ABOUT

Public Technology, Inc. (PTI)

Public Technology, Inc., (PTI) is the nonprofit research, development, and commercialization subsidiary of the three top national local government associations; the National League of Cities (NLC), the National Association of Counties (NACo), and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).

PTI is dedicated to creating and advancing new services and products in local governments based on technological progress and the spirit of public enterprise. To fulfill its mission, PTI relies on the support and active participation of its members - more than 150 progressive cities and counties across the United States and Canada.

PTI is committed to creating a sustainable environment. Its Urban Consortium Energy and Environmental Task Forces unite cities and counties behind that goal - exploring, testing, and promoting technologies that maintain the critical balances between healthy development and a healthy environment. Many of PTI's innovative programs are highlighted in its annual SOLUTIONS publications series.

National Association of Counties (NACo)

NACo is the only organization representing the country's 3,043 county governments. Established in 1935, NACo works to improve county government, act as a liaison with other levels of government, present the county position on national issues, and assist counties in helping their citizens achieve a better quality of life.

The National Association of Counties established the Sustainable Development Task Force (SDTF) in 1993 to learn more about sustainable development and how it relates to county government and to serve as a clearinghouse for local government examples of sustainable development. In the following years, the SDTF articulated a set of principles of sustainability, a definition for sustainable development, and developed a resolution on sustainable development that was later passed by the NACo membership. The SDTF was also charged with assisting the Steering Committees in formulating a plan of implementation for the resolution, working closely with the President's Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD), and creating forums to discuss and facilitate the development of a local model of sustainability.

The new Sustainability Leadership Team (SLT) was appointed by President Douglas R. Bovin to build upon the work of the SDTF. Particularly, the SLT is advising NACo on the establishment of the Joint Center for Sustainable Development cosponsored by NACo and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

DOE's mission is to ensure that the nation has an adequate and stable energy supply. DOE is also committed to helping the nation discover and adopt cleaner and more sustainable energy resources and technologies - in other words, technologies that improve energy efficiency, prevent pollution, and make use of renewable resources to diversify the nation's energy mix. Increasingly, DOE has recognized the futility of trying to isolate energy issues from environmental and economic ones, as the issues are intertwined. A community's energy choices inevitably affect its economy and environment; in turn, its economic and environmental decisions almost always affect its energy use.

DOE has created the Smart Communities Network, which is operated by the Central Regional Office, part of DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The center will help communities adopt a comprehensive approach to energy planning - an approach that recognizes the links between energy, environment, economy, and community livability. To order information and a "tool kit" on sustainable development, call (800) 357-7732.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About the Organizations

Introduction

Case Studies

Austin, Texas

Boulder, Colorado

Chittenden County, Vermont

Chattanooga/Hamilton County, Tennessee

Metro-Dade County, Florida

Metropolitan Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Northampton County, Virginia

Phoenix, Arizona

Portland, Oregon

San Jose, California