Northwest Regional Planning Commission

Sustainability Study Groups

The Washburn and Burnett County Study-groups will be based on the framework from the book The Natural Step for Communities.  There are other types of sustainability frameworks used by communities across the world.  More information on the basic framework of a few of these alternative principals are listed below:

Ahwahnee Principles for Resource-Efficient Communities

The NWRPC Staff intends to

1) develop a study session format that will teach the Natural Step philosophy of sustainable development to communities in the two-county area;

2) focus the teaching of this philosophy on citizens and high school students;

3) educate participants as to the subject areas where sustainable development can have meaningful impact (education, transportation, waste management, etc.);

4) further their ability and knowledge base to influence and provide input to their local municipalities regarding the environmental impacts of governmental decision making; and

5) arrange field trips to appropriate governmental venues, such as county towns associations, county government and tribal committees, ending with a request for presentation to each county board and tribal council describing the philosophy of sustainable development.

The primary priority for the project is Community Issues. The project will solicit volunteer citizens and students to study sustainable development issues and to develop a framework to pursue initiatives that will result in substantive change for the natural environment in the region. Participants will be asked to utilize the basic tenets of the Natural Step philosophy to develop personal responsibility at the grassroots level in addressing those environmental issues that are of importance to the two-county area. Educating the general citizenry on sustainable development design and implementation should assist them in identifying environmental issues, understanding which issues specifically affect their lives and what steps can be taken to encourage their governmental leaders to act positively on these concerns. Participants will be encouraged to join or visit environmental advocacy groups that meet their expectations of responsibility to the natural world. Students may also share their knowledge with fellow classmates in the hopes that they will understand their responsibility to play an active role in defining the policies that will continue to protect our environment for years to come.

This program proposes to provide five to six introductory training sessions per geographic section teaching sustainable development at the community level. The book The Natural Step for Communities - How Cities and Towns Can Change to Sustainable Practices by Sarah James and Torbjrn Lahti, will be provided to participants at half price ($ 8.00), and will be the main written source for the sessions. Another book, The Natural Step for Businesses by Brian Nattrass and Mary Altomare will also be utilized. The sessions will be taught by Richard Schneider and Jennifer Barton, trained sustainable development staff. At least two of the sessions will feature presentations from regional experts that have been active in the field in an effort to provide practical application ideas. Two to three relevant field trips will be arranged. The sessions will be advertised in newspaper, on radio, through local newsletters and civic organizations, and through county publications. The program will be administered by the Northwest Regional Planning Commission and its staff, with access to all of the public relations tools available at the Commission.

The population of the two counties is approximately 30,000. The project will solicit participants from any walk of life on a completely open basis. For the purpose of the project, it is estimated that 160 citizens will participate. County high schools (7) will be asked to provide at least two representatives from the student body.

Project Description

The purpose of the project is to create an informed citizenry with regards to sustainable development strategies and to have that same citizenry identify environmental issues that affect their daily lives and their natural environment. An informed citizenry is more capable of bringing important issues to the attention of their governmental leaders and to effect change. The two-county region has recently experienced considerable amounts of development in an area known for its pristine natural environment. Without education, residents and businesses alike are more likely to be unable to control the direction of development and the constraints citizens would like to see on that development. It is also important to create a network of like-minded individuals who can learn and apply a set of simple but profound principles that will guide them in making responsible environmental decisions now and in the future. The importance of this type of education for the general public and the empowerment it can bring to them cannot be underestimated. It is also important to bring this same empowerment to the citizens of the future who need to know that they must take responsibility for future governmental actions concerning the environment.

Burnett and Washburn Counties, and the St. Croix Tribal Nation lie within the Lake Superior basin and St. Croix National Riverway system. Citizens from this region will be the present and future stewards of this amazingly unique ecosystem. Education will be the key in arming them with the knowledge it will take to preserve this environment. Sustainable development is one of the strategies that can hopefully be a vehicle to guide sensible development without permanent and irreparable damage to our environment.

Identification of Issues

The unique approach of the Natural Step methodology is that it provides analysis of all aspects of our daily living. The first study session has participants examine these aspects on a global scale, and in the second session, whittles these responses down to the local level. The primary aspects discussed are transportation, housing, education, waste management, natural resources, utility infrastructure, land uses and energy usage. Group members analyze how our activities in these aspects affect out natural environment and what changes might be made to alleviate or subdue these effects. The Natural Step identifies four main areas to consider as the basic premises of sustainable development. They are:

1) In the sustainable society, nature should not be subject to systematically increasing concentrations of substances being extracted from the earths crust - eliminate our communitys contribution to fossil fuel dependence and to wasteful use of scarce metals and minerals.

2) In the sustainable society, nature should not be subject to systematically increasing concentrations of substances produced by society (toxics) - eliminate our communitys contribution to dependence upon persistent chemicals and wasteful use of synthetic substances.

3) In the sustainable society, nature should not be subject to systematically increasing degradation by physical means - eliminate our communitys contribution to encroachment upon nature. And 4) In the sustainable society, human needs must be met worldwide - meet human needs fairly and efficiently. In this sense, the study sessions are truly cross cutting. This is important because it reinforces the notion that all of these issues and topics are inter-related, and any one action can have an effect on another area or areas.

Similar projects of this type have been undertaken throughout the world, and there is no reason to believe, that if successful, this project could be applied virtually anywhere. It merely requires involved citizens, and the use of a sound framework to utilize for training. The system for it to work through, our government, at all of its levels, already exists.

Stewardship

This proposal has at its heart environmental stewardship. Its aim is to teach citizens sustainable development, and carry out its strategies to create a world that seeks to limit the harmful effects on its natural environment. It seeks an informed populace to create this world. The feature that is most promising in this proposal is its ability to start at the bottom, the grassroots level, and to systematically bring to bear up the ladder to our governmental leaders at all levels. Personal responsibility is the core component of this project and will be necessary if long term results of this project are to be realized. The final test of the program will be to see if the education of the participating citizens and the network they create is able to have an impact on the local and regional policies of their area.

Those attending the sessions will be given the course book, The Natural Step for Communities at half price ($ 8.00) as an incentive. Students will receive free copies of the book. Copies of other published materials deemed appropriate will be made free to participants. The program will be advertised in newspapers, on the radio, in area newsletters and in two-county official publications. The two-county recycling commission will advertise the program in its outreach materials as well.

Training Session Topics

1. Introduction to the Natural Step for Communities philosophy. Group activity relating philosophy to global issues. Postulate possible solutions. Relationship of Natural Step to the local environment.

2. Cursory review of Natural Step for Businesses philosophy. Group activity relating community philosophy to local issues. Begin to examine issues and opportunities regarding environmental impacts for future activities.

3. Presentation from Chequamegon Bay, Wisconsin sustainable development group. Examination of weaknesses and threats to success of sustainable development strategies.

4. Begin development of action plan for advocating local change. Discuss strengths and weaknesses. Discuss partnering opportunities. Set goals and objectives for sustainable development activities. Decide which governmental committees boards, committees, etc., to visit.

5. Environmental Responsibility presentation. Develop timeline for sustainable development activities. Develop informational presentation to county board outlining pertinent local environmental issues.

6. Field trip - county board meeting.

7. Participants will attend their own local municipality meeting and propose that the municipality consider environmental impacts in all of its decision making, in addition to making suggestions as to specific issues that the municipality should address to encourage a sustainable community.

After completion of the training/study sessions, the following outcomes are anticipated:

Short-term
Participants will understand the framework of the Natural Step philosophy and its four primary tenets.

Participants will learn to identify global and local sustainable development issues and postulate solutions and activities to enhance their environment.

Trainers will develop proficiency in following and accomplishing course objectives.

Participants will expand their knowledge base on environmental issues.

Participants will learn to develop a plan of action to achieve their sustainable development goals and objectives.

Medium-term
Participants will realize that a systematic approach to environmental protection is possible and can be used in the future for continuing threats to the environment.

Participants will monitor their effect on government and its decisions as related to their goals and objectives.

Participants will educate local governments about environmental impacts of their decisions

The environment will begin to have home-grown advocates for its health and preservation.

Long-term
Long-term protection of the environment will begin to be accomplished by dedication to learned sustainable development strategies.

Sustainable development principles will be passed on as a way of life to future generations.

The project will utilize the two books mentioned previously (Natural Step). The Natural Step for Communities is a world-renowned sustainable development strategy that has been tested all over the world. Staff has taken training from the authors of the book, and will utilize the format suggested by the authors. Staff will also search for other program models and other supplementary materials which will aid in the overall teaching of the sessions. The project does not intend to develop any new curriculum for this course. Group activities within the sessions will promote critical thinking and decision making skills - participants will be required to come up with their own goals, objectives and action plans, and will be encouraged to implement them.