ICLEI, Local Governments for Sustainability USA, recently released a comprehensive Sustainability Planning Toolkit to provide step-by-step guidance for cities, towns and counties looking to develop a sustainability plan. The toolkit is modeled after New York City’s highly successful PlaNYC guide and contains best practice examples, checklists, templates, and guidelines.

“Our toolkit is a roadmap to guide any local government, big or small, through the process of creating a sustainability plan,” said Don Knapp of ICLEI USA.

The guide is premised on five “milestone” tasks:

1. Conduct a sustainability assessment
2. Establish sustainability goals
3. Develop a local sustainability plan
4. Implement policies and measures
5. Evaluate progress and report results

“Our toolkit shows local government staff how to create a plan that won’t just sit on a shelf, but will become an integral part of government operations,” says Knapp.

The complete toolkit is available only to local governments that are ICLEI members.

• Learn more about the Sustainability Planning Toolkit
• Read background: “ICLEI USA Unveils Comprehensive Toolkit for Greening Cities and Counties, ” GreenerBuildings (12/3/09)