Action 1 -
Create or participate in a marketing/outreach/incentive program to promote/achieve residential energy/water use reduction and energy efficiency.
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Buildings and Lighting
2 . Efficient Existing Private Buildings:
Provide incentives for energy, water and sustainability improvements in existing residential, not-for-profit and commercial buildings/building sites.
Land Use
6 . Comprehensive, Climate and Energy Plans:
Build public support and legal validity to long-term infrastructural and regulatory strategy.
Action 1 -
Adopt a comprehensive plan or (for Category B & C cities) adopt a future land use plan that was adopted by the county or a regional entity.
Action 5 -
Adopt climate mitigation and/or energy independence goals and objectives in the comprehensive plan or in a separate policy document, and include transportation recommendations such as becoming an EV-ready city.
9 . Efficient Highway- and Auto-Oriented Development:
Adopt commercial development and design standards for auto-oriented development corridors and clusters.
Action 3 -
Adopt infrastructure design standards that protect the economic and ecologic functions of the highway corridor through clustering of development, native plantings and incorporating access management standards.
Environmental Management
15 . Sustainable Purchasing:
Adopt environmentally preferable purchasing policies and practices to improve health and environmental outcomes.
Action 3 -
Establish purchasing preferences that support local, Minority, Disability, and Women-Owned businesses and, working with a local business association, develop a list of locally-produced products and suppliers for common purchases.
19 . Surface Water:
Improve local water bodies to sustain their long-term ecological function and community benefits.
Action 2 -
Conduct or support multi-party community conversations, assessments, plans and actions around improving local water quality and quantity.
Resilient Economic and Community Development
24 . Benchmarks and Community Engagement:
Adopt outcome measures for GreenStep and other city sustainability efforts, and engage community members in ongoing education, dialogue, and campaigns.
Action 1 -
Inclusive and Coordinated Decision-Making: Use a city commission or committee to lead, coordinate, report to and engage community members on the identification and equitable implementation of sustainability best practices.
Action 2 -
Communicating Progress on Goals: Organize goals/outcome measures from all city plans (social, environmental, economic) and report to community members data that show progress toward meeting these goals.
Action 3 -
Measuring Outcomes: Engage community members and partners in identifying, measuring, and reporting progress on key sustainability and social indicators/ including energy use/greenhouse gas emissions, social vitality/social inclusion outcome measures.
Action 4 -
Public Education for Action: Conduct or support a broad sustainability education and action campaign, building on existing city & community relationships, networks & events involving:
Action 5 -
Planning with a Purpose: Conduct a community visioning and planning initiative that engages a diverse set of community members & stakeholders and uses a sustainability, resilience, or environmental justice framework such as:
Action 6 -
Engaging the Next Generation: Engage wide representation of community youth and college students by creating opportunities to participate in city government (including commissions).
Action 7 -
Expanding Community Engagement: Engage Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), renters, low-income, new Americans, differently abled and other traditionally under-represented community members by encouragement, and support to participate in current and new opportunities to participate in city government.
29 . Climate Adaptation and Community Resilience:
Plan and prepare for extreme weather, adapt to changing climatic conditions, and foster stronger community connectedness and social and economic vitality.
Action 3 -
Increase social connectedness through engagement, capacity building, public investment, and opportunities for economically vulnerable residents to improve their economic prosperity.