Weekly Assignment #13

"UM Coffee Shop Seeks to Rebuild Buzz, Sustainably"

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/09/27/news/local/znews05.txt

This article, published on 9/27/07 in the Missoulian newspaper, describes the goals and plans of a local college coffee shop to become more sustainable in their operations. On the University of Montana campus in Missoula, the Think Tank has been an incredibly small but busy coffee stand. Now, UM Dining Services wants to expand the Think Tank to address growing demand from students, faculty and community members. As the Think Tank operators began to plan for a bigger restaurant, to be located in a courtyard not presently serving any other purpose, the rest of Dining Services also realized the value in using sustainable plans, and developed the "Guidelines for the University Dining Services Sustainable Future Initiative." This document outlines the sustainability goals of the UM Dining Services as a whole, including purchasing locally grown ingredients, cutting back on energy use, and providing learning opportunities for students.

There seem to be two ways of viewing university systems. First, the university could be seen as a local area similar to a small town or city, since it has its own means of governance and oftentimes its own residents. Additionally, a university could be seen as a neighborhood within the larger town or city in which it resides. Although this particular planning issue could be seen as either at the local or neighborhood level, it seems to fit better in the neighborhood category, since the Think Tank and other university services are utilized by students, faculty and outside community members who are not otherwise connected with the university.

This issue could not have been addressed at the regional or national level, since it is focused so tightly on local resources and residents. However, the university system could be seen as a neighborhood model for local-level sustainability planning. Wheeler states that "Achieving compact and relatively mixed-use neighborhoods is often seen as a goal..." (p. 186) Further, Wheeler describes mixed-use neighborhoods as including a range of resources and economic opportunities within a short distance of residential areas. A university is an ideal example of this concept, since it is usually placed within a larger residential community, but also includes its own residential space, dining, shopping, and employment opportunities.

In short, the efforts that have worked well at the University of Montana could reasonably be replicated by other neighborhoods and local governments. A focus on utilizing local resources, providing responsible alternatives for residents, and encouraging educational opportunities could be implemented in nearly any city, town or smaller neighborhood. However, one possible drawback to implementing these strategies at a larger local level is that government officials represent the entire area, and the sustainability plan would need support from a much broader range of residents.

Weekly Assignment #12

Article 1: "Master plan calls for higher density downtown"

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2009/03/10/news/mtregional/news07.txt

This article was published on 3/10/09 by the Missoulian newspaper in Missoula, Montana. Missoula is one of the larger towns in Montana, but still has a population fewer than 100,000. Several organizations in Missoula, including the Business Improvement District, the Missoula Downtown Association, the Missoula Redevelopment Agency and the Missoula Parking Commission. This article describes the "Downtown Master Plan" being set forth by these agencies. This is a good example of how sustainability planning can be accomplished outside the standard urban environment.

Wheeler describes "The role of institutions" (p. 98) and the importance of collaboration towards the goal of sustainability. Missoula is putting this concept into practice, with many local agencies working together on the Downtown Master Plan. These agencies are hoping to work with Federal agencies to make use of stimulus grants in order to achieve many of the goals in the plan. While the plan seems to be mostly focused on traffic patterns and housing development, there are also some facets that address the need for alternative transportation such as bike lanes.

It seems that the authors of the Downtown Master Plan are also trying to address the need for public involvement in the process, although their efforts may be coming up a bit short. Wheeler (p. 100) states, "Particularly important are structured community processes through which participants can get to know one another over time, build trust, establish a common base of knowledge and data, and develop networks that can bear fruit in the long run." This article shows that the local agencies in Missoula are attempting to educate the public stakeholders about what goals and plans have been set, but it does not appear that they are seeking true involvement from the public. Rod Austin, director of operations for the Business Improvement District, says in the article, "The BID is taking comments on the document, but...the basic ideas are essentially set."

In sum, this is a good example of how collaboration at the local level can produce goals and plans to achieve sustainability, with the least possible level of sacrifice for citizens. However, the process outlined seems to be lacking in the area of communication. From this article, it appears that the public was not involved in the initial stages of planning. The eventual outcomes of this project will show whether there was a cost associated with the choice not to include the public's opinions and values.

Article 2: "Missoula urged to hire sustainability coordinator"

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/07/08/bnews/br66.txt

This article was published on 7/8/08 by the Missoulian newspaper in Missoula, Montana, although it mostly describes a process undertaken by the town of Fayetteville, Arkansas. In Fayetteville, a "sustainability coordinator" is employed to manage the issues related to sustainable energy and development in the town. The Missoula County Conservation Roundtable is using the example of Fayetteville's success to encourage Missoula to follow suit.

In an opposite stance from the first article reviewed in this blog post, it seems here that the community groups are taking an active role in voicing their opinions and making recommendations for local environmental policy. In addition to the Missoula County Conservation Roundtable, the Advisory Board on Climate Change and Sustainability is also encouraging the Mayor to address this issue. Wheeler also supports this building of local coalitions, stating that "a core task of sustainability organizing at any level is to establish a positive and proactive agenda, rather than simply opposing bad projects." (p. 101) The Missoula coalitions described here seem to be doing well at being proactive in their recommendations to local government.

However, in this case, it seems that local government is being somewhat unresponsive to the community's requests. Mayor Engen states, "This just isn't the budget year for it. Otherwise, I would have had it in the executive budget. So we'll be talking about that next year." Even though the article reports that in Fayetteville, the sustainability coordinator was able to save $180,000 on the first energy bill, while his salary is only $57,000. It seems that this would be a positive budgetary decision, especially if Missoula County could mimic the energy savings that Fayetteville had.

Wheeler focuses quite a bit on showing how extensive the sustainability planning and implementation processes can be. This concept is backed up by the number of local organizations and coalitions dedicated to affecting positive change in the community, where sustainability is concerned. Given the many tasks and roles required to achieve these outcomes, it certainly seems that the local agencies in Missoula are on the right track by recommending a sustainability coordinator for the local government.

Weekly Assignment #11

1. How do you believe sustainability should be defined for policy-making?

According to Solow (1991), "The environment needs protection by public policy because each of us knows that by burdening the environment, by damaging it, we can profit and have some of the cost, perhaps most of the cost, borne by others." This sentiment shows that sustainability must play a major role in today's policy-making. However, the specific definition that is used may need to vary based on the types of policies being designed.

I think it is essential that policy-making take into consideration both the current environment and the possible future needs of humanity. For this reason, it seems ideal that sustainability should have multiple definitions for the purpose of policy-making. For example, when considering the needs and overall environment of the current generations, it might be best to have a weaker sustainability definition, allowing for more flexibility as environmental preservation begins to move in the right direction. However, when looking at protecting natural resources for future generations, it would be better to have a strong sustainability perspective, so that no one resource is over-utilized.

2. What are the difficulties associated with making sustainability a policy goal?

It seems that the hardest part about including sustainability in public policy is that there are so many interpretations, definitions and values in existence. Even at the broadest definition possible, sustainability should work toward finding a balance between quality of life, economic development/prosperity, and environmental protection. Trying to define any one of these factors is incredibly difficult, and becomes even more so as they are combined into one overall goal.

There is also the problem of setting individual priorities within the concept of sustainability. For example, one policymaker may perceive sustainability as being a method for current utilization of the available resources. However, another may define sustainability as the preservation of natural resources for future generations, even if it causes the economy or quality of life to suffer today. Box 2.1 on page 24 of Wheeler's book, Planning for Sustainability, gives a great example of the wide variety of definitions and focuses that can be found under the general topic of sustainability. Including sustainability in public policies is a desirable and possible step, as long as policymakers can recognize that there may be differing, and even conflicting, conceptual definitions in use.

3. If you had to design a practical framework to help a state environmental agency achieve ecological, economic and social sustainability, what would that framework look like?

An effective policy framework to address sustainability issues should include political debate, public opinion gathering, and expert advice. As Goodland points out, achieving social sustainability (quality of life, cultural diversity, etc) is an essential step toward achieving environmental sustainability. It seems reasonable to expect that a healthy, happy public is more likely to be willing to spend time and energy engaging in a discussion about both economic and environmental sustainability issues. For this reason, environmental sustainability efforts must go hand-in-hand with policies aimed at improving citizens' quality of life.

Once there is a pool of citizens who are willing and able to be involved in developing environmental sustainability policies, the policymakers must also find a balance between public input and the advice of experts. It may be best to first consult a panel of experts in order to define the areas that need to be addressed by policy. Afterwards, a variety of methods should be used to engage the public in discussion about these areas. It seems likely that the overall outcome may stand a better chance if both citizens and experts have had a chance to give input.

4. Voters and politicians often want short term results, but many argue that sustainable development calls for a long-term policy plan. How do we take the long term view that sustainable development requires in this political environment?

People alive today, including both politicians and voters, stand to benefit the most from short-term policies addressing sustainability. These policies may cover issues such as oil consumption, air quality, etc. However, many people are also concerned about the welfare of future generations, requiring a longer-term approach to sustainability policy. If it was reasonable to assume that the needs and available resources of the future are accurately mirrored by what is present today, it would be a relatively simple task to create long-term policies.

However, it is impossible to know the conditions that humanity will face in the future. There may be discoveries of new natural resources, there will almost certainly be new technologies, and there may also be irreversible consequences as a result of previous resource consumption. Solow gives a good overview of how long-term policies should proceed: "We should choose policies that will be appropriate over as wide a range of possible circumstances as we can imagine." By developing a widely-applicable, flexible set of policies, current generations can take some responsibility for allowing future generations the opportunity to benefit and prosper as well.