Report to the Board of Directors from the APWA Center for Sustainability

August 24, 2009

Background:
In 2008, then President Larry Frevert established a Task Force to evaluate and make recommendations for the creation of a new initiative to promote the principles of sustainability within APWA as an organization and the public works profession as a whole. The Task Force met later that year and recommended the creation of the APWA Center for Sustainability to "create a foundation for sustainability action in discussion, evaluation, education, coordination of programs and endorsement of ideas and recommendations on the issues surrounding sustainability and public works management". The Task Force directed the Center for Sustainability to create a forum to integrate the concepts of sustainability in all aspects of APWA as an organization and public works management. The Task Force also identified four core strategic priorities for the Center: (1) enable APWA to become a driving force for sustainability in public works management; (2) creation of an integrated vision for future, sustainable public works management; (3) build an APWA structure that motivates and enables public works practitioners to act more sustainably and (4) develop the next generation of public works leaders with strong sustainability credentials and commitment.

The Center is guided by a 12 member leadership group who were appointed by APWA President Noel Thompson after consultation with the Executive Committee and the At Large Directors for an initial 18 month term of office. The leadership group was identified through a competitive recruitment process. Approximately 150 APWA members applied to be considered for appointment to the leadership group and those members who were not selected form a less formal "Sustainability Resource" group that represents a network of sustainability and technical area experts with an interest in contributing to the APWA sustainability agenda. In addition to the 12 members of the leadership group, the five APWA At Large Directors act as advisers to the center leadership and provide a strong link with the existing APWA technical committees. Attached is the revised APWA organizational chart including the Sustainability Center. The members of the leadership group are serving an 18 month term ending June 30, 2010. APWA member Michael Mucha, Public Works Director, Olympia, WA, was named as the Chair of the leadership group and APWA member Kelly Mattingly, Public Works Director, Blacksburg, VA, was named as the Vice Chair. In July 2009, Executive Director Peter King named Julia Anastasio the Director of the APWA Center for Sustainability and I continue to work out of APWA’s Washington DC office.

Center for Sustainability Activity:
The members of the Sustainability Center Leadership (SCL), along with the five At Large Directors, met for two days in July to begin to develop an action plan for the Center that will provide a framework for fulfilling the four core strategic priorities identified by the Task Force in 2008. The SCL spent considerable time establishing a vision and framework to build the tools, knowledge and skills for APWA members so that they can exercise sustainable leadership in their organizations and communities. The SCL envisions the Center as positioning APWA and its members to build a relationship of trust and respect with citizens to co-create vibrant, healthy communities that balance social, economic and environmental outcomes.

After working through several facilitated exercises led by the Chair, the SCL developed the following framework to guide the SCL activities:

• Whole System Thinking. Everything is interrelated and we must approach our work to find balance in everything.
• Make it easy. We utilize powerful tools that are simple and easy to use.
• Being proficient explorers. It may be difficult to predict the future, but we sure can create it through risk-taking, innovation, and courageous leadership.
• Build on our successes. Recognize that we are already leading sustainability in many ways and we are just trying to be even better at it.
• See ourselves as part of the whole. We cannot do it alone. We must recognize a shared responsibility for success by working with citizens, elected officials and other professions.
• Have a caring capacity. We are in this for the long term and must therefore nurture healthy relationships with people that last beyond the issue of the day. We seek to find meaning, purpose and connectedness.

In addition to the framework, the SCL identified four strategic priorities to guide the work of the SCL as they identify a plan of action for the Center:

1. Develop a set of guiding principles: establish a framework for sustainability so that all aspects of APWA make balanced choices. The principles should be user-friendly, intuitive and simple. The principles should apply across the board and guide all decisions.
2. Create a Knowledge Center: develop and establish a Sustainability Knowledge Center so that APWA members have easy access to the tools and resources they need to create change. The tools should make the process easy. The Knowledge Center should be web-based and contain tools, programs, resources and a forum for technical knowledge sharing.
3. Engage APWA membership: promote and establish a culture of sustainability within the profession through the activities of the Center for Sustainability.
4. Develop partnerships with other national, international and local organizations engaged in promoting sustainability so that the Center can leverage these relationships and build support for public works professionals.

Additional Activities:

• In support of priority 3, At-Large Director George Crombie will make a presentation updating the House of Delegates at their annual business meeting in September on the activities of the Center for Sustainability. He will also facilitate a roundtable discussion to share information on how chapters can participate in the activities of the APWA Center for Sustainability and Chapters with sustainability committees, and those interested in developing a committee at the Chapter level were encouraged to attend and share their ideas for building the new Center for Sustainability.
• In support of priority 3, members of the SCL will participate in a "Meet & Greet" on the Exhibit floor during two days of Congress to launch and discuss the Center for Sustainability with the membership and to promote the 2010 Sustainability in Public Works Conference.
• Planning is underway for the next Sustainability in Public Works Conference to be held June 8-10, 2010 in Minneapolis, MN. SCL members are helping to identify potential speakers and develop content for the conference. SCL members have also provided lists of other organizations focusing on sustainability that we can approach about helping APWA market the conference.
• In support of priority 4, the Director of Sustainability has been meeting with her counterparts with other national organizations engaged in promoting sustainability including ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, ICMA and ASCE.
• The SCL prepared an advocacy position statement on pending climate change legislation. The draft statement is being circulated to all technical committees for review and comment and will be sent to the Government Affairs Committee for its review and approval at their September business meeting.

Future Activities:

The SCL will meet again in October 2009 in Kansas City to finish developing its action plan for the remainder of the year.