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Date: February 7, 2005 <br /> To: Mayor and City Council <br /> From: Jim Carlson <br /> Subject: Update on Sustainability Activities <br /> Introduction <br /> In February of 2000 the City Council adopted Resolution #4618, A Resolution Adopting a Definition <br /> and Statement of Intent Regarding the Application of Sustainability Principles to the City of Eugene. <br /> This resolution commits the City to promoting a sustainable future that meets today's needs without <br /> compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs, and accepts its responsibility to: <br /> • Support a stable, diverse and equitable economy <br /> • Protect the quality of the air, water, land and other natural resources <br /> • Conserve native vegetation, fish, wildlife habitat and other ecosystems <br /> • Minimize human impacts on local, regional and worldwide ecosystems <br /> The resolution also included a set of sustainability principles intended to guide the development of <br /> policies and strategies and the provision of City services. This memo summarizes some of the activities <br /> that have been taken to implement Resolution #4618 and the concept of sustainability in the <br /> management and provision of City services. <br /> In 2004, the city contracted with Good Company to do a review of the city's efforts around the issue of <br /> sustainability. Good Company assisted in the production of a brochure entitled, "The City of Eugene <br /> and Sustainability". This brochure has been used to provide information to the public to increase <br /> community awareness. The City has undertaken many initiatives to implement specific sustainability <br /> practices throughout the city's operations. As we have tried to evaluate our efforts through the Good <br /> Company review and staff education on this topic, we recognize that we have been more successful in <br /> our environmental stewardship efforts that in the efforts around sustainable economic development or <br /> social equity. We are now beginning to understand some of the other dimensions of sustainability and <br /> staff is committed to focusing more attention on the other aspects of sustainability. <br /> The material which follows represents an update of recent activities related to the issue of sustainability. <br /> While compiling this update, it became clear that there was more going on at the city than could be <br /> covered in a single work session. We plan to have additional sessions on specific topics as time is <br /> available on future council agendas. <br /> Economic Development <br /> There are many activities which could fall under the general category of sustainable economic <br /> development. A few of these include the land use planning related to nodal development and the <br /> Downtown Plan, the targeted use of the Business Development Fund, city purchasing of goods and <br /> services from local vendors, and operation of regional transportation services such as the Eugene airport <br /> and the downtown Amtrak station. <br /> In January 2003 the Council received recommendations on how to best leverage limited one time <br /> economic resources to achieve tangible results for enhancing the community's economic sustainability. <br /> City management discussions focused on ways to link sustainability actions to other major work <br />