Step 2

Ready to take action? Implement a number of best practices depending on your category (Look at your GreenStep page to see your category): 

Post initial information on the GreenStep Website. 

• Log-in to your GreenStep page. Contact GreenStep staff if you need log-in information. 
• Request a "tour" of the GreenStep website from GreenStep staff or use the Website How-To Guide. 
• Enter basic information. Report your community population, approximate number of city/tribal staff, City Category, names of any participating partners, and contact information for the one person who will serve as the GreenStep Coordinator. 

Get organized and prepare for action. 

• Educate staff and officials about GreenStep and its sustainability focus. There are a number of benefits and co-benefits to share. Your community may use other language as it fits, but sustainability also includes: 
  • increasing resilience to financial pressures 
  • Becoming better prepare for extreme weather 
  • Improving quality-of-life and social equity
  • Preventing future environmental costs
• Convene a 'Green Team'. The GreenStep Coordinator should call together people within the city or tribal government (and outside, if appropriate) to make decisions about the city or tribal nation's activity in the GreenStep program. This group might be an existing or new inter-departmental green team, an existing or new commission or task force, or a civic group. Best Practice Action 24.1 - Inclusive and Coordinated Decision Making provides guidance and implementation tools, including 'Green Team Workplans' that can help your workgroup. 
• Inventory your completed, planned, and desired best practice actions. Assign people to summarize completed actions and create plans for future actions to be implemented. If necessary, specify goals, identify anyone with responsibilities, set timelines, and identify needed resources. In your review, consider the following: 
  • Review implementation tools under each best practice action. 
  • Talk with city or tribal staff and officials, community members, and trusted resource organizations, including consultants and utilities. 
  • Contact the Best Practice Advisor for the relevant best practice, as needed. 
  • See "Who's Doing It" under each best practice action to read how other GreenStep cities and tribal nations have implemented actions - and contact the people listed to learn more about any barriers, costs, or successes that they ran into. 
• Review existing goals and plans. Take advantage of your city or tribal nation's existing initiative such as comprehensive plans, strategic plans, annual goal-setting, and more. Many GreenStep best practice actions are likely addressed in these goals and plans. GreenStep actions are mostly about doing things smarter and spend money on actions that return multiple benefits. Use a workplan to connect your community's goals and plans with the guidance and implementation tools that the GreenStep program provides. 

Report Best Practice Actions.

• Report actions by logging into your GreenStep account. Actions can be reported at any time of the year. GreenStep staff tries to review action reports weekly and will follow up with any clarifying questions and will provide your updated City Assessment file (or find it on your GreenStep page). 
• This includes actions that were completed before becoming a GreenStep City or Tribal Nation!
  • For example, if your community has already implemented the Best Practice Action 12.1 - Increase walking, biking, and transit use, report things like:  
    • How many bike racks the city and/or its partners installed
    • Web addresses on your city website that talks about your efforts 
    • Planning documents that may have been used, such as an area bike plan 
    • Any success measures (such as "Bike path use increased 20% in a certain year")
    • Any key partner(s) you have worked with 
    • The name and email of the person most knowledgeable about this accomplishment, so that other communities seeking to replicate your success can learn from them. 
• Find help. Consider having a student intern, community volunteer, or RETAP volunteer assist you with inventory and reporting. Contact GreenStep for guidance. 
• Clarify expectations for completing an action with GreenStep staff and Best Practice Advisors, as needed. For example, an administrative directive is probably substantially equivalent to a council-adopted policy. 
• Celebrate success and keep everyone moving. Share your accomplishments with your "Green Team," other staff, public officials, and community members. The GreenStep website makes it easy to share your action reports. Be sure to share and discuss any barriers and next steps. Work together to change plans, as needed, and find ways to accomplish multiple actions through a common strategy.