Sustainability Action Plan

Protecting critical natural resources, remaining resilient to the effects of climate change, and reducing our impact on the environment are essential to our economic prosperity, our neighbors’ health and to the very social fabric of our City. Though we have made great strides, we will not go fast enough to meet the rising challenges of global climate change without continued and specific direction, investment and coordination.  The Sustainability Action Plan (SAP) provides just that.  It articulates our specific “green” goals, strategies and performance indicators, reflects how sustainability will be integrated into all levels of City decision-making, and establishes a system of accountability.

Our initial SAP, published in 2010 was a collaborative effort of the Sustainability Advisory Board, City staff, expert groups and concerned neighbors.  For the first time, individual programs and projects were examined together to determine if they were really moving us toward city-wide sustainability. We considered what was working, what was missing and how each effort helped or hindered the others. The result was a coordinated statement introducing five priorities and 17 goals organized into eight areas:  Leadership, Air Quality, Energy, Water, Built and Natural Environment, Transportation, Waste, and Progress Tracking.  Within each section, the SAP identifies new initiatives to encourage and assist residents, businesses, developers and others to practice sustainability.  An update was completed in 2011 .

Progress Report 2015: Making Waves

We regularly report our progress to the plan.  The 101 action items within the SAP 2011 provided the foundation for a long-term, comprehensive strategy that helped our City to become more sustainable by preparing itself to thrive in a low carbon economy. The Progress Report 2015: Making Waves  documents our substantial progress on implementing those actions items. As of the end of Fiscal Year 2014 (September 30, 2014), the City has completed 42% of the 101 SAP actions: 29% are in progress; 5% are initiated; 10% are on standby; and 15% are awaiting implementation.

We are currently developing an update which will align the Sustainability Action Plan with our city's strategic plan, reflect our growing links to regional and state partnerships, and continue to incorporate sustainable practices into city operations.

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