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Sustainability Plans in Salem and Eugene Sustainability has become inevitable in the modern world. Ideally, sustainability connotes the use of resources by the current generation in a manner that does not compromise the future generations use and reliance on the same resources. In other words, sustainability dictates that members have to be wary of the triple bottom line approach in the exploitation of resources. The triple bottom line entails the triple consideration of profits, the people and the planet. This paper shall analyze the place of sustainability in the cities of Salem and Eugene. Both cities are found in the State of Oregon. In addition, both cities are alive to the need for sustainability and have in turn undertaken measures to ensure the city practices are in conformity with sustainability nobles and standards. From the onset, it is critical to appreciate the fact that both cities have progressive plans which if followed to the latter will ensure that the future generations rights are not compromised by the current generations activities. The City of Salem is one of the cities under the Sustainable Cities Initiatives initially muted by the University of Oregon. In the last three years, the initiative has seen the city introduce a number of changes intended to ensure sustainability. It is imperative to note that the same changes have been received positively by the players in the city and it is anticipated that in the next five years Salem City shall have undertaken full measures towards a sustainably operational platform. Some of the areas that have received coverage include the traffic sector, energy uses, conservation of natural resources and attraction sites such as waterfronts, among others (Simpson & Monika, 2012). This paper shall now consider specific changes and plans undertaken in some of the areas that have been covered in the sustainability initiative program.

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The City of Salem has undertaken an energy strategy intended to replace fossil fuel reliance with use of clean energy. The largest source of clean energy is the solar energy. In that context, it is noteworthy that in 2009, the City benefited from the U.S. Department of Energys, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (City of Salem, 2012). The City was awarded a total of $1.5 million. The grant was intended to have the city adopt new and cleaner forms of energy in place of the previously relied on fossil fuel energy. The spirit was to reduce the levels of carbon emissions associated with the fossil fuel alongside the fact that the latter form of energy was exhaustible. The City appreciates the need to rely on sustainable sources of energy to drive its economy. In addition, it should be appreciated that such initiatives have the additional benefits of creating employment for workforce. The grant has been utilized well and it can be reported that the city ranks among the few cities that have their priorities right at least when it comes to the area of clean energy sources. This aspect jells well with the citys determination to meet the triple bottom line objectives. It should be appreciated, however, that the process of change remains gradual especially for businesses that consume enormous quantities of energy. According to the Salem City Environmental Action Plan and its 2010 Community Energy Strategy, the citys usage of electricity, water, natural gas matched against the production suggests a positive direction and the city would likely handle anticipated federal regulations in the energy sector (City of Salem, 2012). It can thus be inferred that Salem practices sustainable production.

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Salem City has an Environmental Action Plan inaugurated in September 2008. This attests to the citys realization of the need to secure the environment. The Action Plan Charter provides a framework for the operationalization of the plans actions (City of Salem, 2008). This shall be the subject of the paper in this section. The Action Plans main objective is the creation of a sustainable city operations and the achievement of a sustainable community. The City has both long and short term sustainability goals and objectives. The long term goals have a window period of realization up to five years. They include the need to increase efficiency of the City resources in turn eliminating any wasteful exploitation of the city resources, the need to increase awareness of sustainability within City operations and in the entire City and lastly the reduction of waste and increase in pollution prevention activities. Some of the principles that govern the operations of the Action Plan include the principle of public participation which essentially involves the public in the activities from the decision making level to the implementation and the polluter pays principle where the businesses that produce the identified polluters are meant in one way or another to pay the City. The latter principle is best implemented through the imposition of taxes. Finally, it is noteworthy that the Plan has identified three major avenues through which changes are to be implemented (City of Salem, 2008). These are behavior changes where the citizenry must be conscious of their actions both at the workplace and at home, operational changes whereby efficiencies need to be reorganized and lastly policy changes whereby the sustainability goals are adopted in organizational policy frameworks. On the other hand, the City of Eugene is conscious of the need for sustainability. Its approach to sustainable has seen it consider a tripartite consideration which entails the

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advancement of social equity, economic injustice and environmental health (City of Eugene, 2013). According to the City Plan, it would be possible community wide fossil fuel consumption by 50% by 2030, greenhouse gas emissions to below 1990 levels by 2020 and reduce waste from city facilities by 90% by 2020. The City has adopted the triple bottom line approach in its decision making in which the profits, the people and the planet are each given the same weighting. The effects of a policy must not be adverse as to occasion detrimental effects on any of the three mentioned considerations. In that respect, the City has developed a Triple Bottom Line tool for purposes of assisting the employees and community members attain the sustainability goals. In the 2012 Climate Action Plan progress report, the City of Eugene has noted four main steps it has since initiated in different areas in efforts to achieve a sustainable city. A discussion of these developments would be helpful in understanding the progress Eugene continues to make in its economy (City of Eugene, 2013). The first area entails the solarize Eugene campaign. In the same, under the Green-power project households have altered to the use of solar electric systems. The noble in this is that it reduced reliance of fossil energy and consequential carbon emissions. It is anticipated that with the coming years, businesses in Eugene shall follow suit (Sivaev & Stovel, 2007). Secondly, with the partnership of Friends of Trees, the City of Eugene has introduced unique trees that can thrive under the new climatic conditions. The climate adapted trees equally have the ability to lessen carbon excess in the atmosphere occasioned by industrial and domestic emissions. The transport industry has not been left aside. The Eugene Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan is an initiative introduced in 2012 with the intention of

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reducing the number of motor vehicles on the road (City of Eugene, 2010). It is recommended that passengers make short journeys either on foot or using bicycles (City of Eugene, 2013). This would in turn reduce the carbon emissions by motor vehicles. Lastly, Eugene City has introduced a retrofit program in which private property developers are funded to retrofit their properties in order to incorporate storm-water features considered to be environment friendly. Such include rain gardens and bios wales. Properties recommended for this initiative fall along the Amazon Creek watershed. It is anticipated that the retrofit would harness the ecology towards sustainability. The City of Eugene continues in its efforts to have an environmentally sustainable environment for purposes of business and habitation (Simpson & Monika, 2012). In that context, the efforts mentioned above alongside others such as the 20 minute neighborhood program, the Triple Bottom Line pursuits, among others should be appreciated for their nobility. In conclusion, it should be noted from the foregoing that both the Cities of Salem and Eugene are conscious of the need to practice sustainable businesses in efforts to ensure the world remains environmentally friendly. In addition, both cities work on the premise that sustainability is a two way traffic that demands for the contribution of the citizenry and their government. In that context, every stakeholder is urged to discharge their end of the bargain.

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References City of Eugene. (2010). Health Impact Assessement of Transportation Policies in the Eugene Climate and Energy Action Plan. Eugene: City of Eugene. City of Eugene. (2013). Community Climate and Energy Action Plan: 2013 Progress Report. Eugene: City of Eugene. City of Eugene. (2013, September 12). Sustainable City. Retrieved November 18, 2013, from City of Eugene: http://www.eugene-or.gov/index.aspx?NID=509 City of Salem. (2008). Environmental Action Plan Charter. Salem: City of Salem. City of Salem. (2012). Salem Community Energy Inventory. Salem: City of Salem. Simpson, R., & Monika, Z. (2012). The Economy of Green Cities. A World Compendium on the Green Urban Economy Series, 3(1), 38-59. Sivaev, D., & Stovel, E. (2007). Developing Sustainable Business Clusters in the Eugene Area: An Economic Analysis. Eugene: Department of Economics, University of Oregon.