-2616; E-mail <scrc@neca.com>.

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Action Towards Local Sustainability

http://www.sustainability.org.uk/

Action Towards Local Sustainability is a project to help local authorities across Europe improve local quality of life for people and protect the environment through sustainable development. Action Towards Local Sustainability was developed to address two questions that are commonly asked by local authorities: "What is sustainable development all about?" and "What can we do to put it into practice in our area?".

The site includes policy guidance and case studies on a variety of community issues, including economic development, resource use & waste, buildings & planning, and energy. Other features include "sustainability in a nutshell" (an intro to sustainable development, and community participation and sustainability management toolkits, and a training package for local decision-makers.

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Improving Pedestrian Access to Transit: An Advocacy Handbook

The Federal Transit Administration's Livable Communities Program recently published an excellent new handbook written and produced by the pedestrian advocacy group WalkBoston and entitled "Improving Pedestrian Access to Transit: An Advocacy Handbook."

The handbook relies heavily on case studies from Boston's urban core area, but presents lots of valuable information and uses a very lively, user-friendly format and style that should appeal to people across the country. Though published by FTA and drawing on assistance from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and a regional planning body, it pulls no punches and is written very much from a grassroots advocate's perspective. This is a really nice item that belongs on every pedestrian advocate's bookshelf.

To order, fax your name and address to Effie S. Stallsmith, FTA Office of Planning, at (202) 493-2478. (Report No. FTA-MA-80-X008)

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Gore Announces EMPACT Grants

http://www.epa.gov/empact/

Vice President Gore announced Friday (October 30) four grants to local governments to establish pilot programs as part of a new Presidential initiative called Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking projects. These five grants are among the EPA's national EMPACT program grants totaling approximately $3.5 million. These projects will help provide the public access to clear, understandable, timely and accurate data in an ongoing sustainable manner in 86 of the larger U.S. metropolitan areas. These awards will help cities build the capacity to monitor key information about environmental quality. This will also allow citizens to obtain knowledge of the environment including daily air quality issues such as ozone and water quality degradation affecting rivers, lakes and city beaches.

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EPA to create new Information Management Office

To position the Environmental Protection Agency to meet the information challenges of the 2lst century, Administrator Carol Browner has decided to create a new information management organization. The new information office will serve as a center of excellence that advances the use and management of information as a strategic resource to enhance public health and environmental protection. Among the primary goals of the new office will be to provide public access to high quality, integrated data; promote the Agency's partnerships with states and other stakeholders to improve the quality and utility of data; and streamline information collection and reduce the burden on states and the regulated community.

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WWF Living Planet Report 1998

http://panda.org/livingplanet/lpr/index.htm

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recently published the inaugural "Living

Planet Report." This report analyzes environmental data in conjunction with global consumption patterns to calculate the cumulative effect that humankind has on the Earth's ecosystems. The report consists of two major parts: the Consumption Pressure section and the Living Planet Index. The

Consumption Pressure section measures the per capita resource consumption and pollution statistics from 152 countries to determine humanity's impact on Earth. The Living Planet Index presents new data on the health of the forest, freshwater and marine ecosystems around the world from 1970-1995.

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SUSTAINING ISLAND COMMUNITIES

This is "the story of the economy and life of Maine's year-round islands," a book which can serve as a model resource guide for other communities.

Part oral history, part community development directory, this 98-page book "documents the components of a community that are critical to its success." Intended primarily for the islanders themselves, the book describes what they find special about their communities, and helps the islanders link to each other and to their development organizations, including education, transport, housing, and healthcare. 1997

To order, send $13.45 to: Island Institute, 410 Main St., Rockland, ME 04841; or call 207 / 594-9209.

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American Farmland Trust Introduces "Landworks"

http://www.farmland.org/landworks.html

American Farmland Trust has introduced a new service for professionals working to conserve threatened agricultural lands. The service, called "LandWorks," comprises two quarterly publications, and a private website of announcements, legislation, and job opportunities. Eventually, the site will also include model planning ordinances and a discussion area for controversial topics..

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EPA Launches Enforcement Newsletter

http://es.epa.gov/oeca/enforcement/

EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance has launched "enforcement@epa.gov", an on-line magazine designed to provide up-to-the-minute information relating to enforcement and compliance issues.

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Valuing Spirituality in Development: Creation of Spiritually Based Indicators for Development

http://www.bic-un.bahai.org/98-0218.htm

This concept paper focuses on the importance of creating measures to assess development progress through the perspective of spiritual principles. The paper begins by outlining a Bahá'í perspective on development. It then touches on the use of indicators today and introduces the concept of spiritually based indicators for development. It considers, albeit summarily, five spiritual principles crucial to development and five policy areas in which these principles might be applied to generate goals and indicators to measure progress toward these goals. Three brief examples of how such indicators might be conceived and developed are then presented. Finally, a collaborative initiative to develop spiritually based indicators for development, involving the religions and a major international development agency, is suggested.

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First Steps: Developing Community Indicators

http://www.econ.state.or.us/opb/OR_OPT/INDICATE/Index.htm

An on-line slideshow produced by Oregon Option.

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SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY INDICATORS SOFTWARE

http://www.crle.uoguelph.ca/indicators/Background/background.html

Environment Canada and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation are involved in the development of environmental and community sustainability indicators. The organizations are now in the process of developing an innovative, easy-to-use software package to help communities select, develop and work with effective indicators. The website reviews the conceptual design of the software, and outlines next steps in its development and release.

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Toward Sustainable Development: Researching Successful Communities of the '90s

http://www.acce.org/ac.t.qlife.html

The 1997 American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association / American Chamber of Commerce Executives Annual Conference included a Quality of Life / Sustainability "track", featuring sessions on defining quality of life, community indicators, community development, and local sustainability.

The website includes introductory articles on each of these topics, and community case studies.

The site includes material contributed by Kate Besleme (Redefining Progress), David Swain (Jacksonville Community Council), and Maureen Hart (Hart Environmental Data).

The site also includes "Sustainable Development Indicators...Selected Sources" at

http://www.acce.org/ac.sustainbib.html

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Yampa Valley Partners Community Indicators Project

http://nwplateau.org/cip/index.html

Yampa Valley Partners published this Community Indicators Report, which focuses attention on 22 indicators in the 3 categories of social, economic and environmental. The Yampa Valley is an open river valley located within Routt and Moffat Counties in northwestern Colorado.

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Index of Environmental Trends

The "Index of Environmental Trends" was published in April 1995 by the National Center for Economic and Security Alternatives in Washington, D.C. In it, the authors measured trends in a wide range of serious environmental problems facing industrial societies. The report is available for $10 + $3 S&H from the National Center for Economic and Security Alternatives at <info@ncesa.org>.

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Sustainable Development Planning in the Americas

http://garnet.acns.fsu.edu/~iaudirac/urp5424/syllabus.html

An on-line course syllabus for "Sustainable Development Planning in the Americas", a course taught by Ivonne Audirac at Florida State University in Spring 1998.

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Georgia community indicators project

http://www.dca.state.ga.us/data/indicators.html

The Georgia Dept. of Community Affairs Community Indicators project emerged as a recommendation of the Georgia Future Communities Commission in 1996. As part of its legislative charge to examine issues, assess implications, determine changes, and develop proposals that affect the governmental, social and economic issues confronting local government, the GFCC envisioned an annual benchmarking report to foster accountability and productivity improvement in cities and counties throughout Georgia.

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National Education Indicators: Quality Counts

http://www.edweek.org/qc/

A report card on the condition of public education in the 50 states. Produced by Education Week.

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Characterization of Building-Related Construction & Demolition Debris in the US

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/sqg/demol.htm

Published by EPA's Office of Solid Waste, the purpose of this report is to characterize the quantity and composition of building-related construction and demolition (C&D) debris generated in the United States, and to summarize the waste management practices for this waste stream. C&D debris is produced when new structures are built and when existing structures are renovated or demolished. Structures include all residential and nonresidential buildings as well as public works projects, such as streets and highways, bridges, piers, and dams.

Source: EPA press release

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Greenprints '99: Sustainable Communities by Design

http://www.southface.org/home/gprints/getinfo.html

February 21-23, 1999

Atlanta, GA

This two-day conference and trade show brings together theorists, practitioners, and planners from all over the Southeast to share the latest ideas in design and construction for a sustainable future. Conference highlights include nationally known speakers covering topics on building sciences, construction and technology and community planning and design. The trade show features the latest energy and resource efficient products and technologies. (The conference brochure & registration form, as well as information on last year's event, are available in PDF format.)

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Updated Index of Watershed Indicators

http://www.epa.gov/surf2/iwi/

http://www.epa.gov/surf2/locate/index.html

The Index of Watershed Indicators is a compilation of information on the "health" of aquatic resources in the United States. Just as a physician might take your temperature & your blood pressure, check your pulse, listen to your heart beat and respiration, etc., the Index looks at a variety of indicators that point to whether rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands and coastal areas are "well" or "ailing" and whether activities on the surrounding lands that affect our waters are placing them at risk.

EPA recently updated the Index of Watershed Indicators as well as the "Surf Your Watershed" website.

Search for information on your local watershed by state, county, metro area, city, hydrologic unit code, or watershed name. The result is an environmental profile of your watershed that includes:

• Watershed indicators;
• Unified Watershed Assessments (for each state);
• Facilities in the watershed regulated by EPA (toxic releases, hazardous wastes, & Superfund sites);
• Information on water, air, land cover, and local programs for your specific watershed;
• "Enviromapper for Watersheds", an interactive GIS mapping application that contains all the Index of Watershed Indicators information by maps.

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Quote

"The great thing in this world, is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving."

-- Oliver Wendell Holmes

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