Item A: Sustainability Commission Work Plan

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One of the biggest challenges for the commission has been the scope of this task. While the Sustainable Business Initiative Taskforce report provides an excellent starting place for commission work plan discussions, the recommendations do not cover all possible initiatives to help our community become more sustainable. Further, since the report was issued, more information has been released on the urgency with which we need to respond to climate change and rising oil prices. There are many possible options that need to be assessed when considering how to create a more sustainable community and our limited resources need to be applied effectively to achieve our desired outcomes. The commission has received pertinent, timely and well researched comments from many different community members. This public comment has been helpful in developing the commission work plan framework. The commission, and its individual members, continues to work with members of the community in gathering relevant information to help inform their decision making and planning their activities. Work plan framework The Sustainability Commission work plan framework (Attachment A) outlines the broad priority issues the commission has chosen to address and lays out initial commission work including the development of a more detailed action plan. It is not anticipated the commission will be able to address all the issues identified in the first year, but rather it outlines the issues the commission considers are priorities for it to investigate further before recommending specific action to the council. It is likely the commission may choose to focus on some long term projects in combination with others that could achieve quick results. The commission work is to be divided into three main components (as indicated in three vertical columns), and eight issue areas (listed in eight horizontal rows). Investigation into sustainable operations of the City organization is the first component. It is important that the City lead by example and undertake best practices when integrating sustainability into its operations and programs. The commission recognizes that different service areas within the City of Eugene have been working for years on issues related to sustainability, and the commission proposes to begin by looking at organizational work that has already been done, along with current initiatives and proposed future actions. This review of organizational activities will also identify what other communities are doing and look to coordinated actions in the future where appropriate. The second component for the commission’s attention is working with the larger community. This includes neighborhoods, businesses, households, educational institutions, other government entities and community non-profits. The commission realizes that success in addressing sustainability for our community can only be achieved through effective partnerships. Recognizing that a great deal of valuable work has already been accomplished in the community, the commission hopes to work in conjunction with others to extend and employ those efforts on a larger level. Through this work it is hoped that the commission can initiate partnerships and coordinate between different community groups with similar goals. The third component of the work plan framework is education and outreach. Education and behavior change are critical components in increasing sustainability in our community. The commission hopes to serve as a vehicle to educate both itself and the community about the issues of sustainability and the possible solutions available. F:\CMO\2008 Council Agendas\M080423\S080423B.doc