Community Sustainability Assessment Report - 2021

Provided by: Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts |Published on: September 22, 2023

Scientific Reports

9101112AP

Scientist Reviewed ↗

Synopsis

As a part of Wisconsin's initiatives to address climate change, the Community Sustainability Working Group created this report to detail ways in which communities can take action and plan for a more sustainable future.
This report describes how communities can focus on more than energy savings, such as community agriculture, floodplain management, infrastructure improvements, and water conservation.
Throughout the report, specific community plans for different cities are linked as examples.
The 2026 version of this report can be found here.

Related Teaching Resources

Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Civics, Engineering

Authors: Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts, University of Wisconsin

Region: North America, USA - Midwest, United States, Wisconsin

Languages: English

View Resource

Teaching Materials

Positives

The report defines attributes of sustainability in their framework, such as a holistic outlook, focus on place, and integration into local policies.
The report includes excellent references and resources linked at the end including the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit, which focuses on community planning and a list of potential sustainability policies for communities to implement.

Additional Prerequisites

Students should have a basic understanding of the following environmental science terms: sustainability, renewable energy, greenhouse gas emissions, and green infrastructure.
The link on page 12 for PSC EIC - Energy Independent Communities and the first and third links on page 15 under Endnotes and References are broken links.

Differentiation

Consider spending a few days reading this report in class with students, breaking up the reading with graphic organizers, discussions, and activities related to community planning and sustainability.
After reading the report, ask students whether they think sustainability planning is more effective at the organization level or at the community level.
Have students review either Milwaukee's or Eau Claire's city plans on sustainability/climate change and have them choose one specific green initiative to discuss.
Teachers can also introduce or review the three main categories of climate change solutions: energy shift, energy efficiency, and climate adaptation. After looking at some of the community plans, students can find one initiative that fits with each category.

Scientist Notes

Teaching Tips

Standards

Resource Type and Format

Scientist Reviewed

This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.

Learn about our review process →

Related Teaching Resources

All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.

Cookie Preferences

Community Sustainability Assessment Report - 2021

Synopsis

Teaching Materials

Scientist Reviewed

Related Teaching Resources