Environmental Action Plan (EAP)
New!
Environmental Action Plan 2030 (Adopted on June 23, 2009)
What is an Environmental Action Plan (EAP)?
The Environmental Action Plan (EAP) is a road map for city leaders, staff, and citizens to implement the EcoCity Charter. The EAP’s policy goals are linked to each of the Eco City Charter’s 10 principles while the specific actions set forth a phased approach to implementation over the course of the next 20-30 years. The EAP was developed to establish specific policy objectives, identify programs and resources, set tentative timelines, and develop measures of success.
In the summer of 2008 the Eco-City Alexandria team began work on the City’s Environmental Action Plan. Over the course of the academic year (September 2008 to May 2009), Virginia Tech assisted and facilitated the City of Alexandria and the Environmental Policy Commission in the development of short, mid, and long range Environmental Action Plan goals (objectives) and associated priority actions (programs, policies, studies and protocols) to achieve the Eco-City Charter principles. The EAP goals act as the bridge between the Eco-City Charter’s principles and the specific actions (e.g., policy, management/program, and project) undertaken by the city and the community to achieve those principles. The development of the EAP consisted of a research phase and two development phases. The process culminated with the design of the Environmental Action Plan 2030 which will be reviewed by City Council for its adoption on June 23rd, 2009.
EAP Framework and Elements
- Cross Cutting Strategies
Several of the EPC workshops and meetings have focused on the following topic areas that seem to cut across multiple principles: 1) environmental health; 2) land use/open space and transportation; 3) climate change; 4) civic sustainability; and 5) business sustainability. Based on these meetings the EPC identified a small number of priority strategies as a way to link multiple principles and goals within the context of cross cutting sustainability challenges.
- Goals (Performance Measures)
Goals are organized by the 10 individual Charter Principles and also include percentage targets, such as decreases of emissions, by a target date. These targets provide some level of specific guidance and performance measures
- Action Steps (Implementation)
Action steps include the specific means (ordinances, policies, programs, projects) to implement and achieve the EAP’s goals. Based on the review of existing city plans and the plans from other cities, the EPC used the following following time horizons for the EAP:
Phase I: FY 2009 to FY 2011
Phase II: FY 2012 and Beyond:
- Mid Term: FY 2012 to FY 2020
- Long Range: FY 2020 to 2030
