One of Nine U.S. Cities Selected for Innovative STAR Beta Community Index Program
Washington, DC - The District of Columbia was one of nine cities selected to assist with the design of a revolutionary online rating and performance management tool that will help local governments manage and improve sustainability performance, the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) reported today.
The STAR Community Index Program (STAR), currently being developed by ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA (ICLEI), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), National League of Cities (NLC), and the Center for American Progress (CAP), promises to transform and accelerate the local sustainability movement by offering U.S. cities a roadmap for advancing climate protection and economic recovery. The District, one of the nine cities to participate in the STAR Beta Community Index Program, will test the program to ensure adoptability by local governments.
As a Beta Community, the District will collaborate with ICLEI to help guide the development of a “triple bottom line” system for rating sustainability across measures of environmental health, economic prosperity, and social equity. STAR will allow the District and cities nationwide to plan for sustainability, gauge progress on a diverse range of measures, and benchmark against other jurisdictions. The District will receive technical support and resources to become an early adopter of STAR and to accelerate its various sustainability efforts.
“We are thrilled to be selected to participate in this cutting-edge program,” said Christophe A.G. Tulou, director of DDOE. “Clearly, it demonstrates that the District is a national leader in sustainability; but more importantly, it will allow us to more thoroughly and effectively measure our sustainability.” DDOE plans to integrate its work on STAR into the development of new green dashboards that make sustainability data easily accessible to the public and allow more regular and effective monitoring of the city’s progress towards becoming more sustainable.
Martin Chávez, the executive director of ICLEI USA , added, “These nine early-adopter cities, along with many other communities across the nation, are already taking the lead on energy efficiency and sustainable development in their own right and as such, they are the perfect candidates to advance the goals and mission of STAR, which is to build healthier, inclusive and more livable communities.”
For more information on the Star Community Index, visit www.icleiusa.org/star.