Southeast Sustainability Directors Network


Funding for Collaboration around Adaptation and Resilience Planning

Several SSDN Communities are collaborating on a project for the Request for Proposals (RFP) for Regional Networks: Collaboration Projects in Adaptation/Resilience. The purpose of the proposal, the Partnerships for Resilience and Empowered Planning (PREP) program, is to:
  1. Enhance the knowledge of the participating communities regarding effective resilience planning
  2. Foster deeper collaboration between these communities of SSDN and
  3. Develop a reference manuscript and/or online tool that will serve as guidance for participating communities as well as other cities/counties.
By participating in PREP, communities will be ready to build well-rounded stakeholder teams for the development of comprehensive resilience planning, as well as, serve as leaders in providing information to other communities in the Southeast. 
 
The RFP deadline is February 15, 2014.  If you are interested in joining this proposal then e-mail Peter Nierengarten at pnierengarten@fayetteville-ar.gov.
 

Interview with: Maggie Theriot

This month, we interview Maggie Theriot, Director of the Office of Resource Stewardship, Leon County, FL. 

What are you working on right now that you are most excited about?
Leon County supports the Community Carbon Fund, a local carbon offset program that provides energy efficiency improvements at social service non-profits, allowing local offsets to have a local impact.  The improvements reduce our community’s carbon footprint, allow the service agencies to spend more dollars serving clients, and employ local contractors. The improvements are projected to reduce carbon emissions by 72 metric tons annually.

I'm also excited about the Leon County Sustainable Demonstration Center (PDF link). We achieved net-zero status through retrofit of a 50-year old building transformed from an office work site into a Sustainable Demonstration Center.  The building features a 60-kw solar array, a 17-ton geothermal heating and cooling system, and a 40,000 gallon rainwater collection system. Thousands of people  visit this center annually and get a first-hand look at this technology. The next phase of the Center is focused on smaller internal improvements and workplace sustainability practices..

What do you want to know from others in SSDN? What provocative questions do you have for your colleagues around the Southeast?
Leon County has recently transitioned our curbside collection service to single-stream recycling. Do SSDN members have any success stories of educational campaigns that help to increase recycling rates? Answer here. Examples could include personalized outreach for specific sectors such as health care providers, shopping centers, commercial office etc.

What led you to this work?
I was raised in this community and have always had a high level of pride for the place I call home.  This led me to a career in local government, first in the budget office and later in building operations.  An intricate understanding of our governmental operations, combined with my Masters in Urban & Regional Planning gave me a great foundation for a future in Sustainability.  When Leon County launched their Sustainability Program, it was the perfect fit for my passion to have a meaningful impact on my home town.



Top Posts from the USDN Website

Your colleagues have been sharing updates and information through USDN.org. Here are a few of the recent popular posts:

Be sure to include 'Southeast' in the 'Who should see this post' field on the website so your SSDN colleagues can view your post. If you have any questions, please reply to this email. 




About SSDN

SSDN is an unaffiliated peer to peer network that is inclusive of municipal professionals working in the field of sustainability, and effective at networking, best practice sharing, and eventually collaborating together on larger priorities for the region.

We seek to become a network whose priorities are set by network members for network members. The Southeast Network strives to effectively support one another to successfully capture funding opportunities, influence sustainable policies and programs at the local and state levels, and lead the advancement of national sustainability.












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