Meaningful, Practical, Updateable Napa City Council Adopts Sustainability Plan by aNdrea Fox City of Napa Sustainability Coordinator Smagazine length to dictionary weight, andustainability Plans come in many shapes,sizes, and formats. They range from are filled with captivating infographics or horrible charts. There are plans that you have to be a scientist to understand, and plans that a child could comprehend. Budgets vary widely, and a $50,000 plan looks and feels different from a $300,000 plan. Goals and target audiences of plans can also be quite different. In the City of Napa, our goal was simple: to create a plan that is meaningful, practical, and updatable, and that will prepare us for future legislation. In 2009, the City of Napa received nearly $700,000 through a block grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The Sustainability Plan is one of six projects funded through this grant, and early on, the City decided to format the Plan into two distinct sections—one focused on City government operations (“City Plan”), the other on the community at-large (“Community Plan”). This allowed City staff to develop a plan that makes sense for them, and the community to create a plan that reflects their interests. “Green Teams” were formed around various topics, including energy, water, mobility and transportation; recycling and waste reduction; planning and land use; local food, local business and economy; natural and built environment; and community connectedness. To collect input for the Community Plan, community leaders were interviewed, a bilingual online survey was conducted, and one large event, fourteen smaller Green Team meetings, and one Spanish-language meeting were held. Meetings were held during different times of day, in accessible locations, and translators were available as needed. Action items in the Plan reflect the priorities and interests of City staff and the community. This includes initiatives that fall under the City or the community’s purview, such as continuing to retrofit streetlights with LEDs; creating an anti-idling policy for City fleet vehicles; raising awareness of educational opportunities to learn about waste reduction and recycling; or organizing a tour of local green homes and In building its Sustainability Plan, City of Napa businesses. “Green Teams” explored various topics, People put energy into the things they care about. There were over 400 participants who helped create the including energy, water, mobility and transportation; recycling and waste reduction; ninety-five initiatives in the Sustainability Plan, and it’s the initiatives that are most worthy of our (often limited) planning and land use; local food, local time and attention that will get accomplished. The City of Napa City Council adopted the Sustainability Plan business and economy; natural and built on July 24, 2012, and since we are already moving forward implementing initiatives, we are optimistic that the environment; and community connectedness. Plan will continue to meet its intended purpose and remain a “living document.” To view the City of Napa’s Sustainability Plan, visit cityofnapa.org/cleangreennapa, or find us on Facebook and Twitter @cleangreennapa. S E P T E m B E R / o c T o B E R 2 0 1 2 55
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