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Enhancing Sustainability: Strategies for Local Governments in Cool Cities Workshop

Join Ann Elsen of Elsen Energy Associates and David Hauck for an insightful workshop hosted by the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club. This session focuses on overcoming common hurdles local officials face in sustainability campaigns, including funding, institutional memory, and stakeholder engagement. Learn from personal experiences, successful case studies, and effective strategies for building accountability in energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives. Discover how to mobilize internal champions to drive impactful change in your community, ensuring measurable progress toward sustainability goals.

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Enhancing Sustainability: Strategies for Local Governments in Cool Cities Workshop

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  1. Cool Cities Workshop Sierra Club – Maryland Chapter Taking the Campaign to the Next Level Overcoming Hurdles Ann Elsen Elsen Energy Associates http://ElsenEnergy.com & David Hauck May 31, 2008 ElsenEnergy.com

  2. BackgroundOur Perspective • Ann - Where Local Officials and Staff are Coming From • Examples from Personal Experience • Energy Planner – Montgomery County • State/Local & Public/Private Partnerships – Maryland Energy Administration • Outreach Coordinator – Prince George’s County Office of Energy Services • Director of the Maryland Center for Industrial Energy Efficiency • Executive Director – MDV-SEIA • David – Working with County/City Councils and Internal Champions ElsenEnergy.com

  3. OverviewSome Common Hurdles • Delay – the temptation to wait until the inventory is complete, wait for stakeholders to reach consensus, wait for next budget cycle…forever • Funding – how to get it, how to start without it. • Institutional Memory – lack if it, both for the jurisdiction and the environmental advocate – do we need to repeat the process again? Elsen Energy Associates

  4. Campaign DynamicsWho is the Audience? • Locating an internal champion • maintaining trust and support • Identifying decision makers • The champion doesn’t necessarily have authority • Identifying Key Problems • The discussion: This is the right thing to do. Got that. What else do you have? Elsen Energy Associates

  5. Cool Cities Process - Momentum • Signing the Agreement is Step #1 – no time to catch your breath now • Next Hurdles – moving through inventory and participatory process to ACTUAL reductions (Ann) • Effectiveness of Legislation – Montgomery County example (David) Elsen Energy Associates

  6. Pursuing Measures Rather than Process • Early action important because: • Renewable Energy • 3 years lead time for measures not unusual • Energy Efficiency • Cost of delay • Race to defer power plant/transmission approval • Solid Waste • Can be motivator for real economic change • Transportation • Road and land use projects happening now Elsen Energy Associates

  7. Build Accountability Into Inventory • What is measured? (ex. kWh consumption, VMT, volume of refuse) • Who will measure it? • When will it be measured? Monthly? Annually? Other? • What is specific role of the Sierra Club? Who? When? • How do we define progress/achievement? Need quantifiable performance measures for reductions. • Differentiate emissions reductions from “process.” • A completed inventory or action plan is not a reduction. Elsen Energy Associates

  8. Funding – the Continuous Hurdle • Not everything costs money – avoid pitfalls of expensive planning processes, target resources to measures • Many strategies save money – energy efficiency boosts the economy and reduces internal government utility budget, PAYT reduces MSW expenses • Securing a revenue stream Elsen Energy Associates

  9. Who has done this before? • Local Officials don’t want to invent the wheel, or go first. • Provide examples of laws passed, measures implemented, and/or results from other cities experience • What are the basic elements of an action plan? Best practices? • Can we provide a menu of options from successes elsewhere? • Who are the keepers of institutional memory? • How will the Sierra Club maintain and pass on records of local efforts/progress/challenges? Elsen Energy Associates

  10. “Action brings good fortune.” Elsen Energy Associates

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