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October 1997 Sustainable Community Project By Bill Davis

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has a great deal of experience and expertise in dealing with environmental problems in innovative ways. The Sustainable Communities project is another way for EDF to bring this resource to bear by looking at issues holistically and working with grassroots groups in specific places to use pollution prevention techniques to solve problems. The project, which is a collaboration between EDF and dozens of other groups in the Great Lakes region, is comprised of two parts: the Environmental Sustainability Kit and working with local partners in four Great Lakes communities to implement sustainable community projects. This project was made possible by generous grants from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, C.S. Mott Foundation, Joyce Foundation and the George Gund Foundation.

Environmental Sustainability Kit

The Environmental Sustainability Kit is a set of tools -- ideas, procedures and resources -- to help local leaders, residents and businesses work toward making their own communities more sustainable. While sustainability encompasses many things, from affordable health care and housing to a safe and clean environment, we have focused the Environmental Sustainability Kit on the environmental and pollution prevention aspects of sustainable communities' efforts. Pollution prevention has been shown to be a win/win solution for society, for the economy and for the environment. In addressing and implementing pollution prevention opportunities in our communities, we can show real, demonstrable and measurable successes.

Implementation Projects

Cleveland: Model Information Access System

In Cleveland, EDF and the Earth Day Coalition (EDC) initiated the Sustainable Cleveland Partnership (SCP). The SCP is a collaboration between public interest organizations, regulators, universities and community residents to develop and implement a model information access system in several inner city Cleveland neighborhoods to help citizens create positive change in their communities. This model will be replicable and transferable to other communities.

The information access tool will include information on environmental attributes of the community including a compilation of the available data from the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), census data, health effects data, information on the regulatory system, case studies of Good Neighbor Agreements between businesses and citizens that have resulted in pollution reductions, and information on alternatives to toxic chemicals and processes. The information will be in both written material and a computer based information system that EDF is developing. The initial system, both written and computer based, should be available this winter or Spring 1998.

Northwest Indiana: Preventing Pollution from Local Governments

EDF and the Grand Calumet Task Force (GCTF) have become partners to demonstrate how local governments can reduce pollution from their activities. Actions include conducting pollution prevention audits of municipal facilities using EDF technical staff; identifying local suppliers of environmentally friendly materials/equipment (e.g., batteries, lighting, paper) and services (e.g., printing, landscape maintenance); and advocating attainable pollution prevention goals for government, businesses and households in northwest Indiana.

Additionally, EDF and GCTF expect to develop short publications that will be useful for community groups with similar goals. Publication topics likely will include: how to assess pollution prevention opportunities among local government agencies, including contracting specifications; "greening" public bathrooms; and educating workforces to identify environmental compliance issues and pollution prevention opportunities.

Milwaukee: Green Jobs Strategy

EDF has joined with the Campaign for a Sustainable Milwaukee to develop an environmental jobs strategy for the City of Milwaukee. The first step in the project was to gather a broad group of interested stakeholders to see if they were interested in helping with this idea. To date environmental, industry, governmental and community groups have participated. All of these parties understand the need to ensure that current jobs are sustainable and that new development does not create future contaminated sites. We believe that creating "environmentally friendly" jobs will not only benefit the environment, but also make sense for business's bottom line because they would increase worker productivity (e.g., fewer illnesses) and reduce company liability. This could include new jobs in recycling or energy efficiency or improving existing new jobs by moving away from the use of toxic or hazardous materials.

We plan to start by developing a list of characteristics (energy use, toxic or hazardous material use, transportation impact, etc.) that can be used to evaluate new and existing jobs. These could then be used to outline: the types of job and hence development that Milwaukee thinks is most desirable; a guide for the City Department of Development and other development agencies to determine where and how to use the various incentive programs; and to look at existing jobs to facilitate working with companies to improve them.

Dayton: Alternative Regulatory Pathway

The Citizens Policy Center, the Edgemont Neighborhood Coalition, General Motors and others are working in Dayton, Ohio to promote innovative environmental management and regulatory systems in vehicle manufacturing. The project team -- which includes industry, state and federal regulators, environmental and community groups -- believes that the objectives of better environmental performance, increased manufacturing flexibility and enhanced public involvement can be achieved by integrating pollution prevention into core business practices and developing innovative regulatory approaches. Using EDF's consensus-building model, the project seeks to harmonize economic and environmental goals in auto manufacturing by reducing materials use and waste at strategic points including vehicle design, manufacturing processes and supplier operations.

The project team is developing a model process for using an "alternative regulatory system." A hallmark of this approach is the ability to identify environmental and community priorities better. We have been carrying on a dialogue with the community to gain insights into how best to gather community input in the future as well as to identify local priorities. The project team will continue to hold community forums to share information and to discuss how new approaches to regulations and management can best serve those who are most affected. These activities will provide context for recommending broader environmental management reforms, including new models for public involvement.

Bill Davis is the Great Lakes Specialist for the Environmental Defense Fund as well as an environmental attorney. He lives in Madison, WI. If you have any questions about any aspect of this project contact him at: billd@edf.org or 608-259-0268.

Some additional information

Sustainable Dreams

Imagine a mother in inner city Chicago being able to send her young children to a neighborhood park without the dangers of crime, asthma from polluted air or sickness from the children eating contaminated soil...

Imagine a family living near a factory, and workers at the factory having a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect their health, safety and environment, including reducing the use of toxic chemicals in the workplace...

Imagine having the choice between a number of affordable, efficient and environmentally sound transportation options...

Imagine a community where many diverse sectors of society can work together towards shared solutions to community problems... -- B.D.

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