-- Business/economic issues
-- Social/cultural issues
-- Management practices/governance
-- Transportation
-- Energy
-- Water and wastes
-- Flora and fauna
The first main area is general references. General references help provide an overview of the philosophy, theory, management, definitions, and practices related to sustainability. It is useful to begin by learning about some of the broader perspectives on sustainability. Such general references include the PCSD and the Center for Sustainability's tutorials. Since this report focuses on P2 issues, integration, business and economic, social and cultural, and governance and management issues are in this section. Such topics could easily be separate sections for other focuses related to sustainability.
The technology section refers to general issues about the role of technologies in sustainable community efforts, such as are mentioned in the National Environmental Technology Strategy. This section also includes some basic references about industrial ecology, and state and local government pollution prevention activities.
The environmental issues sections focus on organizing sustainability efforts into more traditional sector and community element categories, which are more relevant for P2 implementation needs. These issues include the built environment, transportation, energy, flora and fauna, and water and wastes. The built environment includes issues related to building construction and design. Transportation includes references related to transportation management, urban sprawl, cleaner cars, public transportation, mobile-source air pollution, etc. The energy section references include energy conservation, renewable energy, global warming, etc. Water and wastes include issues related to water, solid and hazardous waste management, watershed management, etc. Flora and fauna includes references related to agriculture, natural resource management, ecosystem management, etc.
Many references and some topics do not easily fit into one of these categories, such as DOE's Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development. This Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development obviously emphasizes energy issues; however, it is also a good source for general sustainability information. Its World Wide Web page for general sustainability information is a good starting place. However, the references have been organized in this fashion as a starting point for presenting the information. Such an organization helps if an individual is focused on a particular aspect of sustainability, such as agriculture and biodiversity or transportation and land use issues.
Last, some individual community references are presented to illustrate specific community progress, projects, and focus. Sources for the four detailed community examples cited in this report, i.e., Northampton County, Virginia; Seattle, Washington; EcoVillage at Ithaca, New York; and the Presidio, San Francisco, California; are presented in this section. A few other community and state references are also presented. Many of these states and communities have other documents and resources related to their efforts. This section presents a diverse sample of interesting sources. Also, some of the other references, such as the President's Council on Sustainable Development Eco-Efficiency Task Force Report, give other specific community examples.
This sample organization is a general one which the author felt was important for organizing information for P2 purposes. Each reader could develop his or her own structure. Developing one's own unique organizational structure can be helpful for focusing literature searches and individual priorities, since there is a wealth of information on sustainability in any one of these areas.
These sample references were chosen to show the range of information available to communities. It is also intended to be a good starting point to find out more information from the wide range of practitioners and other groups involved in a wide range of relevant activities.
General References
This section includes interesting references on general sustainable community
efforts. Also, it includes references related to business/economic issues,
social and cultural issues, management practices and governance, and integration
across different areas.
Center for Sustainability at the University of Washington WWW page for basic sustainable community information including a tutorial and references: http://weber.u.washington.edu/d43/common/.Community Sustainability Resource Institute at 704-681-1955. An NGO working with communities in the Southeastern United States.
CONCERN, Inc., has sustainable community resource lists and materials; contact at 202-328-8160.
EPA Community-Based Environmental Protection WWW page: http://www.epa.gov/ecosystems/index.html.
EPA Office of Sustainable Ecosystems and Communities (OSEC). POC: Wendy Cleland-Hamnett, Director, Office of Sustainable Ecosystems and Communities, U.S. EPA, 202-260-4002, and Angela Nugent, Staff Director, Office of Sustainable Ecosystems and Communities, U.S. EPA, 202-260-5871. The OSEC WWW page is: http://www.epa.gov/ecocommunity/.
Environmental Sustainability Kit, prepared by the Pollution Prevention Alliance, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Washington, D.C., October 1996. For more information, contact Meena Palaniappan at EDF at 202-387-3500.
The Global Cities Project at 415-775-0791, for case studies and handbooks for local government.
Goldman, Benjamin A., Sustainable America: New Public Policy for the 21st Century, Jobs and Environment Campaign, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1995. Available through the National Technical Information Service, U.S. DOC, Springfield, Virginia, 703-487-4650.
Hren, Benedict J., and Diane M. Hren, Community Sustainability: A Mini-Curriculum for Grades 9-12, The Izaak Walton League of America, 1996; contact at 301-548-0150.
Indicators for sustainability WWW page by Maureen Hart: http://www.subjectmatters.com/indicators/index.html.
International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, Gaithersburg, Maryland, an international environmental agency for local governments, WWW page: http://www.iclei.org/iclei.html.
Joint Center for Sustainable Communities, National Association of Counties and the United States Conference of Mayors: Jerry McNeil, Director, Community Services Division, NACo, 202-942-4237, and Dave Gatton, Senior Environmental Advisor, USCM, 202-293-7330.
Kemmis, Daniel, Community and the Politics of Place, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman and London, 1990.
Local government home page with direct links into organizations such as the National League of Cities and the National Association of Counties: http://www.localgov.org/.
Our Common Future, World Commission on Environment and Development (the Bruntland Commission), Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1987.
Public Technology, Inc., Cities and Counties: Thinking Globally, Acting Locally, Sustainability in Action, Washington, D.C., 1996.
The President's Council on Sustainable Development, 202-408-5296, or call 800-DOE-EREC to order PCSD reports. Their WWW page with access to information about its reports and activities is: http://www.whitehouse.gov/PCSD.
The President's Council on Sustainable Development, Sustainable America: A New Consensus for Prosperity, Opportunity, and a Healthy Environment for the Future, February 1996. Available from the PCSD at 202-408-5296 or call 800-DOE-EREC. This report is on the WWW at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/pcsd/#council_report.
The President's Council on Sustainable Development, Eco-Efficiency Task Force Report, 1996. Available from the PCSD at 202-408-5296 or call 800-DOE-EREC or see its web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/PCSD.
The President's Council on Sustainable Development, Education for Sustainability: An Agenda for Action, Washington, D.C., 1996. To obtain a copy of this report call the National Center for Environmental Publications and Information at 800-490-9198 and request publication # 238-R-96-002.
The President's Council on Sustainable Development, Sustainable Communities Task Force Report, Final Draft, Washington, D.C., October 1996. Available from the PCSD at 202-408-5296 or call 800-DOE-EREC.
Sargent, Frederic O., Paul Lusk, Jose A. Rivera, and Maria Varela, Rural Environmental Planning for Sustainable Communities, Island Press, Washington, D.C., 1991.
Sustainable Communities Network WWW page developed by the Sustainable Communities Network Partnership: http://www.sustainable.org/index.html.
Allenby, Braden R., and Deanna J. Richards, The Greening of Industrial Ecosystems, National Academy of Engineering, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1994.Bridge to a Sustainable Future: National Environmental Technology Strategy, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., April 1995. To obtain a copy of this document call 800-ENV-6676 or access it on the WWW at: http://www.gnet.org/gnet/gov/usgov/whitehouse/bridge/bridge.htm.
Center for Sustainable Development, Georgia Institute of Technology. This organization has developed a curriculum on sustainable development for engineering undergraduates. For more information contact Jorge A. Vanegas at 404-894-9881.
Environmental Technologies WWW page: http://www.gnet.org/GNET/.
Interagency Environmental Technology Office, a one-stop shop for federal agency environmental technology information. POC: Tom Houlihan at 202-408-5399, e-mail tom_houlihan@gnet.org, and FAX 202-408-6839.
Lachman, Beth, Robert Lempert, Susan Resetar, and Thomas Anderson, Technology for a Sustainable Future, Ideas: A Summary of Workshop Discussions, RAND, RP-417, 1995.
The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable, The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable P2 Yellow Pages (The Green Yellow Pages), Washington, D.C., November 1995. Reference for state P2 organizations. For more information contact the NPPR at 202-466-P2P2.
The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable, Preventing Pollution in our Cities and Counties: A Compendium of Case Studies, Fall 1995. Examples of local government P2 activities. For more information contact the NPPR at 202-466-P2P2.
Public Technology, Inc., is a nonprofit technology organization for local governments. Its WWW page is: http://pti.nw.dc.us/.
Technology for a Sustainable Future: A Framework for Action, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., July 1994.
American Institute of Architects (AIA) Environmental Design Charrette's WWW home page: http://www.aia.org/edc/homepage.htm.American Solar Energy Society, Buildings for a Sustainable America Case Studies, Boulder, Colorado, n.d. Contact at 303-443-3130.
Beyond Shelter: Building Communities of Opportunity, the United States Report for Habitat II, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Rockville, Maryland, May 1996.
Civil Engineering Research Foundation, Creating the 21st Century Through Innovation: Engineering and Construction for Sustainable Development, Executive Report, Report #96-5016.E, Washington, D.C., 1996. Contact at 202-842-0555.
Global Environmental Options WWW page for sustainable buildings and communities information: http://www.geonetwork.org/.
Sustainable Building Sourcebook, Green Builder Program, Environmental and Conservation Services Department, Austin, Texas. Available on the WWW at: http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/SourcebookContents.html.
U.S. Green Building Conference--1994, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST Special Publication 863, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., June 1994. For more information on NIST publications, call 301-975-3058.
Beimborn, Edward, and Rob Kennedy, Inside the Blackbox: Making Transportation Models Work for Livable Communities, Citizens for a Better Environment, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the Environmental Defense Fund, Washington, D.C., August 1996.Bernick, Michael, and Jason Munkres, Designing Transit-Based Communities, Institute of Urban and Regional Development, University of California at Berkeley, 1992.
Building Sustainable Communities, An Environment Guide for Local Government, Land Use: Stewardship and the Planning Process, The Global Cities Project, San Francisco, California, 1993. Contact at 415-775-0791.
Dutch government's transportation plan: Second Transport Structure Plan: Transport in a Sustainable Society, Part D: Government Decision, Second Chamber of the States-General, Session (the Netherlands), 1989-1990.
A Network of Livable Communities: Evaluating Travel Behavior Effects of Alternative Transportation and Community Designs for the National Capital Region, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Annapolis, Maryland, May 1996.
TransAct WWW site, Surface Transportation Policy Project site, contains information about transportation issues related to sustainability: http://www.transact.org/home.htm.
Weissman, Steve, and Judy Corbett, Land Use Strategies for More Livable Places, Local Government Commission, Sacramento, California, 1992.
Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development, DOE, WWW page for basic information including case study links: http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/.CREST, the Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology's Solstice Internet Information Service: http://www.crest.org/.
Department of Energy. POC: William Becker, Center for Excellence for Sustainable Development, DOE, 303-275-4801, and Richard Burrow, DOE Headquarters Programmatic Activities, 202-586-1709.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network, DOE, WWW page: http://www.eren.doe.gov/.
Hubbard, Alice, and Clay Fong, Community Energy Workbook: Guide to Building a Sustainable Economy, Rocky Mountain Institute, Snowmass, Colorado, 1995.
Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonprofit research and educational foundation that addresses efficient energy use with safe, sustainable sources as well as other resource issues. Its WWW site is: http://www.rmi.org/.
Sustainable Energy: A Local Government Planning Guide for a Sustainable Future, Urban Consortium Energy Task Force, Energy, Environment and Economic Development Unit, December 1992. For a copy, call the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearing House, 800-523-2929.
Brownfields home page by EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, includes funding information about the National Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Pilots: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/.Chesapeake Bay Communities: Making the Connection, EPA for the Chesapeake Bay Program, Annapolis, Maryland, April 1996. A catalog of local initiatives to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Available through the WWW at the Chesapeake Bay Program local government site: http://www.epa.gov/r3chespk/cbp_home/localgov/localgov.htm.
EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds WWW page: http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/index.html. An interesting document through this site is the Great Water Bodies Strategy document: http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/BODIES/content.html.
NOAA's Office of Sustainable Development and Intergovernmental Affairs. POC: John Bullard, Director, 202-482-3384. Also, NOAA's Coastal Zone Management Program. POC: Jeff Benoit, Director of the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resources Management, 301-713-3109.
Non-Hazardous Waste WWW page by EPA with information about municipal solid waste, household waste, recycling, and other waste issues: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/index.htm.
Superfund Today, EPA's WWW page of Superfund information for communities: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/oerr/today/text%26gif/sftintro.htm.
Toward a Watershed Approach: A Framework for Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration, Protection, and Management, Coastal America, 1994. Contact Coastal America at 301-713-3160.
Watershed Management Program at EPA WWW site containing information about collaborative local, state, and regional watershed management approaches: http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/watershed/.
Alternative Agriculture, National Research Council, 1989.The Alternative Farming Systems Information Center WWW page for sustainable agriculture information: http://www.inform.umd.edu:8080/EdRes/Topic/AgrEnv/AltFarm/.
The Ecosystem Approach: Healthy Ecosystems and Sustainable Economies, Volume I, Overview, Report of the Interagency Ecosystem Management Task Force, June 1995. Available through the National Technical Information Service, U.S. DOC, Springfield, Virginia, at 703-487-4650.
Grumbine, R. Edward, "What Is Ecosystem Management?" Conservation Biology, Volume 8, No. 1, March 1994.
Scott, Norman R., "Sustainable Development--An Evolutionary Concept," Agriculture, Energy, Demand-Side Management, and Environmental Issues, Proceedings from the 5th Cornell Agricultural Energy Program (CAEP) Conference, Albany, New York, May 1994.
Stevens, William K., Miracle Under the Oaks: The Revival of Nature in America, Pocket Books, New York, 1995. Interesting book about local habitat restoration activities.
United States Department of Agriculture. POC: Adella Backiel, Director of Sustainable Development, USDA, 202-720-2456, and Ruth McWilliams, Assistant Director for Cooperative Forestry, USDA Forest Service, and Co-Chair for the USDA Working Group on Sustainable Rural Communities, 202-205-1373.
"Virginia Chapter News," The Nature Conservancy, Spring 1996.
Yaffee, Steven L., et al., Ecosystem Management in the United States: An Assessment of Current Experience, Island Press, Washington, D.C., 1996. Study includes points of contacts and brief descriptions of 105 ecosystem management projects throughout the United States.
Burlington, Vermont, Office of the Mayor, Peter Clavelle, 802-865-7272.Norberg-Hodge, Helena, Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh, Sierra Club Books, San Francisco, California, 1991. Interesting book about a traditional Eastern community which has relevance to U.S. sustainability efforts.Cambridge Civic Forums WWW page: http://civic.net/cambridge_civic_network/ccf/ccf.html.
Chattanooga's sustainability WWW page: http://www.chattanooga.net/SUSTAIN/index.html.
Curry County, Oregon, Sustainable Nature-Based Tourism Project. POC: Diane Kelsay, Egret Communications, Curry County Field Office, 541-332-3202.
EcoCity Cleveland, nonprofit organization that publishes monthly journal called, EcoCity Cleveland Journal, contact at 216-932-3007.
Eco-Industrial Park WWW page by Cornell University: http://www.cfe.cornell.edu/wei/EID.html. Contains basic background information and detailed information on the Fairfield (Baltimore, Maryland) and Trenton, New Jersey, EIPs.
EcoVillage at Ithaca References
EcoVillage at Ithaca, New York, A Model for Land Conservation and Sustainable Neighborhood Development WWW page: http://www.cfe.cornell.edu/ecovillage/.Fairfield Ecological Industrial Park Strategic Plan: Work and Environment Initiative, Baltimore Development Corporation and Cornell University, August 1995. Fairfield Ecological Industrial Park is in Baltimore, Maryland.Thomas, Gregory, EcoVillage at Ithaca: Residents and Designers Working Together to Integrate Environmental Concerns into Housing Systems Design, Presentation at Air & Waste Management Association 89th Annual Meeting & Exhibition, Nashville, Tennessee, June 1996. Contact A&WMA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at 412-232-3444.
The Green Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 612-874-1148.
Lau, Sabrina M., Investigating Eco-Industrial Park Development: Final Report and Recommendations for Future Consideration, for the Green Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 1996. Survey of specific eco-industrial park activities.
Minnesota Sustainable Community References
Challenge for a Sustainable Minnesota: A Minnesota Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development, Minnesota Sustainable Development Initiative, Minnesota Environmental Quality Board, St. Paul, Minnesota, Public Review Draft, July 1995. To access through the WWW: http://www.mnplan.state.mn.us/press/sustplan.html.Common Ground: Achieving Sustainable Communities in Minnesota, A Report to the Sustainable Economic Development and Environmental Protection Task Force to the Governor, the Minnesota Legislature, and the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board, St. Paul, Minnesota, September 1995.
Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance Sustainable Communities Team. POC: Diane Wanner, 612-215-0192.
Northampton County, Virginia. POC: Timothy E. Hayes, Director of Sustainable Development, 757-678-0477. Also see Chesapeake Bay Program/EPA Case Study locations such as: http://www.epa.gov/ecosystems/cases/osec.html#NORTH.
Portland Development Commission. POC: Susan Anderson, 503-823-7223.Presidio National Park, San Francisco, California, sustainability project. POC: Mike Savidge, 415-561-4491.Scruggs, Patricia, and Philip Thompson, Promoting Sustainable Economic Development in Portland: A Report to the Portland Development Commission, Portland Development Commission, Portland, Oregon, October 1996.
Steele County, Minnesota's, "Green Source 2020" Sustainable Community project. For more information contact Christine Renne, Steele County Environmental Services, 507-444-7475.
Sustainability in Seattle 1995, A Report to the President's Council on Sustainable Development, a joint project by the Center for Sustainable Communities, Sustainable Seattle, and AtKisson & Associates, Inc., Seattle, Washington, 1995.
Sustainable Seattle at the Metrocenter YMCA. POC: Kara Palmer, 206-382-5013, at ext. 5072, and Lee Hatcher at ext. 5090; see also the group's WWW home page: http://www.scn.org/sustainable/susthome.html.
Building on the Blueprint: How Virginia's Communities Are Implementing Sustainable Development,Environmental Law Institute, Washington, D.C., 1995.
Virginia Coastal Program supports several sustainable community projects. POC: Laura McKay, Program Manager, 804-698-4323.