View this email in your browser
Sustainable Community Development Network of Southwestern Pennsylvania | For Leaders Advancing High Performing Communities

Featured Event

 


EAC Network Conference

The EAC Network Conference is the training and networking event for those already engaged in or interested in establishing an Environmental Advisory Council in their municipality, as well as municipal officials and staff. Registration for the EAC Network Conference includes 2 days of training, with plenty of time to network with peers from across the state.

Saturday Agenda

Morning Session:

8:00am – 8:45am | Networking (optional)
8:45am – 9:30am | Introductions & Sharing
9:30am – 10:15am | State Agency Q&A
10:30am – Noon | EAC Best Practices Panel

Afternoon Session:

12:30pm – 1:45pm | Climate Change/Action Planning
2:00pm – 3:00pm | Building & Strengthening Communications for EACs

Sunday Agenda

12:30pm -1:00pm | Sustainable PA Presentation
1:00pm – 2:15pm | Planning & Smart Growth
2:30pm – 3:30pm | Stormwater Management

For a detailed agenda, including featured speakers, please visit conserveland.org/2020-eac-network-conference/

 


Strengthen Your Community with Committed and Equitable Leadership

To equip municipal leaders in better understanding and addressing social equity in their community, the Sustainable States Network (SSN) commissioned Be Bold LLC to create an Equity in Action Toolkit. Developed in collaboration with SSN and Sustainable Pittsburgh, the toolkit includes a brief primer on why equity matters, an introduction to equity as a systemic issue, and a methodology to define, assess, and implement equity initiatives. It also includes best practices to support community officials with implementation.

The Equity in Action Toolkit defines equity as fairness in process, access, and outcomes. Unlike equality, which assumes that every individual will obtain the same benefit from the equal distribution of resources, equity accounts for an individual’s needs. For example, it may be more difficult to obtain feedback on an important community project from a single mother who works two jobs than it would be to hear from the retired couple who comes to every Council meeting.

Socially equitable policy creation and inclusive practices can foster strong social foundations ensuring long term community success. An ICMA study from 2014 found that inclusive citizen engagement plays a critical role in improving the relationship a local government has with the public and significantly improves the quality of public projects. When people feel they are a valued part of the community, they are much more likely to contribute to its overall success.

Read more

News, Research, and Innovations

 


COVID-19 Relief Resources [UPDATED]
Sustainable Pittsburgh continues to compile resources related to COVID-19 for municipalities and communities, businesses, restaurants & growers, and individuals.


COVID-19 Resources for Municipalities
The staff of Steel Rivers COG has been working to identify resources for municipalities and organize them in one central place.


PA Enacts Act 15 of 2020 to Address Local Government Issues During Pandemic
Modifies Public Meeting Rules, Suspends Land Use Application Processing Deadlines on a Limited Basis, Authorizes Taxing Bodies to Postpone the Property Tax Discount Date and Waive Late Fees and Penalties, and Authorizes the Remote Use of Notaries.


What is diversity and inclusion training? Here's a primer.
A 2016 meta-analysis article in the Journal of Management Education on best practices for diversity training championed that “diversity training has the potential to make a huge, positive impact because it strives to address prejudice, stereotyping and other biases.”


Social Equity Considerations: An Imperative in a Time of Pandemic
The decisions governments are making to cope with the spread of the coronavirus will disproportionately impact low-income communities. These decisions need to be made through an equity lens.