U.S. Partnership

action teams

sector teams

Communities

Sustainable Communities Resources

- Projects & Organizations
- Articles, Magazines & Reports
- Books
- Video/Film

Thanks to Elan Shapiro at the Just Sustainability Initiative of Sustainable Tompkins
(Ithaca, New York) and Steve Weinberg for their contributions to this list.

Projects and Organizations

Sustainable Communities Network - links citizens to resources and to one another to create healthy, vital, sustainable communities.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is an example from the UK about a government office committed to thriving, vibrant, sustainable communities.

The Institute for Sustainable Communities is dedicated to helping communities around the world address environmental, economic, and social challenges to build a vetter future shaped and shared by all. ISC focuses on community action, the environment, education, civil society, and business development.

The Municipal Waste Management Association (an affiliate association of the U.S Conference of Mayors) is dedicated and driven by the needs of municipal solid waste directors, environmental commissioners, and public works professionals. MWMA promotes operational efficiencies, facilitates information, fosters innovation, and promotes legislative advocacy around Superfund, brownfields redevelopment, clean air, clean water and waste to energy regulations.

The Smart Communities Network has tools, links to articles and publications, and community success stories on a variety of topics from Community Energy, to Green Development, to Sustainable Business.

The Community-Campus Partnerships for Health fosters partnerships between communities and educational institutions that build on each other's strengths and develop their roles as change agents for improving health professions education, civic responsibility and the overall health of communities.

The City of Austin Sustainable Communities Initiative is an example of an initiative to help a local area achieve economic prosperity, social justice, and ecological health.

The Sustainable Communities Knowledge Network: Centre for Sustainable Community Development is a program in Canada. The site includes resources and information regarding a variety of topics.

Sustainable Community Planning has examples of best practices in design and development, tools for planners and designers, practical tips for your home and links to other research on sustainability.

The Bay Area Alliance for Sustainable Communities is a multi-stakeholder coalition established to develop and implement an action plan. Site includes sustainability indicators, projects and perspectives related to equity, economy and the environment.

New Urbanism promotes the creation and restoration of diverse, walkable, compact, vibrant, mixed use communities composed of the same components as conventional development, but in the form of complete communities.

Sustainable Portland

View an Ecological Footprint Analysis by Redefining Progress. View the footprints of nations, regions, and cities, as well as lesson plans and ways to reduce your community's ecological footprint.

Environmental Leadership Program
Excellent almost no-cost training and network for emerging environmental leaders with a focus on diversity and underlying commitment to justice.

The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE)
An international alliance of more than 50 independently operated local business networks with more than 15,000 members dedicated to building local living economies.

The Natural Step
"A framework grounded in natural science that serves as a guide for businesses, communities, educators, government entities, and individuals on the path toward sustainable development."

North American Eco-Municipality Network
Uses the Natural Step system conditions to create sustainable communities across the U.S. and Canada. Provides a list of participating organizations and communities.

Reclaim the Future, Ella Baker Center
Oakland , California
"Our goal: Build a green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty."
HS curriculum tools: http://ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=27&contentid=23

Urban Ecology
San Francisco , California
Aims to create vibrant Bay Area neighborhoods by listening to communities, designing neighborhood plans, advocating change, and serving as an information resource

Urban Habitat
Oakland , California
Builds bridges between environmentalists, social justice advocates, government leaders, and the business community, in areas such as environmental health, equitable development, leadership development, & transportation.

People's Grocery
West Oakland , California
Develops a socially just and sustainable food system in W. Oakland through community-based, youth-focused and innovative social enterprises, urban agricultural projects, educational programs and public policy initiatives

Fruitvale Transit-Oriented Village
Oakland , California
Transit-based development of a Hispanic and Asian community along the BART line

Bronx Center Project
New York
"Don't Move, Improve" NYC. Neighborhood-based sustainable development in a low-income area of the Bronx.
www.unesco.org/most/usa1.htm
http://www.sustainable.org/casestudies/newyork/NY_af_melrose.html

Sustainable South Bronx (SSB)
New York
A community-based organization created in 2001 to implement sustainable development projects for the South Bronx. Check out the work of Majora Carter, head of SSB

Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE)
Boston, Massachusetts
Umbrella organization for many "just sustainability" initiatives

Bethel New Life
Chicago, Illinois
Green economic/community development in inner city area.
www.smartcommunities.ncat.org/success/bethel_new.shtml

Shaw EcoVillage
Washington, DC
Building Youth Leaders and Sustainable Communities

Green Institute
Minneapolis, Minnesota
www.sustainable.org/casestudies/minnesota/MN_af_phillips.html

Growing Power
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Supports people from diverse backgrounds and the environment in which they live by helping to provide equal access to healthy, high-quality, safe and affordable food

Growing Prospects
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Provides individuals on income assistance with the skills they need to find full-time employment in the horticulture and greenhouse industries.

Edens Lost & Found
Media and Policy Center focused on grass roots movements and projects to restore American cities. Resources include action guides, DVDs, book, newsletter, etc.

Liberation Ecology
Integrating social justice and sustainability, or "social and ecological health." Rafter T. Sass, speaker/workshop leader/project designer, rafter@liberationecology.org, 518-567-7407

Policy Link
Social & economic justice toolkit linked to "regional equity" and "equitable development"

Institute for Public Policy Research
"Socially just environmental sustainability"

Creating Community
Justice & Equity Resources

For many more relevant examples, see:

a) Sustainable Community Success stories (Don't miss "Collections of Success Stories" at the end.)

b) Sustainable Community Case Studies

Articles, Magazines, Reports

Cities Go Green

Cities Go Green is a new web magazine on Sustainable Communities. Click here to read a recent article highlighting Alachua County, FL. This article resulted from an interview with Randall Reid, a Chariman of a 40 member International City and County Management Association's Sustainable Communities Advisory Committee. This committee is made up of city appointed officials from around the world.

Greening Downtown DC: Strategies for Protecting the Planet,
People & Profit

This report addresses the BID's commitment to greening Downtown Washington through a holistic sustainable approach. The Leadership Paper highlights its partnership with SB NOW's Green Business and Certification Program. As part of SB NOW's Green Business and Certification Pilot program, the Downtown DC BID is the first entity in DC to participate in the first phase of the pilot. SB NOW anticipates that the Downtown DC BID will be certified as a Green Business by the beginning of September.

For an executive summary, download "Greening Downton DC" at the bottom of the page.

The full leadership paper can be viewed at http://www.downtowndc.org/_files/docs/leadershipgreening.pdf.

EDA Update Issue 1; Volume 5

The latest update from the EDA includes information on their next Webinar, upcoming events, the amazing rebuilding of Greensburg, KS and more. Click the link at the bottom of the page to download a .doc file.

"Community Jobs in the Green Economy" by Apollo Alliance/Urban Habitat
Report on equity and the emerging green economy. Available free from publications@apolloalliance.org.
http://www.apolloalliance.org/

"Green Collar Jobs for Urban America" by Van Jones and Ben Wyskida
http://www.yesmagazine.com/article.asp?ID=1551

"Two Crises, One Solution" by Van Jones
http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=1262