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Recent History of the Lansing Sustainability Movement Environmental, economic, and social issues have been addressed separately in the Lansing area by many different groups. On May 15, 1999 the Community Forum brought these issues and groups together under the umbrella of "sustainability" for the first time. Then on June 22 and 26 the first workshops were held in this area to engage citizens and leaders in developing indicators of sustainable progress that reflect the actual situation here and the sorts of progress people here want to see. How did this movement come about? The genesis of the Sustainable Lansing Community Forum can be traced to the mid-1990's, when informal discussions were first held at Urban Options on a sustainable future for the community. In 1996, representatives from the public and private sectors came together as the "Tri-County Regional Energy Consortium" to discuss energy issues. One thread in the discussions of that group concerned the larger concept of local sustainability. When the Consortium discussions ended, some members of the group started meeting informally with other interested citizens. They called themselves the "Green Team." Beginning in 1997, the Green Team held a number of Saturday morning meetings at Urban Options. At these meetings, known as "green teas," much brainstorming took place concerning the concept of sustainable development. General principles to guide a sustainability movement for the greater Lansing area were considered. It was also recognized that the effort in Lansing would need to expand to include more people from the community at large. So the word began to go out throughout the community about this new effort. In 1998, the Green Team expanded to more than 40 concerned citizens, while the green tea meetings continued. Participants in the green teas came from all walks of life - from churches, local businesses and government, non-profit organizations, and academia. In April, nine guiding principles of sustainability were drafted and agreed on by the group. Over the summer, a seminar was arranged for groups involved in local indicator work. It was held on October 13 and cohosted by Urban Options and the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission. Reports included working plans of the hosts and also the Ingham County Health Department, the Michigan League for Human Services' "Kids Count" project, the Lansing Community Education Research Center's Allen School Project and the Housing Ambassadors, and the MSU Center for Urban Affairs. Additional information was shared on the work of the Capital Area United Way and "Capital Community Shared Vision," as well as the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce. In November, members of the Green Team presented a case for sustainability to the East Lansing Commission on the Environment. During the green teas that Fall, a plan was made to host a community forum on sustainability around the time of the Sustainable America National Town Meeting in Detroit early in May, a major event sponsored in part by the President's Committee on Sustainability. The local event would help to focus attention on sustainability and launch the Sustainable Lansing project for the longer term. Indicator development workshops would also be planned to follow the forum. In January 1999, a committee was formed to organize the local forum. Phil Shepard, Chair With help from members and friends of the Green Team, the committee arranged the forum and gathered numerous supporting endorsements and contributions from the larger community. In the early planning there was a strong concern to develop a cooperative relationship with members of the business and development community. One group, the Lansing Regional Economic Development Team, "The R.E.D. Team, Inc.," was given very careful attention. After a presentation to their Board of Directors in late February, the R.E.D. Team endorsed the May Forum and graciously expressed an interest in longer term cooperation. This development was very much appreciated throughout the Green Team and helped to shape the focus of Sustainable Lansing on cooperative dialogue that strengthens and supports every sector of community interest - including the economy, social well-being, and the environment. The Community Forum in May was a landmark event, helping to expand the discussion of sustainability to the wider Lansing Community. Following up on the forum, two indicator development workshops were held on June 22nd and June 26th. There people from the community, including many who had attended the forum, answered for themselves the questions: What do we want to sustain and improve and how can we measure it? The success of the workshops strengthened hopes that by measuring what people are concerned about and putting out yearly reports of progress, an integrated focus on sustainability can be maintained over the coming decades. As of June 1999, the sustainability movement in Michigan appears to have reached a critical mass. In the Fall of 1998, a University Committee on a Sustainable Campus was formed at Michigan State University, through the leadership of Green Team member and MSU Librarian Terry Link. The Committee aims to move the East Lansing campus toward more sustainable practices. Associated with that effort, a number of sustainable development scholars and practitioners were brought to campus in Spring of 1999 for a semester long seminar series. On May 2-5, the Sustainable America National Town Meeting was held in Detroit, bringing national and international experts on sustainability to Michigan. The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and Wayne State University, along with the City of Detroit held related sustainability events. On July 8th the MSU Center for Urban Affairs, Community and Economic Development Program will host its annual summer institute, with the topic this year of "Creating Sustainable Communities" and a major focus on the role of community-based organizations, particularly Sustainable Lansing. The large number of recent and upcoming sustainable development events in Mid-Michigan indicates that the public's interest in sustainable development is building. Folks from the Lansing area are invited to participate in improving and sustaining our
community by attending upcoming events and by contacting Sustainable Lansing to express their concerns or volunteer. Send e-mail to: Information@UrbanOptions.org or shepard@msu.edu Home/History/Principles/Forum/Partners/Posters/Indicators/Links © 2004 Urban Options, Inc. All rights reserved |