The Foundation for Community Association Research is pleased to offer Green Communities, an 81-page resource on how to adopt environmentally friendly policies and practices and help your community association go green. Green Communities is the ninth Best Practices Report developed by the Foundation.
The report addresses important topics such as energy management, transportation, waste, building management, governing documents, land-use management, and much more. The publication includes four case studies, an appendix on the "Top 10 Ways to Help Your Community Go Green" and a comprehensive list of resources offering more information on environmental sustainability.
Green Communities is also available as a free PDF download. However, for those who want a printed version, it is available here at cost.
Here's an excerpt from the introduction: "As community managers and association leaders, we hold in the back of our minds the question: Can we improve the world for future generations? Sustainability is, in a general sense, the capacity to maintain a certain process or state indefinitely. In recent years, the concept has been applied to humanity, expressed as meeting the needs of the present population without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Can we set sustainability goals? Can we measure how well we are achieving them? And can we produce a feedback loop to observe, communicate and celebrate our successes? This report seeks to answer some of those questions."
Contents
Introduction
Section One: Defining Green
Section Two: Green Concepts and Sources You Can Use
Section Three: Energy Management
Section Four: Transportation Management
Section Five: Waste Management
Section Six: Building Management
Section Seven: Land-Use Management
Section Eight: Governing Documents
Appendix: Top 10 Ways to Help Your Community Go Green
Case Studies
Case Study #1: Serenbe
Case Study #2: 3400 Malone Condominium Association, Inc.
Case Study #3: Kiawah Island Community Association, Inc.
Case Study #4: Marlyn Condominium, Inc.
Additional Resources
Reference Notes