Sustainability as a Critical Service

Alicia Brown, Acting Director of Sustainability, City of Savannah

Alicia Brown, Acting Director of Sustainability, City of Savannah

For six months every year, my city of Savannah, Georgia, thinks deeply about what it means for something to be a critical service. Those six months, the Atlantic hurricane season, are filled with preparation and consequential decisions about which staff must stay and which are allowed to go inland to safety. In this context, “critical services” are those that cannot be postponed for long without severe harm, like treating drinking water, managing wastewater, clearing roads, and providing emergency services.

In the case of a hurricane, critical services are those that must be available immediately, even under poor conditions. However, there are many other contexts where it would be a mistake to make “critical” synonymous with “emergency.” Rather, critical services are any services that play a decisive role in an outcome, whether positive or negative.

In my three years in local government, I have noticed a concerning trend. Our collective bias is toward the exigent in both the daily rhythm of activity and in longer-term planning cycles. We observe and acknowledge long-term “stressors” like poverty and inequity and hazards like rising seas and urban heat, but we rarely feel inclined to mount a significant offensive against these threats. Instead, we focus on the needs that are immediate and tangible—the potholes and the trash pickup that is periodically delayed—or, on the other end of the spectrum, the investments that are most suitable for a ribbon cutting.

To be clear, potholes must be filled, and trash must be collected. There are substantial benefits to shiny new playgrounds and attractive streetscapes. However, these amenities are no substitute for the far less tangible hallmarks of a good place to live, like a sense of safety; social, physical, and digital connectivity; a healthy environment; affordable, quality housing; and pathways to prosperity.

Local government sustainability departments have a critical role in realizing the vision for a thriving community. Far too often, “sustainability” is associated exclusively with the environment, conjuring thoughts of recycling and electric vehicles divorced from any human impact. Yet, in its simplest form, sustainability means the ability to continue. When we think of this in the context of our communities, sustainability means confronting the long-term stressors that will eventually lead to instability and investing in solutions that preserve the things we care about, including our local culture, vibrant neighborhoods, community institutions, and the natural environment.

"Far too often, “sustainability” is associated exclusively with the environment, conjuring thoughts of recycling and electric vehicles divorced from any human impact."

Sustainability Departments often have a far broader mandate than their peers in local government. Here in Savannah, our department has a mission to support safe, healthy, and thriving communities, as defined by the residents we serve. As a result, our work can span from reducing energy burdens to prioritizing healthy food access, supporting small businesses, and protecting green spaces. This broad and long-term vision places us in the unique position to break down siloes in government and in our community to make significant strides toward progress on generational problems.

Because sustainability is often seen as optional or a good thing to do in the future, sustainability departments are often under-resourced and understaffed. This means sustainability professionals must operate with creativity and pursue innovative, collaborative approaches to be successful. In Savannah, this mindset has led to several successful initiatives that have required little, if any, net investment by the City but have paid substantial dividends in the community.

One of the best examples is an initiative to install solar energy systems at 16 municipal facilities. This investment is being made through a Solar Energy Procurement Agreement (SEPA), or what is known as a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) in many other states. Under this model, the city has been able to install solar panels at no upfront cost, instead paying for the solar energy generated on a per kilowatt-hour basis at a rate that is less than we would pay our utility. As part of this project, we provided workforce training to roughly a dozen residents, supported a minority-owned company on the path to participating in the solar industry, and replaced three roofs, all at no net cost to the city. This was possible because the city recognized the industry’s desire to work with us and used that desire to secure additional partnerships over and above simply installing solar panels.

Similarly, the city has partnered with a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) called Capital Good Fund to launch a program called Georgia BRIGHT, a solar and battery leasing program designed specifically for households earning under $100,000 per year. This partnership married the City’s local context and community ties with Capital Good Fund’s expertise in inclusive financial products to create a first-of-its-kind program for underserved residents. Through this program, participating households will benefit from energy savings and resilience against power outages, and the City’s solar workforce trainees will benefit from a steady stream of work serving the communities they represent.

As these projects demonstrate, sustainability projects can and should be designed to offer a range of benefits beyond environmental protection. Looking ahead, Savannah is excited to roll out a 100% Savannah energy efficiency program, which will help residents lower their energy bills and increase the comfort and safety of their homes while also creating good jobs and growing businesses in the building industry. This program, made possible by two federal grants, is expected to serve more than 800 households over the next three years. We are also preparing to apply for another federal grant to establish resilience hubs around the city that will offer a range of resources during both blue sky and black sky events, such as WiFi and EV carshares to help residents access grocery stores, doctors offices, and active recreation opportunities that are otherwise out of reach. Projects responsive to residents’ needs are critical for rebuilding trust and strengthening our community.

If there is any takeaway from the examples above, it should be this—there is no better moment to work in sustainability than today. With an infusion of federal funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and a national consciousness around the dangers of climate change, there are more resources than ever to start your city or county on the path to a sustainability program. As a great starting point, there are a wide range of fellowships that local governments could use to build capacity in the sustainability space at low or no cost, including the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps, the FUSE Fellowship, the Civic Spark Fellowship, and programs through Bloomberg Philanthropies, just to name a few. Critically, interested governments do not have to assess these opportunities alone but can participate in support networks like the Southeast Sustainability Directors’ Network, which provides synthesized notices of opportunities and assistance in navigating application processes.

Undoubtedly, local governments have an ever-growing list of responsibilities and priorities competing for attention, but this cannot be a reason to delay work toward a better future. Coordinated efforts to mitigate chronic stressors like poverty, inequity, and a lack of opportunity must be prioritized alongside forward-thinking investments to create safe, healthy, prosperous, and connected communities. Our choices today will be decisive in securing the future we want, which is the very definition of a critical service.