Sustainability Decision Making

Last updated 6 years ago

First published 11 April, 2018

Decision Making,Renewable Energy

English Rating: ALL ages Shortest path: 5 nodes Longest path: 13 nodes Possible solutions: 23

Andrew Saunders

You want to increase the use of renewable energy in the community. Which path do you follow? Work to Deploy Large-Scale Solar on Public Property. Pursue a 100% Renewable Energy Goal.
First Step? Develop a Coalition of Interested Partners. Research Trends, Summarize Benfits, & Outline Approach. Release Media Release Stating City's Committment to 100% Renewable.
:( - You Are Reprimanded for Getting Ahead of Elected Officials. No Goal is Established & Other Projects Lose Priority. .
Next Step? Media release. Set Up a Meeting with the Mayor.
:( You Didn't Do Enough Ground Work. No Positive Outcome.
The Mayor Seems Cautiously Interested. Next Step? Wait Out Budget Season. Draft 100% Renewable Resolution.
:/ - Your Resolution is Diluted for Budget Reasons. Partial Success. .
Budget Season is Over. Next Step? Draft 100% Renewable Resolution. Engage with the Utility.
:) - Resolution Passed!.
The Utility Asks You to Include Nuclear Power as "Renewable". What Do You Do? Exclude Nuke. Include Nuke & Draft Resolution.
:( - You Have Irritated the Utility. They Have Pulled Some Strings with the Mayor and Your Project is Dead!.
:) - Your Resolution Passes and the Utility Initiates New Local Solar Projects..
What Do You Do with This Info? Email it to Environmentally-Minded Folks in the Community. Present it to the City Manager.
They Seem Willing to Help. What's Your Next Step? Let Them Run With It. Host a Workshop.
:( - They are Too Busy to Do the Heavy Lifting. No Action..
What Do You Do at the Workshop? Initiate a Call to Action. Survey Participants for Priorities.
:( - They are Too Busy to Do the Heavy Lifting. No Action..
:/ - This is Taking Too Much Time. You Direct Your Attention to New Priorities. .
She Approves, but Thinks Its More Likely at a 50% Committment. What Do you Do? Compromise to 50%. Stay with 100%.
:( - You Are Perceived as Too Goal Focused and Not a Team Player. No Action Taken. .
What is Your Next Step? Present Information to the Elected Officials. Encouage Citizens to Contact Their Elected Officials.
:) - Success. A 50% Renewable Resolution Passes Along with a Small Funding Allocation for New Solar. .
:/ - Not Your Best Move. Citizens Force the Adoption of a 20% Renewable Goal, But You Have Just Earned Yourself a Budget Reduction. .
What's Your Next Move? Present the Idea at a Staff Meeting with Department Directors. Draft a Project Concept with Costs and Benefits. Get the Idea In Front of Local Elected Officials.
They Didn't Quite Get Your Idea. What's Your Next Step? Follow Up Email. Set Up a Meeting with the Water Utility Director.
Still Not Much Interest. What Now? Email Again. Call the Water Utility Director.
:( - Your Pretty Irritating. Most Peers Now Send Your Email to Spam. .
:/ - The Director Was Somewhat Interested, but Never Quite Understood What You Needed. You Were Passed to a Subordinate Who Helped You Get a Small Solar Array on a Public Site..
The Director Likes the Idea, but Lacks Funding. What Do You Do? Scale the Project to Meet Funding Needs. Look For Federal Grants. Look for Local Grants/Donations.
:/ - The Project Was Implemented at a Reduced Scale. Partial Success. .
:/ - Good News... The Project is Fully Funded. Bad News ..... The Grant Requirements are Burdensom and You Now Have Less Time for Other Initiatives. .
:) - Success. Your Project was Funded at 90% of Its Original Size. .
What Do you Do With This? Share with the City Manager and Water Utility Director. Post the Concept on the Web.
:) - Impeccable Timing. The Project is Incorporated into an Infrastructure Plan. .
It Sat Dormant for Years. More Recently an Elected Offical Found It and Wants to Implement It. What Do You Do? Rework the Plan and Send to the Water Utility Director. Rework the Plan and Share it with the Elected Official. Run With It.
:) - The Water Utility Director and Elected Official Work to Fully Fund the Project. .
:/ - The Project was Promoted Without Considering Other Funding Priorities. It was Scale Back by the Water Utility and Partially Funded. .
:( - The Market Evolved and the Project Cost Decreased. Unfortunately Without that Information Your Project Was Deemded to be Too Expensive & Failed. .
How Do You Do This? Call Them & Ask For Funding Allocation. Start a Media Campaign that Targets Their Interests.
:/ - The Good News is the Project Was Funded. The Bad News is that You Have Alienated Your Peers and Have been Reprimanded for Violating Organizational Policy. .
:(- You Have Violated Organization Policies. You are Reprimanded & No Action is Taken. .