The Sustainable Twin PortsEarly Adopters Project
Presentation at Focus the NationUniversity of Wisconsin-Superior
January 31, 2008
Introduction
• The Natural Step framework• Eco-municipalities in Wisconsin• Early Adopters Project
The Natural Step
The Natural Step is an international non-profit research, education and advisory organization that uses a science-based, systems framework to help organizations, individuals and communities take meaningful steps toward sustainability.
Who uses it?
Swedish Eco-municipalities
City of Madison, WI
The Natural Step Framework
1. A shared science- and systems-based definition for sustainability
2. A decision-making framework and process to help organizations and communities plan for sustainability
3. A compass to help us know if we’re moving in the right direction
Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt
Find fundamental principles of indisputable relevance, and thereafter ask the advice of others on how to apply them.
Understanding the Sustainability Challenge
The Funnel as a Metaphor
The Sustainability Challenge
Sustainability – a Systems Perspective
Closed System with respect to matter
Slow geological cycles -
materials from the Earth’s
crust
Open System with respect to energy
Sustainability is about the ability of these cycles to run forever.
Photosynthesis is the primary producer
1) Nothing disappears2) Everything disperses
Humans are inherently part of this system
Sustainability – Mechanisms for Un-
sustainability
1. A systematic increase in concentration of matter from the Earth’s crust
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2. A systematic increase in concentration of substances produced by society
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3. A systematic physical deterioration
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4. Barriers to people meeting their needs worldwide
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Basic Conditions for Sustainability
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.
In a sustainable society, nature is not subject to systematically increasing:
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Basic Ways in Which We Are Un-Sustainablewe dig stuff (like heavy metals and fossil fuels) out of the Earth’s crust and allow it to build up faster than nature can cope with it
we create man-made compounds and chemicals (like pesticides and fire retardants in carpets, etc.) and allow them to build up faster than nature can cope with them
we continuously damage natural systems and the free services they provide (including climate regulation and water filtration) by physical means (for example, overharvesting and paving wetlands)
And . . .
we live in and create societies in which many people cannot meet their basic needs (for example, to find affordable housing)
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FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN NEEDS
AffectionProtection
Understanding
Participation
Subsistence
Freedom
Identity Idleness
Creation
Global Human Needs
Sustainability Objective 1
Reduce and eventually eliminate our contribution to the buildup of materials taken from the Earth’s crust. This includes fossil fuels and their associated wastes.
Scarce metals Abundant metals
Fossil fuels Renewables
Inefficient use Efficient use
Dissipative use Tight technical cycles
Sustainability Objective 2
Reduce and eventually eliminate our contribution to the buildup of synthetic substances produced by society.
Dissipative use
Persistent and unnatural
Abundant and breakdown easily
Tight technical cycles
Inefficient use Efficient use
Sustainability Objective 3
Reduce and eventually eliminate our contribution to the ongoing physical degradation of Nature.
Inefficient use of resources and land
Resources from poorly managed ecosystems
Resources from well-managed ecosystems use
Efficient use of resources and land
Sustainability Objective 4
Unsafe working and living environments
Economic barriers
Safe working and living environments
Sufficient resources for livelihood
Political oppression Political freedom
Reduce and eventually eliminate our contribution to conditions that undermine people’s ability to meet their basic needs.
A growing movement
Community stories
An eco-municipality aspires to develop an ecologically, economically, and socially healthy community for the long term, using The Natural Step Framework for sustainability as a guide, and a democratic, highly participative development process as the method.
Swedish Eco-municipalities
What’s Happening in Our Area?
Wisconsin Eco-Municipalities
City of Washburn
City of Ashland
City of Madison
City of Bayfield
Town of Bayfield
Douglas County
Johnson Creek
City of Marshfield
City of Manitowoc
City of Neenah
City of Menasha
Town of Cottage Grove
La Crosse
La Crosse County
City Beloit
City of Baraboo
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Duluth, MN
Early Adopters for Sustainability
• Model rooted in the theory of innovation diffusion – from innovators, to early adopters, to early majority, to critical mass
• Recent applications as part of Natural Step program in Canadian communities of Whistler and Canmore
• Green Team Network in Chequamegon Bay
• Twin Ports Early Adopters Project coming in the spring/summer
Sustainable Twin Ports Early Adopters Project
• Partnership Sustainable Twin Ports– Sustainable Duluth– We Mean Green (Knight Creative Communities
Initiative)
• “Eco-resolutions”– City of Duluth– Douglas County
• Project has been funded by local foundations– Zeppa Foundation– Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation
The Basics
• Twelve to fifteen early adopter organizations• Two to five participants per organization • Ten days of training over one year• Baseline evaluations• Developing a vision of a sustainable
organization• Action planning and implementation• Documentation, peer learning, and sharing with
broader community
Key Strengths
• Creation of local role models and success stories that inspire rest of community about sustainability
• Development of a shared understanding of and language for sustainability among leading organizations in the community or area
Recruitment Criteria
• Candidate organizations are recognized community leaders;
• they have an interest in sustainability; and
• they collectively represent the breadth of the community or area.
For Additional Information
Sustainable Twin Ports Contacts
• Jan Karon – 218-722-7200; [email protected]
• Jerry Hembd – 715-394-8208; [email protected]
Thank You