Sustainability Team Guidance

Your Sustainability Team will help your community navigate the Sustainable CT program and implement actions to achieve points toward certification. Click on the links or scroll down this page to learn about:
 

Registering Your Municipality

Sustainable CT is open to all cities and towns in Connecticut. The program is voluntary and participation is free. A community can join Sustainable CT at any time.

1. Pass a resolution. The resolution states your municipality’s intent to participate in Sustainable CT, designates your municipal Sustainable CT contact person (an elected official or municipal employee), and establishes a Sustainability Team to help implement program actions. You may use or edit Sustainable CT’s resolution template, or you can write your own. Passage of a resolution does not commit your municipality to seeking certification in any given year.


2. Register your community on the Sustainable CT website. This should be done by your town’s designated Sustainable CT contact person.

Sustainability Team Creation

Your Sustainability Team may be a new advisory committee or a revision to the role of an existing committee to serve as your Sustainability Team (you do not need to change the name of an existing committee).

Your Sustainability Team members can be appointed or made up of volunteers.

As the implementer of the Sustainable CT actions, your team will engage across the community; build new relationships; leverage collaborations; and promote a better quality of life for all residents, now and in the future.

Recognizing that diversity enriches civic engagement, strengthens communities, and builds more equitable outcomes, your team should reflect the demographic mix of your community.

Your Sustainability Team should have at least three members, and one of these three should be a municipal elected official or staff member. Additional members might include:

• Representatives from existing local commissions, committees, or community organizations.


• Civic leaders and representatives from neighborhood organizations, seniors, and youth.


• Community members who rely on or are impacted by public services and amenities, including transportation, built infrastructure, local municipal operations, planning, natural resources, land conservation, economic development and retention, housing, arts and culture, food systems, public health, community engagement, equity, etc.


• Other stakeholders with expertise in the areas listed above.

Your Sustainability Team may do one or all of the following to assist with the implementation of Sustainable CT actions (this list is illustrative, not exhaustive):

• Create subcommittees or working groups


• Invite existing committees, non-profit organizations, or individuals with expertise on certain Sustainable CT actions to serve as ad hoc advisors or implementation partners for such actions.


• Coordinate with neighboring communities also implementing Sustainable CT actions.

Sustainability Team Meetings and Reporting

Your Sustainability Team should meet at least quarterly, and more frequently, as needed.

Your Sustainability Team should strive to follow guidance provided in the Sustainable CT Equity Toolkit.

Your Sustainability Team will report on progress annually to your local legislative body.  The report should be publicly available, and the format is flexible (it may be in the form of a memo, presentation, copy of Sustainable CT application for certification, etc.).

Implementing Actions & Applying for Certification

Take advantage of Sustainable CT’s many free technical support and funding resources by clicking on the menu sections in the column on the left of this page.

Complete actions and track them on your Municipal Dashboard. We suggest you begin with action Optimize for Equity and leave at least 3-6 months to implement this action.

Once you have completed actions to meet the point requirements for Bronze or Silver certification, submit for certification through your Municipal Dashboard. Contact [email protected] for assistance with completing actions and applying for certification.

Resources for Your Team

Sustainable CT Video Tutorials

Need assistance with the Sustainable CT website? Visit any of the links below to view brief 1-5 minute tutorials on: