Public Awareness for Sustainability

Strategic Planning for the Town of Dauphin Island (AL) to Attain Sustainable Economic Development & Environmental Protection (January - December 2007). Five E's Unlimited is assisting the Town of Dauphin Island in developing a long-term strategy and implementation plan for community development that creates a more hazard resistant community able to balance economic development with environmental sustainability. The consultant services include (1) reviewing existing documents and statutes applicable to future development, (2) providing stakeholder sustainability awareness and inventorying all stakeholder place-based interests, values, practices, and future vision, (3) conducting community asset identification via public consultation processes, (4) developing visual frameworks of historical and current conditions that will influence changes in environment, community development, and cultural views, (5) planning and designing management strategies through public participation, including the visualization of possible futures and related timelines for progress, and (6) promoting implementation of a management strategy and measurement processes. During the final phases of the project we plan to work collaboratively with the Planning Commission and others in identifying how this strategic planning process can be integrated into the Island’s Comprehensive Plan. In addition, we will collaborate with official entities responsible for Island governance to identify areas of future cooperation that can result in improved opportunities for gaining needed financial resources. Consultanting partners in this contract included Gene Martin of the University of Washington, Seattle WA and Mary Mullins of the Bellwether Group, Mobile, AL. Contact: Nannette Davidson, Planning Commission, Town of Dauphin Island, AL 36528. tel: (251)861-5525, ext. 25. e-mail: ndavidson@townofdauphinisland.org.

US Partnership for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, Washington, DC. Joint collaboration with several other committed professionals on a project focused upon developing public communication strategies that would promote specific public behavior changes (1) necessary to achieve an environmentally sustainable world and (2) simple for consumers to understand and implement. This project is designed to influence public behavior changes, reinforced by available scientific knowledge, that will help protect wilderness areas and create a viable, healthy future for the biosphere. Consultant work focused on expressing the rationale for sustainable development through coherent and compelling communications designed to make sustainability part of the daily behaviors and attitudes of all people. Collaborative activities include the development of a Public Service Announcement for distribution to major TV networks around the US and the design and publishing of a “portal” web site to provide the visitor with information refined for his or her interest, background, and/or profession regarding the development of more sustainable lifestyles. This project, known as “A Better Future,” is a coherent, compelling and scientifically supported campaign designed to help consumers embrace sustainability, which will ultimately help transform sustainability into a national and international priority by introducing/reinforcing specific behaviors that support a more healthy, humane and environmentally sustainable world. Contact: Steve Cochran, Executive Director, Int'l Centre for Leadership Results, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA 17325. - tel: (717)486-4072 . e-mail: SCochran@LeadershipResults.org.

National Council for Science and the Environment. Served for nine months as a Sustainability Conference Planning Committee Member, Assisted the National Council for Science and the Environment in the planning of their 3rd Annual Conference (January 2003) entitled "Education for a Sustainable and Secure Future." As a Conference Planning Committee member contributed to designing the conference agenda, identifying experts to serve as speakers and panelists, and writing parts of the Pre-conference Briefing Document on Sustainability Education and Communication. Also co-designed and co-facilitated a breakout session during the conference that involved 40 Conference participants working on the specific task of defining a "Strategy for a National Public Communications Campaign on Sustainable Development." Contact: Dr. David Blockstein, Senior Scientist, National Council for Science and the Environment, 1707 H St., NW, Second Floor, Washington, DC 20006 - tel. (202)530-5810. e-mail: david@cnie.org.

Resort Municipality of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Provided the Whistler community and government (British Columbia, Canada) with expert opinions and data on sustainability as they would apply to a resort community to inspire long range planning and enhance sound economic development in tourism and recreation. Retained to prepare a Comprehensive Sustainability Plan that was produced during 2002. The RMOW required that the consultant team, of which I was the lead consultant for the Sustainable Destination Resort Background Report development, work to examine and define sustainability criteria in the context of the Whistler community. A copy of this report can be found at Whistler It's Our Future. My responsibilities in this effort included working to develop community consensus on sustainable destination resort community characteristics and criteria for evaluating futuring scenarios for the community and government to use in evaluating and choosing their preferable alternative future. Designed methodology for developing a comprehensive plan that was not simply collaborative with the community, but that was initiated, driven and concluded by the community. Assisted the public in understanding issues surrounding sustainability and how methodology should be applied to the key economic development issues facing the community. Responsible for guaranteeing the public's considered opinion was recorded and reconciled through further consultation and that the Comprehensive Sustainability Plan was set for implementation. Contact: Mr. Mike Purcell, General Manager of Planning & Development, RMOW, 4325 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, VC V0N 1B4 - tel: (604)935-8160. e-mail: purcell_m@rmow.whistler.bc.ca.

Beyond Creation, Muncie, IN. Assisted with the organization's initial planning and formal non-profit structure development. Designed and published the organization's web site. Assisted the organization's founder in the development and exhibition of the EARTH CHILD Project, a mobile playhouse laboratory that demonstrates different aspects of green building design and the ultimate conservation strategies that evolve in watershed protection from consumers utilizing the recommended green building strategies and energy/water conservation strategies in their own households. Contact: Ms. Willow Thomas, Beyond Creation, ARC, P.O. Box 398, Springfield OH 45501 - tel: (937)727-1040. e-mail: WillowT37@aol.com.

Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy (IATP), Minneapolis, MN and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NCRS - U.S. Dept. of Ag.), Madison, WI. Member and consultant to Mid-West Working Landscape Task Force, that included government agency reps, NGOs, and academicians to fact-find, lead the design, and implement a full participatory conference on sustainability of "Working Landscapes in the Mid-West". Conference design digressed from traditional format to stimulate full participant contribution of collective wisdom, buy-in, and "back-home" implementation for recommended actions promoting land-based economic activity that sustains families, communities, and watershed integrity, while also providing multiple benefits to society. Contact: Dr. Dave Carvey, NRCS, Madison, WI - tel. (608)224-3009; e-mail: David.Carvey@mw.nrcs.usda.gov.

National Council for Science and the Environment, Washington, DC. Designed and facilitated two-day Conference Workshop on "Sustainable Communities" to gather collective participant agreement on the science and information delivery needs required to advance concepts of sustainable communities via National Science Foundation research initiatives and Federal Legislation proposals. Contact: Dr. David Blockstein, Senior Scientist, National Council for Science and the Environment, 1725 K St., NW, Suite 212, Washington, DC 20006-1401 - tel. (202)530-5810. e-mail: david@cnie.org.