Edmonton Final April 22

Critical Success Factors for
Municipal Sustainability
Prepared for The City of Edmonton
by
Andrew Cowan Hon. Bsc MNRM LEED GA
Senior Sustainability Leader
3690 Twin Falls Place, Ottawa, Canada K1V 1W6
Tel: 613-822-6342 Cell:613-790-6342
cowanenvironmental@rogers.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary 3
Background 4
Research Purpose 4
Approach 4
Current Situation 5
General Findings 6
Sustainability Plans, Organization Structure & Implementation Framework 6
State of Use of Known Sustainability Frameworks 8
Leadership is a Game Changer but be Strategic 8
Critical Elements for Consideration 9
Detailed Findings 10
Critical Factors for Developing a Sustainability Framework or Plan 10
Critical Factors for Implementing the Framework or Plan 12
Benchmarking Culture 13
A Comparative Analysis of Findings & Existing Models 15
Conclusions and Recommendations 17
References and Resources 22
Appendix A - Survey Questions 24
Appendix B - Municipal and Organization Contacts 28
Appendix C - Survey Response Data Sheet 31
Appendix D - Denver Sustainability Principles 32
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Executive Summary
Edmonton would like to see additional improvements made to its operational and
administrative framework, internal culture and its community outcomes with respect to
sustainability. The City wishes to understand the current state of success in the
application of sustainability frameworks in municipalities. In particular, the City wishes
to gain a better understanding of how successful other municipalities have been and
what critical success factors were required to establish any one of a number of these
sustainability frameworks. A comparison or benchmarking of sustainability frameworks
being used in municipalities including critical success factors experienced was desired.
A survey was designed and administered by phone and email using a standard set of
open ended and closed questions. It focussed on how municipalities selected a
sustainability framework, how the framework was approved and implemented by the
municipality, what barriers were identified in developing the framework and what
lessons were learned through the development of the framework. A similar set of
questions were developed to determine critical factors of success in implementing the
framework once approved by the municipality. In addition, a number of questions were
included in the survey that related to cultural readiness and acceptance of sustainability.
Other individual experts and organizations that specialize in municipal sustainability
were also interviewed and a review and analysis of relevant studies, reports and
sustainability frameworks was undertaken.
The results of the research indicate that a number of municipalities are in very similar
situations to Edmonton where high level community plans have been developed
recently and municipalities are now trying to determine the best approach to implement
these plans, developing action plans, working with departments to determine priorities,
building capacity to implement and facilitating access to education on sustainability.
There are clear opportunities and options available to Edmonton that can be capitalized
on in order to effectively advance efforts to embed sustainability. There were some
gaps or areas identified where greater emphasis, regardless of any type of framework
chosen for sustainability, that Edmonton will need to prioritize as it moves forward with
its desire to increase uptake and application of more sustainable practices. A priority
emphasis should be placed on the soft side of sustainability. Relationships, and
capacity building are fundamental to maximizing existing programs and services as well
as facilitating new and more complex initiatives. Specifically efforts should be made to
prioritize the development of an education and training program on sustainability and a
staff recognition and promotional program. These are both fundamental building blocks
or critical factors to a prolonged effort to develop a culture of sustainability.
It is also important to build on what already exists with respect to past operational and
programming efforts of staff. It is recommended that these efforts be repackaged to
demonstrate how they are contributing to the directional plans and to the way ahead
plans. Detailed recommendations are outlined below in this report.
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Background
The City of Edmonton has applied the concept of sustainability as a guiding principle in
how it operates for many years. It has also established a number of environmental
plans, policies, programs and initiatives. Edmonton has been recognized on numerous
occasions as a leader in the advancement of sustainability and environmentally
responsible services and programs. Compared to other municipalities, Edmonton can
be viewed as an innovator, and a leader in advancing more sustainable solutions.
Edmonton has made a number of important strides through its efforts on sustainability
that have contributed to positive outcomes. Edmonton would like to see additional
improvements made to its operational and administrative framework, internal culture
and its community outcomes with respect to sustainability . This desire is reflected in
the need to increase impact and progress made on key issues in the community such
as climate change, environmental quality, fiscal and economic efficiency, and social and
community improvement. Consequently, there is a sense among staff responsible for
advancing sustainability that there is a need to re-emphasize the application of
sustainability and to increase efforts to integrate, coordinate and ultimately apply
sustainability on a day to day basis. In other words embed sustainability into the culture
of Edmonton’s city staff and citizens. There is a desire to strive toward the adoption of
an integrated and coordinated sustainability framework that can solidify many of the
current activities being undertaken and facilitate the increased application of sustainable
actions among staff, so that additional positive impacts of sustainability can be fully
realized.
Research Purpose
The City of Edmonton is exploring various sustainability frameworks that it wishes to
adopt as an organizational management approach to their sustainability plans,
programs and initiatives. The City wishes to select a framework that will allow
Edmonton to build it’s internal capacity to understand sustainability in order that staff
can apply sustainability principles to the programs and services they are responsible for
implementing. As part of the decision making process to select the best suited
sustainability framework for their needs, the City wishes to understand the current state
of success in the application of sustainability frameworks in municipalities. In particular,
the City wishes to gain a better understanding of how successful other municipalities
have been and what critical success factors were required to establish any one of a
number of these sustainability frameworks. A comparison or benchmarking of
sustainability frameworks being used in municipalities including critical success factors
experienced is desired.
Approach
A survey was designed and administered by phone and email using a standard set of
open ended and closed questions. The survey was designed in consultation with City of
Edmonton and focussed on how municipalities selected a sustainability framework, how
the framework was approved and implemented by the municipality, what barriers were
identified in developing the framework and what lessons were learned through the

development of the framework. A similar set of questions were developed to determine
critical factors of success in implementing the framework once approved by the
municipality. In addition, a number of questions were included in the survey that related
to cultural readiness and acceptance of sustainability. The complete set of questions
can be found in Appendix A of this report.
The consultant initially identified 12 municipalities in North America in consultation with
the City of Edmonton to conduct the survey. All were contacted and asked to
participate. Adjustments to the list were made based on availability of municipal
contacts and on suggestions from survey respondents. Municipalities were chosen
based on: their recognition as leaders in the application of sustainability; similar
characteristics and challenges to Edmonton; a review of municipalities indicating they
use sustainability frameworks including “off-the-shelf” industry recognized frameworks
such as The Natural Step, Triple Bottom Line, Agenda 21 and others. In addition to
surveying municipalities, other individual experts and organizations that specialize in
municipal sustainability were interviewed and a review and analysis of relevant studies,
reports and sustainability frameworks was also undertaken. A list of all participants that
provided input into this research can be found in Appendix B
The following list includes the municipalities who were surveyed and expert
organizations interviewed:
MUNICIPALITIES
Berkeley, California (BER)
Calgary, Alberta (CAL)
Edmonton, Alberta (EDM)
Denver, Colorado (DEN)
Halifax, Nova Scotia (HAL)
Hamilton, Ontario (HAM)
Helsinki, Finland (HEL)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin (MIL)
Niagara Region, Ontario (NIA)
North Vancouver, British Columbia (NVAN)
Portland, Oregon (POR)
Vancouver, British Columbia (VAN)
Victoria, British Columbia (VIC)
Washington, DC (WAS)
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
Canada Housing Mortgage Corporation -Sustainability
Research Branch
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
STAR Community Index
Urban Sustainability Directors Network
University of Waterloo
Current Situation
In 2009, Edmonton adopted a new strategic plan that outlines the direction for the City
and community until 2018 called “The Way Ahead”. It can be considered dynamic and
can be updated annually under the direction of Council. The plan includes a vision for
Edmonton, overarching principles and key goals with desired outcomes. The last
update was in 2011. Sustainability is one of four (4) key principles in the plan. It is
defined as the following statements :
“ A way of living that meets the needs of the present and does not compromise
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
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Urban planning takes an integrated, holistic view of urban environments and
defines sustainability in the context of interrelated ecosystems encompassing
economic, social, environmental and cultural sustainability.
The principle of sustainability includes financial sustainability, ensuring urban
planning recognizes and addresses resource constraints and capacities.”
Under “The Way Ahead” there are a number of strategic sub plans or “Directional
Plans” including an economic development plan, a transportation plan, a environmental
plan, a financial plan, a growth management and development plan, a plan for
Edmonton’s economy, and a plan focussed on liveability. The City has now begun to
develop specific action plans and prioritize initiatives for implementation including
discussions with respect to budget resources required. An internal coordinating
committee has been established that is responsible for overseeing the implementation
of this work called “The Transforming Edmonton Committee”. At the same time the City
is developing a system to measure performance and is identifying specific
measurement indicators for each of the plans that will feed this system.
The adoption of the directional plans and implementation of priorities is ambitious,
complex and challenging and has required the collective effort of many staff and
community partners. Within all of this work the idea that sustainability should be applied
as an operational principle has raised a number of challenges and at the same time
significant opportunity to advance sustainability into Edmonton’s cultural or operational
fabric. As such, the adoption of a framework that staff accept and a roadmap to provide
support to staff and help embed sustainability into the organization is an important
aspect of achieving a more sustainable Edmonton.
General Findings
Sustainability Plans, Organization Structure & Implementation Framework
A number of municipalities in the survey are in very similar situations to Edmonton
where high level community plans have been developed recently and municipalities are
now trying to operationalize these plans by developing action plans, working with
departments to determine priorities, and building capacity to implement by facilitating
access to education on sustainability.
One distinction between Edmonton and other municipalities surveyed is that in the case
of the municipalities surveyed it was clear that the highest level plan can be considered
a Sustainability Plan. The difference is that the Way Ahead plan is high level and it
breaks out many key community issues into the directional plans whereas other
municipalities have typically only one overarching plan. The advantage is that there is
typically much more clarity regarding the important linkages between sustainability and
other priorities. In addition, it was clear that the plans elsewhere were organized around
a more pronounced sustainability framework and that these plans represented the
highest level of plans for those Municipalities.
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In other cases such as Portland the term sustainability is not emphasized. However, in
this case there is an understanding that sustainability is already embedded due to
evolved practices and a more informed public from past and prolonged efforts.
In general the survey revealed that the is no standard approach at the moment, or
generally accepted standard for municipalities to integrate and position sustainability
within their community plans. Key factors influencing what approach is taken depends
on leadership, community interest and desire for sustainability, and the level of
experience and history of use of the principle and application of sustainability in the
community and administration.
Regarding, administrative and organizational structures of the municipalities surveyed,
many municipalities are managing sustainability in a similar fashion to Edmonton
through a small office that co-ordinates and facilitates uptake of sustainability actions
relevant to departmental mandates. Little or no budget is assigned directly to these
offices beyond staff salaries. Most survey respondents stated that the idea of a larger,
more centralized sustainability department as a key administrative body, was not a
desired or logical approach because it would not be able to effectively apply
sustainability in other departments. It simply didn’t make sense within the context of
what the administration is responsible for delivering and how they organize to deliver
these services to create a separate department of sustainability.
The common working approach among municipalities trying to advance sustainability by
supporting staff seems to be a collaborative approach, as a specialized office providing
expertise in sustainability to all departments. Departmental support, and resources
varies widely and there was a common indication that a key challenge was trying to
increase departmental focus and commitment to the application of sustainability. In
other words, Edmonton is not alone in the challenge of trying to embed sustainability as
normal operating practice in departmental responsibilities and accountabilities.
Other common traits among those responsible for advancing sustainability include:
being opportunistic; struggling to gain traction of a substantial nature; being strategic in
partnering with departments that are ready to embrace sustainability; resource deprived;
focussed on environmental sustainability and less so on social and economic pillars;
variable with respect to departmental buy in and application of programs and services
that contribute to sustainability goals; and with limited communications resources and a
desire to communicate and increase awareness more effectively both with the public
and various municipal departments, staff and council .
The fact that many municipalities are in similar stages of implementation of their plans
represents an opportunity for Edmonton to partner with these municipalities as a
resource and collectively strategize around a standard set of tactics and tools for
embedding sustainability within a municipal organization. For example, Calgary is
undergoing a review of their Triple Bottom Line policy, framework and tools, Vancouver
recently adopted a new plan and is working through implementation, Denver, Berkeley,
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Washington, Milwaukee all are in the process of planning renewals or implementation
frameworks of varying stages and degrees of completion. As an observation, the
municipalities in this survey could contribute to a best practice tool kit that could form
the basis of the necessary tools required to embed and increase the application of
sustainability. This report will provide some insight into how Edmonton should proceed
with its own approach however the idea of collaborating with or continuing to get advice
from others doing the same would seem beneficial.
State of Use of Known Sustainability Frameworks
None of the municipalities were using an “off the shelf “ sustainability framework such
as The Natural Step or Triple Bottom Line. All suggested that their framework was
derived based on public input and corporate reaction to that input, Although “off the
shelf “ frameworks were not used in their entirety or as they were meant to be applied,
the frameworks the municipalities were using did include certain elements or aspects of
off the shelf frameworks. Examples include back-casting methodology of TNS, modified
Triple Bottom Line reporting, and consideration of the recently released STAR
Community Rating System. In some cases municipalities had used these frameworks
in the past but indicated that they found that overall there were challenges due to
complexity and the ease of staff application.
In general, most municipalities were using a three pillar or triple bottom line approach or
a modified approach to environment, economy, and society with additional pillars added
to reflect public priority such as health or social equity. All survey respondents stressed
the need for a simple and flexible approach or framework to facilitate effective
organizational uptake, buy in and action on sustainability. They indicated that some
popular frameworks were not used for the following reasons: because the organization
was not ready for such a concept; it was considered too complex; considered costly; not
aligned with staff and public priorities; and that there would be significant challenges in
implementation. As a general comment, the choice not to continue to use these popular
frameworks may be a result of the fact that there are still challenges in clearly defining
sustainability to staff, politicians and the public and directly linking existing frameworks
to municipal cultural realities. As a point of observation, the STAR Communities Rating
System is the first framework that has been derived by municipalities for municipalities
and therefore may prove to be more applicable as it is used. Results from initial piloting
of the system are expected soon.
Leadership is a Game Changer but be Strategic
Leadership seems to be an absolute game changer for municipalities in being able to
implement more sustainable projects. Many municipalities that don’t have strong public
interest and senior or executive leadership are doing good things, however it is evident
that when the Mayor and council are champions more emphasis is placed on delivery
and results. As a cautionary observation, when this occurs much of the necessary and
immediate work gets done but in some cases not all of the critical success factors or
mechanisms are embedded. This leads to the observation that long-term
advancements in embedding sustainability may be at risk if leadership changes, which
is a common occurrence for municipalities. Leadership can change quickly in
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municipalities. Many municipalities commented on the need to be very strategic when
strong leadership is evident and that it is important not to forget to prioritize those
initiatives that can contribute the most to embedding sustainability into the organization
and contribute to long-term progress. Similarly, those who do not have leadership at the
moment tended to focus on these critical elements, or key embedding activities as a
critical aspect of gaining momentum and uptake. Where leadership or public desire was
not evident survey respondents stressed the need to establish other training programs
and resources for staff, recognition programs and opportunities of staff or departmental
successes, communications products that highlight benefits of sustainability activities,
being flexible with departments in order to build stronger links to sustainability, and
providing support to departments when opportunities arise.
Critical Elements for Consideration
In each municipality there was a sense of uniqueness regarding how sustainability was
being designed and implemented with respect to municipal programs and services as
well as with the use of community organizations. Unique in that they were issue based
and reflected the current community desires and the degree of sophistication and or
understanding of sustainability. However, there were a number of common elements or
critical structural components identified during the survey that were being applied. The
following list has been assembled based on the input from municipalities surveyed as
critical factors required to embed and apply sustainability successfully:
1. A dedicated sustainability plan. The way sustainability is organized and issues
addressed under sustainability plans is changing. The most recent set of plans that
are being developed or released among municipalities surveyed have evolved from
a focus on environmental issues to include economic and social issues. Many
municipalities have a dedicated plan at the highest level that clearly describes
sustainability as a priority and organizes community priorities under sustainability.
There were instances where municipalities chose not to emphasize the term
sustainability. For example Portland was not using this terminology. However, for the
majority sustainability still seems to be prominent terminology.
2. A plan is a critical component of any framework, however there are many other
elements required in a framework in order to see the plan implemented and to see
city administrations organize effectively to undertake sustainability actions and
deliver on the intended goals, objectives and results. Much can be accomplished
even if a specific sustainability plan or terminology does not exist.
3. Departmental sponsorship/accountability is a fundamental and central factor for
advancing sustainability. Although sustainability requires coordination and support
through a small agency with groups of professional sustainability practitioners, it is
critical that the line departments are able to determine their response including
activities and priorities related to sustainability goals and objectives. This was
unanimous among survey respondents. Equally important was making sure the
proper tools and resources were available for the department to make sustainable
choices.
4. Clear and easily communicated and understandable vision, goals, definitions and
terminology related to sustainability is required. These definitions and terminology
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are unique to the municipality. The lack of clear understanding of sustainability was
identified as a key challenge regarding how staff and the public interpret their roles
in advancing sustainability.
5. Regular and frequent communications within the organization and promotion,
recognition of accomplishments within and outside the organization can have
significant positive impact on interest and buy in of internal and external
stakeholders.
6. Capacity building programs to increase understanding of sustainability including
employee orientation, training workshops, guest speakers, can have significant
positive impacts over the long term. Internal awareness and education and training
programs should be established early in efforts to embed sustainability and should
focus on departmental gaps.
7. Measurement and reporting is critical to moving forward. Having clear and simple
measures of success beyond actual activities and regular reporting on outcome
based progress can determine and illustrate the effectiveness of a departments’
approach to sustainability.
8. Most survey respondents indicated that they did not adhere to any - “off the shelf”
sustainability framework and that success is reliant on being flexible and innovative
in regard to using the existing philosophy and municipal priorities as well as
language and culture to your advantage.
9. High public engagement and continued input and participation in the long-term
implementation of the framework is critical. Creating and sustaining community
partnerships that engage and involve business and other institutions in sustainability
initiatives is not only necessary but can help drive the advancement of sustainability
among staff as well.
10.Frequent staff recognition and staff incentives can have a significant positive impact
on the application/ implementation of sustainability as well as the longer-term ability
to embed and influence cultural changes necessary.
Detailed Findings
The following summary and synthesis of the survey responses is provided below.
Similar or duplicate responses have been removed, and unique and innovative
answers included. A detailed spreadsheet regarding responses to all survey questions
can be found in Appendix C.
Critical Factors for Developing a Sustainability Framework or Plan
Survey respondents were asked to provide their opinions and advice on a number of
questions related to the development of a sustainability framework. A significant
amount of effort, time, collaboration, resources and consultation is necessary in order to
even begin as a municipal organization to manage through a sustainability lens.
Respondents were asked to provide their opinions based on their experience on the
following information: (1) the drivers behind the decision to develop a sustainability
framework and/or plan; (2) key barriers experienced during the development; (3)
solutions to barriers; (4) important lessons learned; and (5) critical success factors in
their experience. The results of the survey are summarized below in Table 1.
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Table 1: Critical Factors for Developing a Sustainability Framework or Plan
Key Drivers Barriers Solutions
• Political leadership &
involvement
• Economic
competitiveness
• Community
environmental &
economic issues
• Senior government
funding
• Public expectations high
• Demand for programs &
projects
• Evolution of sustainability
efforts over time have
built up awareness,
understanding & support.
• Increased accountability,
coordination and
efficiencies in delivery of
GHG reductions.
• Competing priorities and lack of
focus
• Sustainability not positioned
properly to influence
• Lack of support, interest or
belief
• Lack of knowledge on social &
economic application of
sustainability
• Making a link to economic or
business benefits
• Perceived negative impact from
social advocates
• Lack of proper decision support
tools to help facilitate
comparison of sustainable
options
• Double standard compared to
status quo decisions and the
level of analysis required
• Lack of resources in some
departments
• Determining the right detail with
respect to a sustainability
framework given challenges
with staff understanding, buy in
and competing priorities.
• Significant engagement activities are
required for staff & public
• Develop an Engagement Plan, include how
to use champions effectively
• Develop education program for staff &
public about how sustainability can be used
to improve community & municipal
corporation
• Assign ownership widely, get commitments
• Develop & include goals & objectives that
can be measured.
• Dedicate Resources to measuring &
reporting
• Build on existing departmental initiatives
using sustainability lens to enhance
priorities
• Be strategic about your efforts - don’t waste
time with resistors
• Document best practices that staff can use
and implement easily
• Be able to clearly articulate how
sustainability can be used and dispel any
myths. For example, the 3 pillars do not
need to be balanced every time, but
represent a framework in which to see
impacts and options.
• Undertook a comprehensive economic
assessment of environmental policy to
demonstrate benefits to decision makers
Lessons Learned Critical Success Factors
• Allow for a lengthy development period.
• Make sure you include the economic and social lenses.
• Look at drawing a distinction between the types of
sustainability.
• Identify potential resources required for you to effectively
implement i.e financial budget
• Be flexible and align to community and corporate culture
and priorities but do not portray sustainability as a bolt on to
the departments activities.
• You need to illustrate the horizontal nature of sustainability
to departments.
• You need strong participation from departments.
• Be prepared for revisions or false starts and adapt.
Establish significant time and opportunity for conversations
and dialogue to assist in improving understanding of
sustainability.
• Use terminology that will fit your cultural situation.
• Assign someone responsible for co-ordinating departmental
involvement & facilitate awareness and understanding
• Include sustainability framework into council reports/
decision making
• Give each department the discretion to address
sustainability on their terms, allow them to build their own
sustainability plans and act as a resource guide and
facilitator with “high touch” relationship.
• Establish a methodology for prioritizing actions in the Plan.
• You need a strong ability to influence
stakeholder “buy in” & participation
• Understand the cultural context you are in &
why you are pursuing sustainability & design
and approach accordingly
• Understand how you will measure & show
success & the difference between outputs,
outcomes, & objectives
• Establish quantitative goals but allow for
flexibility among staff to achieve the results.
What works for one department may not work
for another.
• Be flexible, work into existing corporate
requirements and responsibilities.
• Keep your framework simple where possible
do not complicate things.
• Engagement with as many stakeholders as
possible frequently is important to getting buy
in when aligned with existing policy priorities.
• Political commitment
• Department involvement at early stages
• Core team responsible for coordinating
implementation
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Critical Factors for Implementing the Framework or Plan
Survey respondents were asked to provide their opinions and advice on the
implementation of a sustainability framework or sustainability plan. A common
occurrence in many municipalities is that sustainability plans are developed but are not
effectively implemented to the desired level in a time period expected. There are many
complicating and conflicting reasons why plans are not fully implemented.
Understanding how to identify potential barriers and develop best practice approaches
to implementation is an important aspect of realizing the full potential of municipal
sustainability.
Five (5) questions were asked to the survey respondents. It should be noted that a
number of municipalities in the survey had recently developed new plans and
frameworks and had not entered into an implementation phase. Nonetheless, input
was provided by those municipalities that were able to respond on the following
questions: (1) what is working well since you began implementing your framework; (2)
what improvements are still needed; (3) what are the remaining barriers to
implementation; (4) what are the top 3 desires you require in order to make the
framework more effective; and (5) what are the lessons learned you wish to share with
other municipalities. The results are outlined in Table 2 below.
Table 2: Critical Factors for Implementing the Framework of Plan
Working Well Needs Improvement Remaining Barriers
• Because of education programs and
embedded decision analysis in
council reports we are now able to
shape new policy and plans and
capital project decisions.
• Departments have to do a TBL
analysis for capital projects
• Have been able to embed
sustainability principles into
procurement rfp template this will
have a positive impact on future
capital projects. Reporting on
sustainability is influencing future
decisions.
• Administrative structures and Internal
staff structure and integration of
departments to implement
sustainability is working.
• A program to encourage staff through
a corporate sustainability challenge is
have positive impact on uptake and
awareness.
• Data driven performance metrics
• Communicating progress and results
or impact
• Explaining the difference between the
framework (TBL) and sustainability.
They have advanced beyond simple
TBL. Making stronger connection to
social and economic elements of
sustainability.
• There are challenges keeping staff
and decision-makers energized.
Need renewal of commitment from
time to time.
• Council priorities need to place
sustainability higher.
• Better way of explaining challenges in
implementation to stakeholders and
prioritization of actions
• Consistent application by staff and
corporate wide practices getting
everyone to report.
• There is no recourse if goals and
objectives are not met.
• Specific initiatives dealing with
climate, energy, purchasing and
transportation.
• Better data
• How to implement internal staff
sustainability team
• The proper system and tools to allow
active integration of sustainability
savings and fiscal considerations into
budget process (Life-cycle and Full
cost accounting).
• Increase of awareness in municipality
and public required.
• Embedded personal values and lack
of interest and support in some areas
of the organization..
• Jurisdictions that are outside the
Cityʼs control
• Keeping sustainability fresh and top of
mind.
• Staff resources is limited especially in
larger departments while smaller
departments have resources but less
need.
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Top 3 Desires for More Effective
Framework
Lessons Learned
• Effective communications and marketing tools and
resources. That help get people to pay attention.
• A robust toolkit to help staff depending on the scale or
scope of their responsibilities that makes it easy to do
sustainable practices.
• Sustainability return on investment tool
• Dedicated sustainability staff in line departments.
• Include better sustainability assessments in council
reports including financial impact.
• A sustainability plan with real goals and achievable
targets.
• Better tools and information to support the links to social
and economic pillars of sustainability.
• Better policy coordination.
• Stronger cooperation among influential departments.
• Stronger partnerships with private sector to deliver
community programs like climate change and energy.
• Inclusion in staff department work plans
• Sustainability section in council reports
• Focus on being able to articulate the integration of ecology and
economy in order to demonstrate that sustainability is not a
threat but is a booster to economy over the long term.
• Lack of leadership will make things more challenging and you
need to focus on establishing proper embedding initiatives to
sustain focus when there is no leadership.
• No matter how good your plan is if you do not have strong
relationships you will not get buy in to implement.
• Communicating and recognizing results is critical. Make these
stories accessible real and palatable.
• Be honest about the challenges with stakeholders and provide
transparency.
• Choose targets you can measure and are specific to
municipalities sphere of influence.
• Keep community supports and detractors involved over the
long-term so you do not have to start over.
• Environmental policy is not a threat to economic progress and
is an opportunity.
• Use language that doesnʼt judge, be neutral
• Manage corporate and community initiatives strategically, for
example different administrative committees, but ensure you
coordinate efforts as well.
• Give yourself lots of time to build internal and external capacity
and strengthen relationships.
• Use your framework to get the discussion started but then you
need specifics to implement.
Benchmarking Culture
A culture of sustainability is one in which organizational members hold shared
assumptions and beliefs about what sustainability means for their organization, where
the organization stands today in relation to that understanding, and what they are doing
to bridge the gap (Embedding Sustainability into the Culture of Municipalities, The
Natural Step, 2011). A key challenge identified for Municipalities is related to
addressing perceived cultural issues with respect to sustainability including awareness,
understanding and willingness to apply it on a day to day basis within staff’s respective
duties and responsibilities. This is an extremely important aspect of embedding
sustainability as a key decision and management approach. Survey respondents were
asked a series of questions related to the current state of organizational culture related
to the adoption of sustainability. The results represent the survey respondents
perception of the municipalities cultural receptivity and readiness. They are the opinion
of the respondent and therefore should not be construed as a complete or accurate
representation of the cultural reality in these municipalities. Nonetheless, given that the
respondents to the survey were typically those directly involved or leading efforts to
advance sustainability within their organizations they do provide some comparative
insight.
In general, most respondents were of the opinion that there was a need for
improvement with respect to the concept of sustainability being central to decision
making and program delivery and capital infrastructure projects. According to
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municipalities surveyed and experts interviewed the importance of these types of
programs is even more pronounced when leadership and public interest is not as
strong. Figure 1 and 2 provide an overview of Edmonton benchmarked against survey
respondents.
0
2.5
5.0
7.5
10.0
CAL VIC NIA HAM MIL WAS POR HAL VAN DEN HEL BER NVAN
Figure 1 : Sustainability Culture
Overall Readiness Sustainability is Central Staff Informed
Framework Effectiveness
0
2.5
5.0
7.5
10.0
CAL VIC VAN NIA HAM MIL WAS POR HAL DEN HEL BER NVAN
Figure 2: Sustainability Culture
Leadership Strong Staff Training Communicate Results
Recognize Succes
14

A Comparative Analysis of Findings & Existing Models
This research was to determine critical factors of success among leading municipalities
in advancing sustainability. As with many complex and relatively new concepts there is
signiﬁcant effort required to provide the proper conditions, tools and resources for
change in an organization to happen and in this case for sustainability to be applied.
The results above provide insight into the perceptions respondents had on their cultural
receptivity to sustainability and additional survey questions provided rational
explanations or linkages to that perception.
A number of models have been developed recently that outline what an organization
needs to consider to increase “Buy In” and embed the application of sustainability in
municipalities and businesses. The models reviewed and compared include: the
Urban Sustainability Directors Network Model - Stages of Sustainability
Institutionalization; the Network for Business Sustainability Model; the Federation of
Canadian Municipalities Model - Sustainability Passing Go Report and The Natural
Step - Embedding Sustainability in Municipal Government Model.
As in most cases there is no one single solution that works for every municipality. Given
Edmontonʼs current situation and goals it is useful to compare these models to the
results that were obtained through the survey and this research. In general, the
feedback provided by municipalities surveyed is similar to the advice and approach
outlined in the models. The models and suggested key factors for consideration by
municipalities do provide Edmonton with substantial advice on what to consider as it
moves forward to address sustainability. The level of emphasis on these considerations
will be unique to the current culture of Edmonton as well as past and existing
embedding efforts.
The following table provides an overview of survey ﬁndings in comparison to the current
models regarding organizational factors to embed sustainability.
15

Table 3: Survey Findings Compared to Existing Embedding Models
Survey
Critical
Success
Factors
Urban
Sustainability
Directors
Model
FCM Model
“Passing Go”
Network for
Business
Sustainability
Model
Natural Step
Model
• Develop Strategic
Sustainability
Plan that links to
all other key
municipal plans
• Create Clear
Vision of
Community with
sustainability
included
• A clear and
understandable
definition of
sustainability
• Set Goals and
Targets
• Secure Political
Leadership to
drive
sustainability
• Community
Driven
• Ownership of
Actions and
flexibility to meet
targets by
responsible
departments
• A simple output
and outcome
measurement
system
• Internal
coordination
system to
facilitate
implementation
• Education and
training on
sustainability for
staff and council
• Communications
and marketing for
staff and public
• Recognition of
leadership and
success among
departments and
public
• Meaningful
external
partnerships with
business and
institutions
2x2 Matrix with
actions. Key
elements of matrix
as follows:
Stages
• Set Vision and
Direction
• Engage/Empower
Stakeholders
• Capture in
Performance
Measurement
• Embed in
Continuous
Improvement
Functions
• Plan Government
Sustainability
Initiatives
• Develop
Government
Culture of
Sustainability
• Develop
Community
Support and
Action
• Build Government
Structures for
Sustainability
Oversight:
• Create a multi-
organizational
body to oversee
implementation
and to identify
short-term actions.
Assign or fund
staff coordinators.
Partner
engagement:
• Engage key
organizations from
different sectors
and develop a way
to continually
expand the list of
partners.
Community-wide
actions:
• Enable
organizations to
implement the
SCP.
Communications:
• Design
communication
activities to enable
networking and to
reach citizens
Monitoring and
measurement:
• Develop a
monitoring system
to allow for
adjustments along
the way, and for
plan renewal at
appropriate
milestones.
Strategy
• Determine the
organization’s
direction through
goals,objectives,
values and/or
missions. The
strategy defines
the criteria for
selecting an
organizational
structure and
helps guide
decision-making.
Structure
• Determine where
decision-making
authority lies in
the organization
Processes
• Define how things
function with
respect to
structure. For
example,
Performance
measurement
Rewards
• Influence the
motivation of
organization
members to align
to goals - financial
non-financial
rewards
People
• Influence and
build the
organizations
human resources.
Ie Training and
recruitment.
Foster
Commitment
• Engage
• Signal
Communicate
• Manage Talent
• Reinforce
Clarify
Expectations
• Codify
• Integrate
• Assign
• Train
• Incent
• Assess
• Verify/Audit
Build Momentum
for Change
• Raise Awareness
• Champion
• Invite
• Experiment
• Re-envision
• Share
Instil Capacity for
Change
• Learn
• Develop
A Call to Action
• Trends and
Patterns
• Implications for
Practitioners
16

Conclusions and Recommendations
Edmonton is not alone in the challenges it is currently facing with respect to embedding
sustainability and making progress with respect to community issues, goals and
objectives. Relatively speaking, there are few municipalities that have advanced
beyond any sort of paradigm shift in how sustainability is managed and applied
administratively. The survey responses to the idea of sustainability being central to how
municipalities operate for example illustrates this point.
There are instances where political leadership and public awareness and desire for
more sustainable services have resulted in progress being made with respect to a
sustainability culture and the necessary application of sustainability. Both Vancouver
and Portland have been able demonstrate some interesting progress and commitments
to sustainability. Nevertheless, there seems to be substantial desire for growth and
increased effort in these communities as well. This raises an important issue in that
the level of discourse, maturity and evolution of thinking of municipalities to develop
proper administrative and operational frameworks centred around the principles of
sustainability can be considered to be evolving and in most cases still is relatively new.
As such the embedding of sustainability over the long term will continue to require effort
as well as innovative and collaborative thinking.
As an observation on the state of the municipal sustainability profession, there is a
strong need to reconcile the idea of working with departments to implement
sustainability and the idea of developing a more robust and structured administrative
framework and operational tools to apply sustainability throughout a municipalities’
functional culture. Given the history and current nature of sustainability, it is likely
unreasonable to expect significant change or a paradigm shift to occur without
significant effort, experimentation and cultural evolution to occur. This is a key finding
and observation of this research.
Edmonton wishes to pursue the challenge of pushing the envelope on the administrative
implementation of sustainability from an organizational perspective in order to embed
sustainability deep into how it delivers its services, however, this will require time and
patience as well as continual adjustments. In moving forward the following questions
are posed to help Edmonton determine how it proceeds:
• Given the current state of understanding, and culture of sustainability would the
introduction of a new and complex framework be successful?
• As an alternative, is there enough policy currently to work with to begin to bring
together a sustainability framework?
• Can an argument be made that the Way Ahead plan needs further revisions to
elaborate and strengthen sustainability?
• Can sustainability be a way to simplify current directional plans and operational
priorities?
• Do the way operational plans articulate how sustainability will be deﬁned and applied
and can they in the future?
17

• Is there opportunity to have a strong influence over the corporate measurement
process using the logic model approach and the principal of sustainability?
• Would the STAR Community Index, just released, designed by municipalities for
municipalities represent a meaningful and understandable strategic opportunity for
Edmonton to bring together current complex planning and measurement initiatives?
• Are staff open to making meaningful contributions to sustainability and what do they
need to contribute without having a significant impact on their workload?
There are clear opportunities and options available to Edmonton that can be capitalized
on in order to effectively advance efforts to embed sustainability. There were some
gaps or areas where greater emphasis, regardless of any type of framework chosen for
sustainability, that Edmonton can and will need to prioritize as it moves forward with its
desire to increase uptake and application of more sustainable practices.
Results indicated that efforts to train and educate staff could be improved. Recognizing
and promoting initiatives of staff could also be strengthened. These are both
fundamental building blocks to a prolonged effort to develop a culture of sustainability.
A priority emphasis should be placed on the soft side of sustainability. Relationships,
and capacity building are fundamental to maximizing existing programs and services as
well as facilitating new and more complex initiatives
Edmonton wishes to advance a corporate framework and the application of
sustainability throughout the day to day activities and decisions of staff. At the moment
the best way to do this is by assembling a strategic approach that uses the best
practices or critical success factors identified by leading municipalities. The following
recommendations for Edmonton have been provided for consideration:
1. Administrative and Operational Structure:
(Plans, co-ordinating integrated bodies, departmental capacity)
Edmonton is doing well here and it is where it has focussed much of its past efforts. It
has a corporate wide environmental management program, it has a coordinating office
and staff that are able to work with departments and provide both support and
innovation to advancing sustainability. Key issues are the need for better alignment
and coordination of existing plans, clearer links to sustainability and the articulation of
where sustainability sits with respect to priorities. With respect to continuing to build on
past efforts the following recommendations are for consideration:
a. Develop an operational definition of sustainability and describe how it is to be
used by departments, agencies and other key stakeholders. Describe the role of
Edmonton's Office of Environment and how it will continue to work with
departments and agencies. Explain how sustainability is to be applied based on
The Way Ahead document and the sustainability principle included in the
document. (The current treatment in the Way Ahead of sustainability is vague
and hard to find practical meaning). Clearly define sustainability within the
context of other important policy and planning initiatives include a link to capital
18

projects, program or service delivery of staff and the potential impacts on
outcomes of sustainability. Denver has just articulated a 2 page memo that
outlines the approach that its Office of Sustainability will take in order to
implement their goals and objectives including how they will work with other
departments and agencies (Appendix D).
b. Seek to use the Transforming Edmonton Committee to champion future
sustainability efforts. Stress that sustainability is a key principle to be applied to
all aspects of the Way Ahead and its directional plans, introduce operational
definition (see above). Sustainability must be used as a lens that should be
applied across the board, across all activities. It offers a way to simplify a
complex situation that Edmonton faces with respect to the implementation of an
ambitious community plan with many priorities. Propose that committee
members submit how their respective departments will treat sustainability in their
action plans. If successful use this forum to build awareness and capacity among
leadership on sustainability.
c. Develop an assignment of responsibility and or identify a sponsoring department
that will lead and be responsible for specific goals linking to commitments made
above by the Transforming Edmonton Committee. (Vancouver has done this for
their new plan).
d. Through the design of the measurement system work with directors/sponsors of
each way plan to define a specific relevant sustainability operational definition
and necessary measures to determine progress. Each plan needs a sponsor or
objectives in the plan need sponsors to ensure accountability.
e. Position sustainability as the way in which Edmontonʼs logic model and current
measurement system that is in development uses to report on outcomes and
outputs from the Way Ahead and directional plans. Use existing measures
identified in the way plans, capitalize on the logic model and the current
corporate measurement initiative to help drive future strategic actions related to
sustainability.
f. Assemble a database of past sustainability activities and develop stories that
focus on staff recognition and clearly describe benefits of sustainable practices.
g. Seek to position the CAO as the clear leader and champion of sustainability.
(speak with the City of Milwaukee regarding recent buy in from their CAO to
champion their sustainability initiatives).
h. Consider establishing a public advisory committee that can assist in driving the
need for sustainability.
2. Corporate and Community Culture (Demand for Sustainability):
Based on the survey response from Edmonton this is the area where the most
opportunity exists to help advance the application of sustainability on a day to day basis.
Creating the proper conditions to support and build a culture that is based on
sustainability can effectively result in significant gains. It also provides insurance from
times when leadership is absent since the internal demand and public demand will help
keep sustainability relevant. Efforts to increase demand through various programming
options will need to be continuous and frequent enough to maintain interest of staff. It
19

will also need to be relevant and easy to understand and embrace. Edmonton should
consider how it can position sustainability and corresponding supporting tools as a
catalytic function among staff. In this regard Edmonton should:
a. Establish an employee orientation and training modules on sustainability for new
or existing staff and councillors. Pilot the delivery of the modules to department
and agency heads, and council. Involve council or advisory committee. Some
concepts to consider include how sustainability principle applies to the plans and
to operational activities. Describe the intent of sustainability as a principle and
what impact it can have on the community and on the corporation. Include
orientation on resources and support available. ( City of Hamilton seems to have
one of the more advanced programs available)
b. Establish a sustainability promotional campaign that can promote the success of
department initiatives and staff and demonstrate the benefits to the corporation
and community. Use social media where appropriate.
c. Establish a recognition program for staff, include the concept of competitiveness
among departments in achieving success. (The Niagara region has a well
developed program in this regard)
d. Undertake a survey of staff to better identify current cultural barriers. Edmonton
needs to know the specific elements or barriers to focus on removing. It also
provides an opportunity to build relationships and to build understanding of
sustainability. Need a bottom up approach in order to build cultural receptivity.
e. Undertake community survey on sustainability priorities and commitment
including link to willingness to pay or invest in order to see results.
f. Consider the creation of a sustainability catalyst function that can provide the
appropriate level of support and sophistication to increase interest in applying
sustainability. Often an outside voice with fresh ideas that has some background
in change management can provide a valuable additional resource to champions
that have been working for many years within the administration. This catalyst
could also provide administrative support for communications, training and
recognition functions recommended above.
3. Tools that facilitate increased uptake of sustainable decisions and actions:
This seems to be the least developed area for most municipalities with Edmonton being
no exception. In many respects municipalities have been able to establish sustainability
plans, organize to implement activities and projects that contribute to the goals of these
plans and report on progress. However, there was significant input from municipalities
surveyed with regard to remaining challenges including being able to demonstrate that
using sustainability to make decisions was a challenge. Specifically demonstrating the
economic, social and environmental benefits in comparison with status quo options that
municipalities are comfortable and familiar with is in many cases a significant challenge.
It is where many are now beginning to focus attention. For example Vancouver has
20

adopted a “Wedge Analyis” to demonstrate the impact of its activities to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, Calgary is embarking on a pilot to develop a decision
support tool that will show the sustainability return on investment of decisions. They
piloted a social return on investment previously. Helsinki undertook an economic impact
analysis of all environmental policies to illustrate the positive impact of sustainability. As
Edmonton begins to move forward they should pay special attention to this success
factor and look for opportunities to participate in the development and application of
best practice tools.
a. Edmonton should look to partner either through the Urban Sustainability Network
or elsewhere to develop decision support tools that can help compare and
facilitate sustainable decisions. FCMʼs Green Municipal Fund would be a
potential supporter and source of funder for such efforts.
An emerging but potentially useful tool is the new Star Community Rating System that
takes a similar approach of that of LEED but for municipalities. It represents a
framework in which to measure and benchmark in a standardized way with other
municipalities. It can be used as a guide or adopted outright.
a. Edmonton should consider adopting STAR community rating system as a key
driver that can help bring together the sustainability framework for Edmonton.
The recommendation to use this framework/rating system is primarily based on
the following. It is a framework for municipalities designed by municipalities. It
provides a prescriptive and easily useable menu to follow that is or will be
standardized across North America. It provides a means by which municipalities
can benchmark progress in the application of sustainability. It is organized
around a typical strategic plan hierarchy of goals, objectives and evaluation
measures; this design is intended to align with local government processes and
standard practice, and be easily understood by policy makers. “The structure
features a set of components that reﬂect public sector mechanisms that are
proven effective in advancing change. Terms are those commonly used by local
governments to communicate strategic objectives and desired outcomes.”( STAR
Communities, See below under useful resources).
Final thoughts and considerations for Edmonton are as follows. It is important to build
on what already exists with respect to past efforts of staff. It is recommended that these
efforts be repackaged to demonstrate how they are contributing to the directional plans
and to the way ahead plans. Priority effort should be given to taking advantage of the
Transforming Edmonton Committee and current measurement system and reporting
design efforts. Equally important is the need to direct substantial effort to increasing
cultural initiatives that can help embed sustainability over the medium term. This is an
area that has been previously underdeveloped in most municipalities but that can have
tremendous positive results.
21

References and Resources
Referenced Documents URL
Stages of Sustainability Institutionalization Checklist, Urban
Sustainability Directors Network
www.usdn.org
Embedding Sustainability in Organizational Culture: Framework and
Best Practices (2010) Network for Business Sustainability.
www.cbsr.ca/sites/default/files/file/
CultureReport_Final.pdf
Embedding Sustainability into the Culture of Municipal Government
(2011) Karen Miller, John Purkis, The Natural Step Canada
http://www.naturalstep.ca/toolkits-
download-form
Passing Go: Moving Beyond the Plan (2012) Amelia Clarke,
University of Waterloo, School of Environment, Enterprise and
development.
www.fcm.ca/Documents/tools/.../
Passing_Go_Presentation_EN.pdf
STAR Communities: Sustainability Tools for Assessing & Rating
Communities (2013)
http://www.starcommunities.org/
Useful Resources URL
City of Berkeley Sustainability Initiatives https://www.google.com/url?q=http://
www.cityofberkeley.info/
ContentDisplay.aspx%3Fid
%3D15536&sa=U&ei=xtFVUYbxH--
CyAHR7YGgCg&ved=0CBgQFjAI&clie
nt=internal-uds-
cse&usg=AFQjCNEm_H6c8eeJs_EqiI
m1KZmOWqfk5g
City of Denver Executive Order 123 (2010) http://www.greenprintdenver.org/wp-
content/uploads/2013/03/signed-xo.pdf
City of Halifax Sustainability Initiatives and 2010 Corporate
Sustainability Analysis
http://www.halifax.ca/environment/
semo.html
http://www.halifax.ca/environment/
documents/2010_CSA_final.pdf
City of Hamilton, Vision Corporate Training Kit (2003) http://www.hamilton.ca/
ProjectsInitiatives/V2020/
ResourceLibrary/Vision
+2020+Corporate+Training.htm
City of Helsinki(2011) Environment Report Summary http://www.hel.fi/wps/wcm/connect/
cf6e2f804a152d3fbcb4fcb546fc4d01/
Environmental_report_2011_summary.
pdf?
MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=cf6e2f80
4a152d3fbcb4fcb546fc4d01
City of Milwaukee Sustainability Initiatives 2013 http://city.milwaukee.gov/sustainability/
SustainabilityPlanGreenTeam.htm
Niagara Sustainability Action Plan http://www.niagararegion.ca/
government/planning/sustainability/pdf/
SustainableNiagaraActionPlan.pdf
North Vancouver Sustainability Initiatives http://www.cnv.org//server.aspx?
c=3&i=484
City of Portland Strategic Plan 2011 - 2013, (2011), City of Portland
Bureau of Planning and Sustainability
http://www.portlandonline.com/
portlandplan/
Victoria Sustainability Action Plan (2012 -2015) http://www.victoria.ca/assets/
Departments/Sustainability/
Documents/sustainability_action_plan
%20Aug.pdf
Vancouver Greenest City Action Plan http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/Greenest-
city-action-plan.pdf
22

Washington, DC: Sustainability DC Plan (2013) http://www.sustainable.dc.gov/finalplan
US and Canada Green City Index (2011) Siemens AG www.siemens.com/...northamerican/
northamerican-gci-report-e.pdf
Triple Bottom Line Policy Framework Update (2011), City of Calgary http://www.calgary.ca/UEP/ESM/
Documents/ESM-Documents/
tbl_policy_framework.pdf
Sustainability at a Glance: Integrating Sustainability in Strategy to
Drive Value (2011) Deloitte.
www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-
SouthAfrica/.../sustainability.pdf
Sustainability Skills Survey (2012) Gavin Bunting, Jane Davidson and
Paul Osborne, University of Wales, University of Wales Trinity St.
David, and Swansea Metropolitan University.
http://www.tsd.ac.uk/en/media/uniweb/
content/documents/theuniversity/
inspire/
Sustainability_Skills_Audit_Report_to_
TSD_Senate_for_Web.pdf
Denver Interim Sustainability Principles (Clearly communicate how
sustainability will be implemented and what the function/ role of the
sustainability office is.
APPENDIX D
http://www.greenprintdenver.org/wp-
content/uploads/2013/03/Operating-
Principles-2-21-13-draft.pdf
Life Cycle Costing Tool for Community Infrastructure Planning (2008)
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
https://www03.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/?
lang=en&cat=143&itm=26
A Comparative Analysis of Sustainable Community Frameworks.
STAR Community Index (2008), Thor Peterson, Synthesis
Consultants
Sustainable Cities Strategic Review, (2011), Royal Roads University www.sustainabilitysolutions.ca or
www.crcresearch.org
Sustainability Planning: Frameworks, Principles & Management
Tools (2010) Aviva Savelson and Sarah Buckle, Stantec Consulting,
Edmonton Sustainability Papers
http://www.edmonton.ca/
city_government/documents/
Discussion_Paper_19_Sustainability_F
ramework.pdf
Implementing Sustainability: Integrated Sustainability into Municipal
Decision Making, (2010) , Chris Lindberg Stratos Inc.
http://www.stratos-sts.com/documents/
Implementing_Sustainability_Stratos_F
INAL.pdf
A Policy Agenda for the Implementation of
Sustainable Development at the Municipal Level (2011), Ann Dale,
Royal Roads University
www.sustainabilitysolutions.ca or
www.crcresearch.org
Best Practice Scan of Sustainability Decision-Making and Planning
for the Municipal Sector (2009) Pong Leung, Natural Step Canada
http://www.naturalstep.ca/toolkits-
download-form
Best Practices for Sustainable Cities (2010) Amy Seabrooke, Stantec
Consulting. Edmonton Sustainability Papers.
http://www.edmonton.ca/
city_government/documents/
Discussion_Paper_15_Best_practices_
in_sustainable_cities.pdf
23

Appendix A - Survey Questions
24

Questions
Basic Information
Date of Survey
Survey respondent Name
Position Title
Department
Years in Position
Years in Municipality
Contact Information
History of Sustainability Framework Development
What is the current sustainability framework that your municipality is using?
Describe the framework and its purpose (Intended results):
Why did you want to implement a framework?
How did you select the framework you are using? Why?
Who initiated the advancement of a framework? Politician, Senior Admin? Other?
Once the concept of a framework was accepted and initiated, who was responsible for
designing a framework and seeking necessary approvals?
How did you explain the need for a framework? Rational?
Describe the process/approach required in order to select and gain approvals to establish the
framework.
How much time did you require before you got approvals/established the framework?
What resources were required to get approvals, human or ﬁnancial?
What role did politicians, senior administration and staff play in the development of the
framework?
What were the most important drivers behind the development of the framework? (Concerns
about Community, sustainability, Legislation?)
Did you experience barriers or resistance to the idea to establish a sustainability framework?
What were they?
How did you address these barriers? What were the solutions to the barriers experienced?
Did you experience any support for the framework? If so how did the support manifest itself?
What lessons were learned through that process - what would you do the same/different?
25

Questions
What are the top 3 critical conditions/elements/activities you would recommend when
establishing a framework in order for success? Probe on detail.
Have you tried other frameworks in the past?
If yes what was the framework and why did you change?
Current State of Sustainability Framework
How long has the municipality been using the Framework?
What is working well?
What needs to be improved?
What barriers still exist since implementation?
What strategies/tactics tools have you identiﬁed or are using to remove barriers?
What resources do you have to devote to removing of barriers (human, ﬁnancial)?
Out of 10 how effective has the framework been at achieving the intended results?
What are the top 3 things that you would desire in order to make your framework even more
effective?
What lessons learned since implementation would you want others to know? Probe deeper - on
the why?
What would you change if you could?
How is the framework organized - staff management, accountability and responsibility? Where is
the individual or group of individuals responsible for implementing the framework positioned
within the city structure. In your opinion is this the most effective place to be in order to
implement the framework.
What is the current (direct) budget to support the implementation of the framework, responsible
department line item?
What is the current indirect budget to support implementation of the framework, participating
departments line item?
26

Questions
What are your current training efforts, initiatives and opportunities for staff and council to
understand the framework? Explain?
Does your municipality require sustainability education and experience of your leadership?
Do you currently have communications materials and activities for staff and public to promote
and raise awareness of the framework? If yes what?
Do you believe that your framework and approach could be replicated?
Do you have reports, materials supporting information about your framework, how it is managed,
what tools are employed, that you can share?
Evidence of Success
What has changed since the implementation of the framework?
Describe the outputs and outcomes of your sustainability framework, how would you
characterize your success?
Are there any Municipalities that you think we should speak to that you would consider leaders/
best practice related to sustainability framework?
How would you describe the overall level of readiness of your organization on a scale of 1 -10?
In my organization sustainability is central to how we operate, plans, policies, programs and
capital projects have sustainability as a central and prominent guiding factor. Decisions are
based on the degree to which an initiative, service or capital project will contribute to our
sustainability goals and objectives.
In my organization we measure the results of our plans, policies, programs, services and capital
projects contribution to sustainability and report on these results as well as use these results for
future actions.
In my organization staff are informed and understand what sustainability is and how they can
contribute to meeting the organizations sustainability goals.
In my organization executive leadership has a strong understanding of sustainability and applies
our framework throughout their respective organizational responsibilities.
In my organization there are opportunities to train and educate staff on sustainability.
In my organization we are good at communicating the results of our sustainability goals and
objectives.
In my organization we recognize success of or sustainability framework and efforts and
incentives exist for staff to achieve desired results.
In my organization there is opposition to sustainability, this opposition has inﬂuence and is
blocking advancement of signiﬁcant results:
Survey Complete
27

Appendix B - Municipal and Organization Contacts
28

Municipality Contact Phone E-mail Notes
Hamilton Heather Donison905-546-2424
ext. 1276
heather.donison@hamilton.
ca
TBL, Agenda 21
Victoria Roy Brooke 250-361-0290 rbrooke@victoria.ca STAR (piloting
on behalf a
Canadian USDN
members)
Niagara Region Erin Britnell,
Sustainability
Coordinator
9056851571
x3393
Melbourne
Calgary Carolyn Bowen
Manager, Office
of Sustainability
403-268-2509 carolyn.bowen@calgary.ca TBL, Eco-
Footprint,
ISO1400
Halifax Richard
McLelland
902-490-6056 maclelri@halifax.ca TNS, TBL,
assessed TNS and
are discontinuing
Vancouver Leslie NG,
Monitoring and
Reporting
Planner
604-871-6619 leslie.ng@vancouver.ca TNS, TBL, STAR
Portland Michael
Armstrong,
Senior
Sustainability
Manager
503-823-6053 michael.armstrong@portla
ndoregon.gov
Systems Thinking
Milwaukee Erick
Schambarger
Matt Howard
414-286-8556
(414-286-3351)
Matthew.Howard@milwau
kee.gov
TBL,TNS,STAR
in development
Washington DC Brendan Shane,
Chief, Office of
Policy and
Sustainability
202-535-1907 brendan.shane@dc.gov In development,
High rating in
governance GCI
North Vancouver Caroline
Jackson
604-990-4224
Denver Jerry Tinianow (720-865-9072) Jerry.Tinianow@denvergo
v.org
ISO 14001, TBL,
High rating in
governance GCI
Berkeley
California
Neal DeSnoo 510-981-7437
Other Experts (if
time permits)
Contact Phone E-mail Notes
29

ICLEI USA-
STAR (I believe
that STAR is
now independent
of ICLEI)
Hilari Varnadore 202-379-8524 hilari@starcommunities.or
g
2008 Study
Comparative
Analysis
FCM Donna Chiarelli 907-6315 FCM advice on
sustainability
frameworks
CMHC Cythia Rattle/
Mark
Holzman
Urban
Sustainability
Directors
Network
Julia Parzen,
Coordinator
773-288-3596 parzenjulia@gmail.com Speak with
administrator
poll member
municipalities on
relevant practices
related to scope
Waterloo Amelia Clarke Phone:
+1-519-888-456
7 ext. 38910
30

Appendix C - Survey Response Data Sheet
This data is proprietary. To request to see the data please contact:
Jim Andrais | Program Manager, Corporate Environmental Management Systems |
Ofﬁce of Environment | Urban Planning & Development, Sustainable Development
Department | City of Edmonton | Tel: 780.944.7520 | Fax: 780.495.0612 | E:
jim.andrais@edmonton.ca | Suite 750, Scotia Tower 1, 10060 Jasper Ave NW,
EDMONTON AB T5J 3R8
31

Appendix D - Denver Sustainability Principles
32

OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY
Interim Principles – September 10, 2012
Why Is the City Pursuing Sustainability?
Cities practice sustainability to promote long-term prosperity for their people and businesses.
When done successfully, the city gains a competitive advantage that allows it to retain and
expand existing businesses and attract new ones. Sustainability also has a moral element. The
City must contribute its fair share towards solving regional, national and planetary challenges
involving resource scarcity and pollution. The City is therefore evolving its landmark Greenprint
Denver effort to encompass a full range of sustainability initiatives.
By operating sustainably, Denver will be a world-class city where everybody matters – including
those who will be here in the years to come.
What is Sustainability?
Sustainability is a process of planning and operating that provides for the needs of our people
and businesses today without impairing our ability to continue providing for their needs in the
future.
Who Participates in Making Denver Sustainable?
Every city department and agency will develop an understanding of sustainability and apply the
concept to its own operations. The City will also engage in a dialogue with its residents and
businesses to collaborate on making Denver sustainable through individual choices, and will
create infrastructure that will give residents and businesses the options they need to have
available in order to operate sustainably
Where Will the City Focus Sustainability Efforts?
The City’s sustainability efforts will extend throughout its geographic territory and to the assets it
owns or controls outside of that territory. Because everyone matters, the City will work to engage
every neighborhood in sustainability initiatives. The City will also collaborate with surrounding
communities, state government, regional and federal governmental entities and private groups to
protect and enhance shared resources on which sustainability depends. This includes the
protection of ecosystem services, i.e. those services that the natural world provides for free.
How Will the City Implement Sustainability?
Sustainability is a process that must be learned and then applied. The Ofﬁce of Sustainability will
develop programs to educate city employees on how to plan and operate sustainably, and will
provide consulting to assist to them in doing so. These programs will reﬂect the following
principles:

•
The future is going to be different from the past – particularly the pre-2008 past.

•
Think big and focus on solutions that operate at scale.
33

•
Think systemically rather than focusing only on individual modes and devices.

•
Base policy and operations on research and facts. Always be open to re-examining the
conventional wisdom and considering new approaches.

•
Focus on behavior and choices before turning to technology as a solution. Don’t ignore
technology, but don’t turn to it immediately as the panacea and only solution.

•
To support the focus on behavior, ensure that residents and businesses have meaningful
education and options for how they meet basic needs for energy, mobility, housing,
neighborhood types, jobs, materials, food and education. Make Denver a “City of
Choices.”

•
Terminology matters. We will strive to be precise in our language. This may require us to
avoid using terms like “green,” “eco-friendly” and sometimes even “sustainable.”

•
When confronted with peak demand, focus first on reducing the peak rather than on
creating larger “pipes” to accommodate it.

•
Align sustainability efforts with Peak Performance, particularly in the area of defining
quantifiable objectives to be achieved by specific deadlines. Understand the difference
among activities, outcomes and objectives, and focus on the linkages among them.

•
Focus on human fulfillment and contentment. These two qualities are not necessarily
congruent with conventional economic measures of success, such as gross output.

•
Sustainability involves intergenerational equity. We need to provide for the fulfillment
and contentment of the present generation but we also need to make some sacrifices so
that future generations can have lives that are at least as fulfilling and enjoyable.

•
Where the City identifies barriers to municipal sustainability that it cannot remove on its
own, it should pursue diplomatic advocacy to remove the barriers.
When Will Our Sustainability Efforts Begin?
The Office of Sustainability is open for business!
What is the Role of the Office of Sustainability?
We intend to provide the following services:

•
Definition and Standardization. We will create common principles of sustainable planning
and behavior, and a common vocabulary of sustainability to be used across City
departments. We will set the City’s overall measurable objectives for sustainability.

•
Education. We will provide timely guidance to City departments on these principles,
vocabulary and objectives.

•
Consulting. We will serve as an in-house consulting firm to assist City departments in
applying the general principles, vocabulary and objectives to specific projects and
initiatives. This will include providing assistance in shared fundraising to support these
projects and initiatives.

•
Adaptive Management. We will assist City departments in evaluating the outcomes of
sustainability initiatives and comparing them to established objectives. We will
periodically re-evaluate and update our sustainability principles, vocabulary and
objectives to reflect lessons learned from implementation experience.

•
Promotion. We will lead City efforts to inform our residents and businesses, and the
world outside Denver, of the success of our sustainability efforts and their value in
making Denver a great place to live, work and invest.
34

Edmonton Final April 22

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