Sustainability CommitteeDowntown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council

COMMUNICATIONS PLANSupporting our 2009 Projects & the development of a community greening strategy

Working with the Community• With whom do you need to build consensus with on

specific issues?

• Who are the current stakeholders already engaged with the issue?

• What partnerships will give you access to a broader stakeholder base?

• How do you leverage these resources to have the greatest impact?

Working with Planners (among others)

• Implementation• Initiative• Transparency• Coordination• Facilitation• Survey• Demographic Data• Maps and Figures• Tables and Charts• Interviews• Literature Review• etc.

S strengths

W weaknesses

O opportunities

T threats

Winner of the 2009 Planning Excellence Award for Grassroots Initiative – LA Section of the American Planning Association

Working with Designers (among others)

• Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional

• Associate member, American Institute of Architects (AIA)

• Works for AECOM Design at 5th and Flower

• Lives Downtown

• Elected to Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council in June 2008 (2 years)

• Working towards license in architecture

Ashley Zarella, LEED AP, Assoc. AIADirector, Area-wide Work-force, Private SectorChair, Sustainability Committee

Mission Statement

•Result of an ongoing discussion of community interests– How do you define sustainability?

– What interests do you have regarding sustainability?

– What sustainability-focused projects could we undertake as a committee supported by the Neighborhood Council?

– How do we create a culture of sustainability?

Mission StatementThe Sustainability Committee is dedicated to empowering the downtown community to create a culture of sustainability.

We will work with the community to increase accessibility to existing programs and services through outreach and public education. We will identify and create opportunities for new programming and partnerships to meet our goals for a more livable, affordable, and efficient urban center.

Who?Committee membership

Natalia Aguilar (Volunteer)

Alex Brideau (Resident & Workforce)

Dorian Dudley (Business)

Gunnar Hand, AICP (NC Director, Workforce – LA County)

Jane Kim, AIA (Workforce)

Dawna Nolan (NC Director, Artist)

Nicole Nowacki (Workforce)

Stanley Michaels (NC Director, Resident)

Jennifer Regan (Resident & Workforce, Public Vice Chair)

Pamela Tuttle (Workforce)

Brady Westwater (NC Director, Arts, Cultural & Educational Interests)

Ashley Zarella, LEED AP, Assoc. AIA (NC Director, Workforce – AECOM Design)

How?

•Education– What issues are important to the Sustainability

Committee?

•Outreach– How do we share this information with our

community?

•Advocacy– What else can we do for our neighborhood?

We are dedicated to empowering the downtown community to create a culture of sustainability.

We will work with the community to increase accessibility to existing programs and services through outreach and public education. We will identify and create opportunities for new programming and partnerships to meet our goals for a more livable, affordable, and efficient urban center.

Introduction to partnership opportunities•AIA Sustainable Design Assessment

Team Grant ($15K+$5K community match)

•Launch of 2009 Sustainability Projects

•Nomination of Public Vice Chair, Jennifer Regan (AEG, Manager Sustainability Programs)

We are dedicated to empowering the downtown community to create a culture of sustainability.

We will work with the community to increase accessibility to existing programs and services through outreach and public education. We will identify and create opportunities for new programming and partnerships to meet our goals for a more livable, affordable, and efficient urban center.

2009 Projects

•Livability: Urban Beautification & Living SolutionsWe will work to facilitate a vibrant downtown Los Angeles with clean streets, natural shade, accessible public amenities, and green space. We will work with the community to create opportunities for rooftop gardens and citywide composting to enhance the benefits of living in a dense urban environment.

– Project 1: Rooftop Edible & Composting Containers

– Project 2: Tree Planting

We are dedicated to empowering the downtown community to create a culture of sustainability.

We will work with the community to increase accessibility to existing programs and services through outreach and public education. We will identify and create opportunities for new programming and partnerships to meet our goals for a more livable, affordable, and efficient urban center.

2009 Projects

•Affordability: Equity Now and For the FutureWe will identify affordable solutions for the workplace, home and shared public space so all members of the community may benefit from more environmentally-friendly options. We will highlight existing cost-saving rebate and assistance programs, increase awareness and encourage participation through outreach. We will identify programs that could incorporate assistance provisions so we can advocate for greater inclusion of our community.

– Project 3: Increase Participation in Cost-Saving Efficiency Programs: Energy & Water Focus

– Project 4: Increase Participation in City & Private Recycling and Food Waste Programs

We are dedicated to empowering the downtown community to create a culture of sustainability.

We will work with the community to increase accessibility to existing programs and services through outreach and public education. We will identify and create opportunities for new programming and partnerships to meet our goals for a more livable, affordable, and efficient urban center.

2009 Projects

•Efficiency: Resource Efficiency and the Efficient Use of ResourcesWe will work with the community as we transition toward the more efficient use of natural resources (water, waste, energy, land, materials, and transportation) by advocating for increased participation and utilization of existing programs and community resources.

– Project 5: Online Toolkit of Existing Resources

– Project 6: Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) Program

We are dedicated to empowering the downtown community to create a culture of sustainability.

We will work with the community to increase accessibility to existing programs and services through outreach and public education. We will identify and create opportunities for new programming and partnerships to meet our goals for a more livable, affordable, and efficient urban center.

2009 Projects

•Empowerment: Representing our Community as a Knowledgeable and Inclusive VoiceWe will engage Downtown stakeholders, including those not traditionally included, to get the community’s feedback and best understand how we can help meet our long term goals for a sustainable urban neighborhood. We will advocate on behalf of our community to call attention to current needs with potential solutions. We will work with community partners and local government on their future sustainability efforts.

– Project 7: Event and Education Programming & Calendar

– Project 8: Green Living Program

We are dedicated to empowering the downtown community to create a culture of sustainability.

We will work with the community to increase accessibility to existing programs and services through outreach and public education. We will identify and create opportunities for new programming and partnerships to meet our goals for a more livable, affordable, and efficient urban center.

Committee Structure

•Community of Volunteers

•NC-Elected Board Chair

•Public Vice Chair

•Sustainability Committee Members

•Project Team Leaders

•Project Teams

What?

•Education– How do we engage the community through public

education?

•Outreach– Who do we reach when we want to raise awareness

about a particular issue or service?

•Advocacy– How do we represent our diverse stakeholder base

to other parts of the community and city?

We are dedicated to empowering the downtown community to create a culture of sustainability.

We will work with the community to increase accessibility to existing programs and services through outreach and public education. We will identify and create opportunities for new programming and partnerships to meet our goals for a more livable, affordable, and efficient urban center.

How?

•Defining Outreach Tools– How do we reach our stakeholders?

Different tools for different issues; similar tools for multiple issues

– What tools do we need to reach each stakeholder group?Mix of media – electronic and paper

– Does the frequency of our contact inform how we communicate with stakeholders?Different formats will serve different needs

We are dedicated to empowering the downtown community to create a culture of sustainability.

We will work with the community to increase accessibility to existing programs and services through outreach and public education. We will identify and create opportunities for new programming and partnerships to meet our goals for a more livable, affordable, and efficient urban center.

Who?

•Defining Our Audience– Stakeholders represented by the Neighborhood Council

Residents, Business Owners, Workforce, Social Service Providers,Arts & Educational Interests, Homeless, etc.

– Stakeholders not yet engaged by the Neighborhood CouncilRelate to stakeholders on issues of importance and encourage participation with relevant projects.

We are dedicated to empowering the downtown community to create a culture of sustainability.

We will work with the community to increase accessibility to existing programs and services through outreach and public education. We will identify and create opportunities for new programming and partnerships to meet our goals for a more livable, affordable, and efficient urban center.

Sustainability Committee

•Community Partners– We have identified eight (8) projects for 2009 and recognize the

need for community partnership for successful implementation.

– We acknowledge the need for a larger network of contacts within the community – from individual stakeholders to businesses to nonprofits and other institutions to support both our long-term and short-term community sustainability goals.

•Staying Relevant– Creating relevance through ongoing engagement with the

community.

– Foster a relationship with the community as a knowledgeable and inclusive voice that represents the needs of the community.

Outreach Tools•Executive Summary

•Emails

•Calendar

•Advocacy Report

•Press Release / Public Service Announcement

•Community / Membership

Outreach Tools

•Executive Summary– Create an overview of committee work including project updates

– Develop regular, short paragraphs that adapt well to various media

– Potentially expand routine communications to other newsletters with this accessible format

Frequency: Monthly

Outreach Tools

•Emails– Provide an efficient, low-cost outreach solution

– Management of email lists is key to success and audience (spam)

– Access to cluttered inboxes – message clear and simple

– Use marketing best practices

Frequency: As needed / Regularly

Outreach Tools

•Calendar– Increase accessibility by creating publicized opportunities for

engagement beyond regular committee and Board meetings

– Create network of information-sharing: don’t recreate the wheel; use existing resources when possible

– Partner with other community organizations and stakeholders

Frequency: Ongoing

Outreach Tools

•Advocacy Report– Publicize a routine overview of advocacy efforts by the

Sustainability Committee and Neighborhood Council

– Provide transparency through regular reporting

– Engage stakeholders who do not attend meetings

Frequency: Quarterly with ongoing online tracking

Outreach Tools

•Press Release / Public Service Announcements– Use especially for special events

– Develop templates to streamline workflow

– Create opportunities to engage a broader stakeholder base through partnership and participation

– Provide outreach tools to facilitate even greater reach

Frequency: Daily – make it part of your routine

Outreach Tools

•Community and Membership– Empower your community and membership to take on roles of

their choice

– Develop templates to streamline workflow

– Create opportunities to engage a broader stakeholder base through partnership and participation

– Provide outreach tools to committee members and others to facilitate even greater reach in person

Frequency: Daily – make it part of your routine

Defining Our Audience

•How the tools are used– What is the message?

– How many people are you trying to reach?

– What is your distribution capacity?

– How can this tool expand your outreach? (e.g. forward email)

Reaching Our Audience

•What tools are most effective?– For events versus ongoing reports

– For issue-specific information

– For stakeholder-specific impact

– For the NC board

– For the community

Borrow, test, confirm

•Create tools for access and ease– Outreach bin with content to support in-person events

– Create network of resources for ongoing supply of outreach materials

– Utilize outreach tools (such as postcards, business cards) wherethe format lends itself to easy distribution by the current membership

Borrow, test, confirm

•Establish network of partners and hosts– Create relationships with local businesses and other stakeholder

interests who can provide support through partnership (e.g. host a meeting)

– Establish new community connections that will enhance our visibility by creating membership overlap and participation (e.g. AIA Newsletter)

Borrow, test, confirm

•Develop templates for project management and communication– EDUCATION: Template for calendar information

(responsibility of project leaders and chairs)

– OUTREACH: Template for monthly project update (responsibility of project leader)

– ADVOCACY: Template for letters of support and advocacy(responsibility of chairs)

Templates

•INSERT LETTER / PROJECT TEMPLATES FOR APPROVAL

Network for Distribution

•Membership– Create formats for quick, easy distribution by membership

– Develop a secondary list of contacts for additional distributionthrough membership

•Extend to new groups– Identify new relationships by understanding membership

– Develop information-sharing relationships with other groups and organizations with existing networks

We are dedicated to empowering the downtown community to create a culture of sustainability.

We will work with the community to increase accessibility to existing programs and services through outreach and public education. We will identify and create opportunities for new programming and partnerships to meet our goals for a more livable, affordable, and efficient urban center.

Distribution

•INSERT LIST FOR APPROVAL• Business Improvement Districts

• Institutions

• Issue-Focused Nonprofits

• Media

• Private Sector

• Public Sector

• Stakeholder Group-Focused Nonprofits

We are dedicated to empowering the downtown community to create a culture of sustainability.

We will work with the community to increase accessibility to existing programs and services through outreach and public education. We will identify and create opportunities for new programming and partnerships to meet our goals for a more livable, affordable, and efficient urban center.