Community Sustainability: Taking The Natural Step

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Community Sustainability Taking The Natural Step

• A presentation for the Halifax Regional Libraries
• Tuesday, November 14, North Branch Library
• Wednesday, November 15, Alderney Gate Library

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Overview

• What is Community Sustainability?
• The Natural Step Story
• Canada and Sweden some indicators
• Who else is using The Natural Step?
• The Natural Step for a Sustainable Atlantic
  Canada
• Resources
• Discussion and Questions

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What is Sustainability?
"Sustainable development is development that
meets the needs of the present generation without
compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs." -- Brundtland Report,
Our Common Future, 1987 World Commission on
Environment and Development
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Natural environment
Society
Economy
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The Sustainability Challenge
Resources Ecosystem services
declining
increasing
Environmental? Economic? Social? Cultural?

• Global population
• Demand for
• Resources
• Ecosystem services

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Why Community Sustainability?
What does community sustainability mean to you?
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The Natural Step Our Future

• The great challenge of this era is to bring
  human activities everywhere into alignment with
  the rest of the natural world...The Natural Step
  provides an elegant framework, a compass, to
  guide us on the road ahead and is a powerful tool
  for all seeking a new mental model to move their
  businesses into a sustainable future.
• Maurice F. Strong, Secretary General
• UN Earth Summit 1992

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The Natural Step the Story

• Dr. Karl-Henrik Robert, cancer doctor
• Built scientific consensus on sustainability
• Built a network of supporters scientists,
  entertainers, federal government, television, and
  the king!

• Widespread educational campaign in all schools
  and homes
• Build on the premise of success
• Ask your enemies for advice

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The Natural Step Conditions for a Sustainable
Society
In a sustainable society, nature is not subject
to systematically increasing
concentrations of substances extracted from the
earth's crust concentrations of substances
produced by society degradation by physical
means and, in that society people are not
subject to conditions that systematically
undermine their capacity to meet their needs.
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The System Conditions Re-framed
Develop policies and practices that ultimately .
. .
Eliminate our communitys contribution to fossil
fuel dependence and to wasteful use of scarce
metals and minerals Eliminate our communitys
contribution to dependence on persistent
chemicals and wasteful use of synthetic
substances Eliminate our communitys
contribution to encroachment upon nature (e.g.
land, water, wildlife, forests, soil,
ecosystems) Create conditions that increasingly
develop and improve the capacity of people to
meet their needs.
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Swedish Eco-Municipalities

• More than 60 Swedish Municipalities are on board
• Changing to sustainable practices across the
  board (systemic approach)
• Bottom-up, participatory approach to
  sustainability planning

• Experience is transferable to North American
  Communities
• Example of Övertorneå widespread community
  involvement over 200 new companies lowest
  incidence of sickness 100 fossil fuel free in
  municipal operations free public transit

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Environmental Indicators Canada Sweden
Source OECD in Figures, 2005 Edition
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Social Indicators Canada Sweden
Source OECD in Figures, 2005 Edition, UN Human
Development Index 2006
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Economic Indicators Canada Sweden
Source OECD in Figures, 2005 Edition
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Who uses The Natural Step?
Swedish Eco-municipalities
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Quotes from Adopters of The Natural Step

• The hospital received top marks from the
  Building Research Establishment as one of the
  UKs most sustainable buildings, where more
  sustainable methods have generated identifiable
  savings of 1.8 million pounds, including 20 less
  energy consumption and 35 less carbon dioxide
  emissions.
• Carillon Chief Executive
• The Natural Step was a real ah-ha. We could see
  how far we were from meeting the System
  Conditions. Everywhere we looked, we could see
  things we were doing that werent sustainable.
  This really pushed us to look at everything we
  did through the lens of sustainability.
• - Susan Sokol Blosser, owner and founder of Sokol
  Blosser Winery
• The Natural Step is a clear voice in the
  commotion.
• Leif Johansson, CEO, Volvo
• When we were introduced to the Natural Step, we
  realized we had found our framework.
• - Tachi Kiuchi, CEO, Mitsubishi Electric America

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Communities using The Natural Step

• Whistler
• A leading example of using the TNS Framework in
  a community planning context
• Whistler developed a comprehensive plan, a 16 yr
  strategy to move the town towards a sustainable
  Future - Whistler 2020

• The plan includes strategies on arts and
  culture, built environment, economy, energy,
  finance, health and social, learning, materials
  and solid waste, natural areas, partnership,
  recreation and leisure, resident affordability,
  resident housing, transportation, visitor
  experience, and water

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Communities using The Natural Step

• Canmore
• In November 2004, the Town of Canmore, Alberta,
  in partnership with organizations within the
  community, launched The Natural Step to a
  Sustainable Canmore.

• Canmore used an Early Adopters Process to bring
  business and community organizations on-side.
• Participants included the Town of Canmore, Rocky
  Mountain Flatbread Company, Canmore Public
  Library, Polar Pin, Bow Valley Waste Management
  Commission, Canmore Seniors Association, Stewart
  Creek Golf and Country Club (TSMV), Radisson
  Hotel and Conference Centre

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Communities using The Natural Step

• US Communities
• Now at least 10 municipalities in the United
  States in a growing eco-municipality network
• Includes the eco-region initiative in
  Chequamegon Bay, Wisconsin (includes officials,
  citizens and tribal members from 3 towns and two
  tribe nations)
• Other key participants include Madison,
  Wisconsin, Vandergrift and Pittsburg, PA,
  Lawrence Township, NJ, Portsmouth, NH.
• Example Chequamegon region
• Strategic plan has been developed
• Conducted study circles to engage the community

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The Natural Step for a Sustainable Atlantic
Canada

• There is a growing interest in sustainable
  development and a recognition of the need for
  action
• Provincial, federal and municipal governments are
  building this into planning (Integrated Community
  Sustainability Plans, new NS Economic Development
  Strategy)
• Communities, organizations and governments coming
  together to work on these issues
• Natural beauty of the region, and use of natural
  resources as a source of employment
• Local experience of resource collapse
• Community cultural sustainability an issue (e.g.
  out-migration)
• The Natural Step framework can help develop a
  vision and facilitate cooperation and
  communication among organizations and individuals
  working on sustainability issues.

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Communities using The Natural Step

• Halifax Regional Municipality
• Conducted a high level sustainability analysis
  of operations using The Natural Step framework
• Using the e-learning course
• Addressing project planning, evaluation and
  review, green building strategies, procurement,
  energy, waste management and staff education.

• Not to judge whether HRM is performing well or
  badly, but to have a holistic, rigorous
  understanding of its sustainability challenges to
  allow HRM to effectively and creatively address
  them.

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Communities using The Natural Step

• Wolfville
• Using TNS to revise the town's Municipal
  Planning Strategy and Land Use By-laws from a
  sustainability perspective

• Using TNS as a lens for other sustainability
  initiatives public consultations and
  capacity-building workshops
• Used TNS Study Circle guide for this process

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Next Steps

• Early Adopters
• Talking with interested communities and
  organizations (Wolfville, HRM, Antigonish, New
  Glasgow, Just Us! Coffee Roasters, Aliant, Acadia
  University, St. John, NB, Nova Scotia Department
  of Environment and Labour)
• Official launch in spring 2007
• Other Follow up
• Public lecture with Sarah James
• Nova Scotia Education for Sustainable
  Development Working Group next meeting November
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• Workshops in communities around Nova Scotia and
  with Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities

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Nova Scotia Education for Sustainable Development
Working Group

• Need for those working on sustainable development
  to collaborate and co-ordinate activities.
• NSESDWG will support systemic change in the
  formal, non-formal and informal education systems
• Multi-stakeholder group government, all three
  areas of education, non-governmental
  organizations, youth, industry, and academia.
• Looking for new members
• Next meeting November 21st, 1-430 pm, CCEPA
  Boardroom, 630 Francklyn St.
• For more information, contact Andrea Flowers,
  NSESDWG Coordinator, 902-425-9222,
  andrea.flowers_at_dal.ca

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Other Sustainability Resources

• Nova Scotia Education for Sustainable
  Development Working Group
• Genuine Progress Index (GPI) Atlantic
• Nova Scotia Sustainable Communities Initiative
• Eco-Efficiency Centre
• Coastal Communities Network
• Nova Scotia Environmental Network (and weekly
  bulletin)
• Ecology Action Centre
• Sierra Club of Canada Atlantic Canada Chapter
• Atlantic Health Promotion Research Centre
• Sustainable Maritimes listerv
• AND MANY, MANY MORE See handout

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The Natural Step Resources Books
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The Natural Step Resources Websites

• The Natural Step International http//www.naturals
  tep.org
• TNS Canada http//www.naturalstep.ca/
• TNS France www.tns-france.org
• TNS Italy www.naturalstep.it
• TNS New Zealand http//www.naturalstep.org.nz/
• TNS Sweden www.detnaturligasteget.se
• TNS UK www.naturalstep.org.uk
• TNS US (Oregon) www.ortns.org
• Stepping Stones, The Natural step International
  Newsletter http//www.naturalstep.org.uk/steps_46.
  pdf
• Whistler, Toward Sustainability
  http//www.whistler.ca/Sustainability/
• Town of Canmore, Natural Step http//www.canmore.c
  a/living/our-environment/natural-step-2.html

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TNS E-Learning Program
http//www.naturalstep.ca/elearning
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Thank You!

• Comments? Questions?
• For further information, please contact
• Clare Levin, Genuine Progress Index (GPI)
  Atlantic, clevin_at_gpiatlantic.org, 902-489-2524

www.nsen.ca
www.gpiatlantic.org
www.naturalstep.ca
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The Gini Coefficient

• 0 perfect equality 1 perfect inequality
• Gini ratio of areas (2yellow area) 100

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Strategic Planning Framework