Twin Ports Early Adopters Project Brown Bag Seminar Duluth, Minnesota March 4, 2008

Overview Sustainable Twin Ports Early Adopters Project The Natural Step Framework Why The Natural Step? Early Adopters Basics How Do You Get Involved? Questions

Sustainable Twin Ports Sustainable Twin Ports is dedicated to furthering economic, environmental and social sustainability in the Twin Ports and western Lake Superior region through education, networking and action.

Why are we talking about sustainability ?

Our planet is in trouble

Growing awareness

What is an Early Adopter? Early Adopters are respected and representative community businesses and organizations that make the commitment to provide leadership by introducing and using The Natural Step Framework in their respective organizations.

Early Majority 34% Late Majority 34% Early Adopters 13.5% Laggards 16% 2.5% “Critical Mass” Innovators Early Adopters concept Innovation-Diffusion Model The Technology “T”

What are the benefits? Participation for up to five staff in a proven sustainability training and action planning program Potential revenue opportunities and/or cost savings as a result of identified actions and investments Ongoing support and coaching from sustainability experts as the organization develops and implements its sustainability action plan Participation in a Twin Ports peer learning network of other Early Adopter organizations

What do Early Adopters commit to? To learn about and apply The Natural Step framework in their organization. To commit time for staff to participate in the program – approximately ten days of training and planning sessions over the course of a year To produce and implement a sustainability action plan for their organization To participate with other Early Adopters in promote the lessons, stories, and benefits of their experience

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 Madision, WI

Understanding the Sustainability Challenge The Funnel as a Metaphor

Resource availability and ecosystem ability to provide vital services Raw materials, ecosystem services, declining integrity and capacity of natural systems Sustainable society Margin for Action Society’s demand for resources Growth in population, resource requirements as affluence increases, increased demands as technology spreads Source: Nattrass, Brian, and Altomare, Mary. The Natural Step for Business. New Society Publishers, The Sustainability Challenge

environment economy society Dimensions of sustainability Society Economy Environment

The natural world is “the envelope that contains, sustains and provisions the economy.” Herman Daly

Ways we are un-sustainable we 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)

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:

Sustainability objectives Reduce dependence on fossil fuels, scarce metals, and minerals. Reduce dependence on chemicals and synthetic substances that can accumulate in nature. Reduce dependence on activities that harm life-sustaining ecosystems Meet present and future human needs fairly and efficiently

Planning and action framework “D” Step  Right direction?  Flexible Platform?  Return on investment? time

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? Eco-Municipality Resolutions 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 _________________________ Duluth, MN

Early Adopters Project 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.

How do you get involved? Join Sustainable Twin Ports See if your organization is interested in becoming an Early Adopter Tell someone about the Project Coordinator position Invite someone to speak about the project or The Natural Step Share information with others who might be interested

Project support A.H. Zeppa Family Foundation Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation Fund for the Environment Wildey H. Mitchell Family Fund

For additional information Sustainable Twin Ports Website Contact Persons Jan Karon – ; Jerry Hembd – ;

Thank You