Green Communities Guide

The overall purpose of the Green Communities Guide is to provide community stewards ( e.g. municipalities, developers, citizens, and stewardship organizations) with practical tools to improve the conditions of their local environments, leading to improved quality of life, health and well being.

Special Thanks to the Alberta Real Estate Foundation

The Land Stewardship Centre of Canada would like to extend a special thanks to the Alberta Real Estate Foundation for their generous support. They provided funding over three years for the development of the Green Communities Guide.

The Alberta Real Estate Foundation supports initiatives that enhance the real estate industry and benefit the communities of Alberta. The Foundation was set up in 1991 under the Alberta Real Estate Act. Since then, it has awarded over 10.4 million dollars in community and industry grants to over 350 projects across Alberta.

Call for Case Studies!

The usefulness of the Green Communities Guide will largely depend on the Green Development case studies it profiles. Please tell us about the initiatives happening in your part of the world! Simply CLICK HERE to suggest a CASE STUDY for the Green Communities Guide.

Green Communities Guide Issues Identification Survey

The first stage of this project involves the identification of key environmental issues facing target audiences to direct our research towards those case studies that will be of most interest to you.

"We invite you to give us your opinions on Green Communities to help us ensure our research and end product will be useful and relevant to you. Please click on one of the following five links depending on what, if any, sector you represent, and please answer the survey from that sector's perspective:

Click here to if you are an elected municipal official
Click here if you work for a municipal department
Click here if you are a member of a community stewardship group, WPAC, or community association (e.g. community league)
Click here if you are a developer or work for the development industry
Click here if you wish to fill out the survey from the perspective of the general public

Green Communities Guide Project Proposal

Click here to download a copy of the project proposal

Summary

The Green Communities Guide will be an essential tool to help municipal stewards (i.e. municipal officials, stewardship groups, municipal departments with an interest in land-use planning, developers, etc.) develop strategies to conserve water, protect water quality, preserve valuable agricultural land, and protect critical open space and wildlife habitat. It will do this by highlighting community initiatives that have successfully achieved these goals in Alberta and across Canada. The key issues facing target audiences will be identified and research will be focused on tools to address those issues. Through the guide, target audiences will be informed about the innovative approaches available to avoid the impacts of growth. This first stage of this project has involved (a) identification of key issues facing developers and communities, and (b) compilation of green initiative case studies across a range of categories (e.g. water conservation, water quality protection, open space conservation). Based on this research the guide will be produced in 2008 and a presentation/workshop series will be conducted in 2009 to share the results with target audiences.

Background and Rationale

The 2006 Canadian census revealed that the population of Alberta grew by an amazing 10.6% in only five years, which was almost double the average population growth rate for the rest of the country (5.4%). Such fast rates of growth are inevitably accompanied by strain on municipal infrastructure, high costs of new infrastructure, and conversion of agricultural land and natural areas to residential, commercial, and industrial developments.

At the same time, development is facing new challenges, many of which stem from an uncertain water supply and water quality constraints (e.g. periodic drought, moratorium on new water licenses in the South Saskatchewan River Basin, deteriorating source water quality, future water shortages due to climate change). Communities are struggling with the unintended effects of wetland loss (e.g. increased flooding, dropping groundwater levels), loss of open spaces and wildlife habitat (leading to lost recreation and tourism opportunities), and increasing negative interactions between humans and wildlife. Rural and urban municipalities alike need the capacity to cope with these challenges.

Purpose and Goals

The general purpose of the Green Communities Guide is to provide community stewards (municipal elected officials, community stewardship groups, and champion municipal planning and development departments, and other audiences) with tools (design & policy) to make urban and rural development more “green” – i.e. development that maintains and restores the ecological function of the landscape. More specifically, the Guide will highlight tools that help conserve natural areas and wildlife habitat, protect valuable agricultural land, and protect water quality/quantity.

The Guide is not intended to duplicate the many efforts being made to increase the sustainability of towns and cities across Alberta, and across Canada. Rather, it is intended to:

Synthesize information on green development from other resources
Present the information in a clear and concise way for the target audiences of elected officials and community-based stewardship groups / community groups.
Present the information from an Alberta or prairie context, highlighting local political and geographic factors that will affect the practices and policies.
Showcase case studies of Alberta-based “green” practices and policies, where possible.
Highlight complementary initiatives and resources - referring readers to additional reading, helpful organizations, other initiatives, and websites, etc. to find out more information on each topic.
Address barriers to adoption
Serve as a discussion piece for a series of regional workshops with elected officials and community-based stewardship groups.
The specific goals of these projects are to:

Increase awareness of the range of stewardship tools that have been successfully used in communities across Canada across sectors and interest areas, and that address a variety of environmental issues including water quantity, water quality, wetland protection, green space and wildlife habitat. These tools will include best management practices ( e.g. on-site stormwater management, constructed wetlands, etc.) and policies (e.g. wetland conservation incentives, open space zoning, etc.)
Raise awareness of the value of community stewardship in improving environmental conditions and improving quality of life.
Increase understanding of the strategies (e.g. partnerships, leveraging funds, in-kind contributions) that contribute to the success of these stewardship projects.
Build capacity among developers, land managers, community groups and government agencies (municipal, provincial, federal, aboriginal) to undertake successful environmental stewardship projects through a series of regional workshops that transfer the knowledge gained during the project.

Key Audiences:

Elected municipal officials
Community groups (e.g. community-based stewardship groups, urban community associations)
Innovative developers (industry champions)
Innovative municipal departments (from “champion municipalities” of all sizes)
Environmentally-conscious public & home-buyers

Project Timeline:

June 2007 - March 2008

Identify and prioritize the key issues facing municipalities and other sectors under the rapid pace of development. Research examples of stewardship tools that address the key issues identified above, using local examples where possible

April 2008 - December 2008

Writing and publication of Green Communities Guide

January 2009 – April 2009

Promotion of guide through workshops in five regions across Alberta
Promotion of guide at the 2009 conference

Expected results and evaluation:

We expect this project as a whole to lead to increased awareness in the development and planning community of green tools and initiatives from across Canada. We also hope that it will increase the capacity among Albertans to initiate and successfully complete a range of environmental stewardship projects. We expect the Guide to increase the availability of information on stewardship tools from across the country, and we expect that this will lead to new and innovative community stewardship projects in Alberta.

We will measure our success by the following outcomes:

Range of green community project profiles included in the publication and presentation Number of requests for publication (hardcopy, electronic)
Number of requests for presentations
Attendance and participation at presentations/workshops
Workshop evaluation form results

Communication & Distribution:

The Green Communities Guide publication will be distributed via our email network and our partners’ email networks, and an electronic version will be posted on our website. Hardcopies will be mailed to municipalities, the urban development institutes, planning associations, realtor associations, and other interested parties. The primary opportunity for sharing the project results will be at the five interactive regional workshops, which will involve the development community and concerned citizens. The guide will also be presented at the 2009 National Stewardship conference to be held in Calgary (July 2009).

Draft Table of Contents:

Introduction
    What makes a community "green?"
    Need for the Green Communities Guide
    Purpose of the Guide
    Values of green communities (social, economic and environmental values/perspectives)
    Barriers to adoption of green tools, and incentives for adoption
Policy & perception barriers (~myths vs. facts)
    Green community/development design & policy tools
    Natural areas conservation and wildlife habitat protection
    Open space & ecosystem protection
    Tree protection
    Streams & Riparian area protection
    Wildlife protection
Protection of cultural landscapes and/or local food production (include?) – e.g. tools for agricultural land conservation, cultural landscapes protection, local food production (?)
Protection of water quality and water quantity
    Wetland protection
    Storm-water capture & storage
    Grading and site preparation
    Roads, laneways
    Parking, driveways
    Water conservation
    Wastewater (e.g. recycling, reuse)
Each section may be organized by the following headings:
    Recommended practice
    Benefits of the practice (environmental, social, economic) – and costs?
    Myths vs. realities
    Case study (from Alberta, Canada, or abroad)
    Additional resources (websites, publications, organizations, grants)
    Planning your Green Community
Local planning processes, community-based stewardship, sustainability planning

Budget:

Please contact us for our most up-to-date budget information. We are currently seeking funding for 2008-2009. If you or your organization would like more information on how you can contribute to this project, please contact us.

For more information:

For more information please contact Sarah Primeau, Green Communities Guide Project Coordinator, at sarah@landstewardship.org or phone (780) 240-8778.