SET GOALS. MEASURE PROGRESS.

STAR Communities helps cities and counties set a clear path for sustainability with helpful tools that measure progress.

www.STARcommunities.org

AARON LANDE Education Coordinator

ANDREA PEET Program Manager

LACEY SHAVER Outreach Coordinator

KRISTI WAMSTED-EVANS Technical Manager

HILARI VARNADORE Executive Director Clockwise from bottom left Not pictured: Daniella Hirschfeld

THE STAR COMMUNITIES TEAM

The STAR Community Rating System is the

nation’s first comprehensive framework and certification program

for measuring local sustainability.

THE STAR COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM

BUILT BY AND FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

Municipal sustainability leaders were saying:

§ We want to demonstrate commitment to sustainability How do we measure it? What does it mean?

§ We want metrics that communicate transparency and accountability How do we pick from them?

§ We want national recognition for our work We need a certification program that challenges us

§ We want to build and strengthen partnerships We need a national standard that recognizes everyone’s contributions to sustainability in our community

§  2007: STAR concept released at Greenbuild in Chicago. §  2008: Par tnership between the U.S. Green Building Council , National

League of Cit ies, ICLEI and Center for American Progress forms to suppor t development. Established a diverse, consensus-based stakeholder engagement process that included 200+ volunteers.

§  2011: STAR Communities becomes independent organization to administer the Rating System.

§  2012: Rating System v1.0 released in October. Tested by 30+ pilot communities in 2012-13.

§  2013: First community becomes cer tif ied - Tacoma, WA

STAR DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE

STAR-CERTIFIED COMMUNITIES

Certified 5-STAR Communities §  Northampton, MA §  Seattle, WA

Certified 4-STAR Communities §  Austin, TX §  Broward County, FL §  Davenport, IA §  Evanston, IL

Certified 3-STAR Communities §  Albany, NY §  Atlanta, GA §  Chandler, AZ §  Cleveland, OH §  Des Moines, IA

(left to right) §  Dr. Jennifer Jurado, Director of Natural Resources, Broward County, FL §  Mayor Frank Cownie, Des Moines, IA §  Mayor Karen Weitkunat, Fort Collins, CO §  Laura Spanjian, Director, Office of Sustainability, Houston, TX

§  Portland, OR §  Tacoma, WA §  Tucson, AZ §  Washington, DC

§  El Cerrito, CA §  Fayetteville, AR §  Fort Collins, CO §  Indianapolis, IN §  Lee County, FL

Communities using STAR or pursuing certification

STAR-Certified communities

CITIES & COUNTIES IN THE STAR NETWORK

Idaho:  Boise      Oregon:  Beaverton  •  Coos  Bay  •  Portland      Washington:  King  County  •  Sea6le    •  Tacoma  

Illinois:  Blue  Island  •  Elgin  •  Evanston  •  Park  Forest  •  Peoria  County  

Iowa:  Charles  City  •  Davenport  •    Des  Moines  •  Dubuque  

Michigan:  Dearborn  

Minnesota:  Rosemount  

Nebraska:  Omaha  

District  of  Columbia  Indiana:  Bloomington  •  Indianapolis  Kentucky:  Louisville/Jefferson  County  Maine:  Portland  Maryland:  BalJmore  •  Frederick  Massachuse?s:  Cambridge  •  Northampton  New  Jersey:  Woodbridge  Township  New  York:  Albany  •  Madison  County  Ohio:  Cleveland  •  Columbus  •  Dayton  •  Grove  City  •  Hamilton  Pennsylvania:  Allegheny  Co.  •  Philadelphia  •  Reading  Vermont:  Burlington/Chi6enden  County    Virginia:  Blacksburg  

Arizona:  Chandler  •  Flagstaff  •  Phoenix  •  Tucson      California:  El  Cerrito  •  Redlands  •  Riverside  •  Santa  Monica        Nevada:  Henderson  •  Las  Vegas    New  Mexico:  Las  Cruces  •  Santa  Fe    Utah:  Salt  Lake  City  

Arkansas:  Faye6eville      Colorado:  Fort  Collins  •  Lakewood  •  Nederland    Kansas:  Wichita      Missouri:  Saint  Louis      Texas:  AusJn  •  Denton  •  Houston  •  Plano  

Alabama:  Birmingham  Florida:  Bonita  Springs  •  Broward  County  •  Islamorada  •  Lee  County  •  Orange  County  •  Palm  Bay  •  Sarasota  County  Georgia:  Atlanta  North  Carolina:  Charlo6e  •  Raleigh  •  Rockingham  County  Tennessee:  Cha6anooga  •  Memphis/Shelby  County  

Canada:  Calgary  •  Montreal  •  Toronto  •  Vancouver  •  Victoria  

82  communiNes  in  the  US  and  Canada  have  used  STAR  ...    that’s  34.5  million  people!  

STAR COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM

FRAMEWORK

THE STAR COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM Goal Areas & Objectives are mapped and rated in the online system, helping

local leaders set goals and measure progress across areas.

PARTS OF THE RATING SYSTEM

GOALS Broad sustainability themes with

comprehensive community-level aspirations

OBJECTIVES  

Focused sustainability topics that move the community toward the goal’s aspirations

OUTCOME MEASURES Quantitative indicators that demonstrate

progress within an Objective

ACTION MEASURES Programs, plans, policies & improvements that contribute to the Objective’s mission

Outcomes are community-scale results: the measureable aim or purpose of each Objective

•  Each Objective has between 1 and 4 Outcomes •  Outcomes are the quantitative measurement of an Objective •  An Outcome may have multiple par ts or options

COMMUNITY LEVEL OUTCOMES

Measured using: •  Trend Lines that capture progress

over time •  Thresholds that establish a

specific limit above or below which the community would receive full credit

PREPARATORY ACTIONS •  Education and Outreach •  Plan Development •  Policy and Code Adjustment •  Partnerships and Collaboration •  Practice Improvements •  Inventory, Assessment or Survey

IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS •  Programs and Services •  Facility and Infrastructure Improvement •  Enforcement and Incentives

LOCAL ACTIONS

Actions are the steps you take to achieve the Outcomes. STAR has 9 Action Types:

ACTIONS

OUTCOME

OBJECTIVE

GOAL Climate & Energy

Greenhouse Gas Mitigation

Demonstrate incremental progress towards achieving an 80% reduction in community GHGs by 2050

Adopt a Climate Action Plan, create an education plan for residents and businesses, adopt energy efficiency regulations,

create incentives for renewables, upgrade facilities

EXAMPLE

WASTE MINIMIZATION

Reduce and reuse material waste produced in the community

15 points

Baseline Year

Years to 2050

Reduction per Year

2000 50 2.00% 2005 45 2.22% 2010 40 2.50%

Outcome  1:  Total  Solid  Waste  Demonstrate  incremental  progress  towards  achieving  a  100%  reducJon  by  2050  in  total  solid  waste  generated  within  the  jurisdicJon  that  is  disposed  of  via  landfill  or  incinerator    

EVALUATION MEASURE: Community-Level Outcomes

WASTE MINIMIZATION

Reduce and reuse material waste produced in the community

15 points

1.  Create a Waste Management Plan 2.  Adopt speci f ic product bans that wi l l

s igni f icant ly advance progress towards waste reduct ion goals

3.  Create a publ ic educat ion campaign or a targeted outreach ef for t for residents and businesses

4.  Develop or par t ic ipate in a regional coal i t ion that enhances jur isdict ion’s abi l i ty to address waste management targets

5.  Implement incent ives or enforce regulat ions ensur ing that residents and businesses work toward reduct ions targets

6.  Provide ser v ices to enable residents and businesses to recycle and reduce their waste footpr int

7.  Col laborat ively create and run at least 2 targeted recycl ing programs at key locat ions throughout the community

8.  Operate at least 2 speci f ic waste management programs for cr i t ical waste stream types found in the community

9.  Create a waste- to-energy conversion system

EVALUATION MEASURE: Local Actions

SUSTAINABILIT Y SYNERGIES: OVERLAPPING EVALUATION MEASURES BETWEEN OBJECTIVES IN STAR

INNOVATION & PROCESS

Communities can receive additional credit in STAR for demonstrating innovation and best practices outside of the traditional 7 goal areas. Sections include: ¡ IP-1: Best Practices & Processes

§ Comprehensive Planning § Public Engagement § Codes and Ordinances

¡ IP-2: Exemplary Performance ¡ IP-3: Local Innovation ¡ IP-4: Regional Priorities

POINTS & SCORING

GOAL POINTS AVAILABLE Built Environment 100

Climate & Energy 100

Education, Arts & Community 70

Economy & Jobs 100

Equity & Empowerment 100

Health & Safety 100

Natural Systems 100

Innovation & Process 50

TOTAL 720

KEY INFO ABOUT POINTS

Outcomes are worth more points than Actions, due to their quantitative and scientific nature. ¡  In many cases, a community can achieve full credit just by

completing the Outcomes, which are worth either 100% or 70% of an Objective’s points. Many Outcomes have partial credit options.

¡  However, if a community is not achieving an Outcome, they can stil l get up to 70% of an Objective’s points by completing the Actions.

TIP: The Points algorithm is complex – use the STAR Reporting Tool to calculate your points in real time.

HOW CAN YOUR COMMUNITY USE STAR?

“We are using STAR to give the City of Indianapolis a physical. Understanding the City’s strengths and weaknesses or where we are healthy or unhealthy will enable us to create a mitigation or long-term plan for a more sustainable city. By understanding where we are weak [or unhealthy], we can better predict and better plan.”

MELODY PARK Director Office of Sustainability

Washington, DC; Houston, TX; Tacoma, WA; and Lee County, FL are using STAR as the framework for local plans.

ALIGNING WITH THE STAR FRAMEWORK

Cities like Indianapolis, IN and Tucson, AZ have incorporated STAR’s evaluation measures into adopted General Plans and Annual Reports.

INTEGRATING STAR’S METRICS

IMPROVING REGIONAL DECISION MAKING

Seattle and King County, WA are aligning performance metrics between the two

jurisdictions, identifying ways to streamline work and

increase results, and are coordinating with funders

and partners to see results.

Universities and nonprofit organizations support local governments as they pursue certification. Fayetteville, AR

works closely with the University of Arkansas.

Louisville, KY has the full support of the Louisville Sustainability Council.

ENGAGING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

Davenport, IA’s Hilltop Campus Village was close to meeting the Compact & Complete Center designation; they reduced travel speeds on Main Street to 25MPH and met the threshold.

IMPLEMENTING SOLUTIONS BASED ON FINDINGS

SUBSCRIPTIONS

& CERTIFICATION

CERTIFIED 5-STAR COMMUNITY (600+ points) Recognized as top tier achiever in national sustainabil ity

CERTIFIED 4-STAR COMMUNITY (400-599 points) Recognized for national excellence CERTIFIED 3-STAR COMMUNITY (200-399 points) Recognized for sustainabil ity leadership

REPORTING STAR COMMUNITY (<200 points) Currently pursuing cer tif ication

PARTICIPATING STAR COMMUNITY Exploring the STAR framework of goals and objectives

CERTIFICATIONS & RECOGNITIONS

LEVELS OF SUPPORT

REPORT & CERTIFY Packages for

communities ready to gather data, pursue

certification and network with other leaders.

DEMONSTRATE COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

Receive basic tools & support the STAR Community Rating

System!

MEMBER STAR

COMMUNITY

REPORTING TOOLS

PACKAGE LEADERSHIP

PROGRAM

GET STARTED

• Sign on to a STAR subscription for basic, full or premium services and support. • Get buy-in from leadership, staff, and stakeholders early. • Participate in STAR training, access how-to guides, build your team and announce that

you are getting started.

GATHER DATA

• The gathering and reporting phase is the longest stage in your pursuit of certification. • Interns and partners can be very helpful. STAR Communities provides various levels of

technical support and trainings to help you along the way.

GET CERTIFIED

• Certification is the ultimate achievement in STAR. Once your data has been submitted and verified, you will be awarded a STAR level.

• We can provide you with a certification kit, assistance with STAR PR, and access to promotional items and recognition opportunities.

STEPS TO CERTIFICATION

Most communities follow these steps as they pursue certification in the Rating System:

Sign up

City or county government

signs up for a STAR

subscription

Receive access to

Online Reporting

Tool

STAR provides trainings and

resources

Report Build team of

staff and local partners to gather data

Gather data based on

requirements in Technical

Guide

Enter all submittal

requirements into Online

Tool

Takes approximately

6 months-1 year

Get Verified Submit online

application for

verification

STAR staff verifies all

submittals for accuracy

One chance to make

changes or amend

application

STAR performs final

verification

Achieve Certification

STAR awards certification

Certification lasts for 3

years

CERTIFICATION PROCESS

The Technical Guide to the Rating System is the how-to manual to STAR. It includes: §  Data sources and step-by-step

instructions for all STAR evaluation measures

§  Best practices & examples of communities leading the way

§  Submittal requirements for cer tif ication

TECHNICAL GUIDE

The Technical Guide comes with all community subscriptions and is also available for purchase online. Version 1.1 was released January 2014!

•  Align STAR with local plans and initiatives

•  Track internal workflow and deadlines

•  Identify data sources •  Assign data collection to

departments or individuals

STAR CROSSWALK

Many communities begin their STAR journey by crosswalking existing plans and programs against the STAR Community Rating System. We’ve developed an Excel version of the Rating System just for this purpose. You can use it to:

Communities that pursue certification use STAR’s online application tool to report on evaluation measures.

STAR ONLINE REPORTING TOOL

30 – 60 days

STAR Initial Verification Review

Comments & Scores

Community submits

application for review

Yes

No

30 days

STAR Final Verification

30 days

Community accepts score?

Community accepts score?

Yes

No Challenge to

Specific Credits

Review with Technical Advisory

Committee

Community edits &

resubmits

STAR COMMUNITIES’ VERIFICATION PROCESS

Demonstrate commitment to local

sustainability

Receive national recognition for leadership and achievements

Gain competitive advantage and attract

funding

Increase transparency and accountability and

showcase results

Communicate resilience and risk

management to insurers, investors and

bond agencies

Build and strengthen partnerships within

government and with community partners

WHY CERTIFY?

WHAT ARE MAYORS SAYING?

“STAR lets us promote all the great things that we have done to make our community strong and resilient. It is positive feedback that lets our residents, taxpayers, businesses,

investors, and community partners know that we are on the right track. The transparency and independence of the

process builds confidence in our work.” DAVID NARKEWICZ

Mayor, City of Northampton, MA First Certified 5-STAR Community

“The STAR Community Rating System has been a powerful and valuable tool for our city to assess the progress of our sustainability efforts. It will also help us identify gaps and hold us accountable for improving the quality of life for our residents.” MARILYN STRICKLAND Mayor, City of Tacoma, WA Certified 4-STAR Community

SUSTAINABILITY PROFESSIONALS SAY:

“We are proud to be recognized for sustainability leadership by STAR and are excited about the potential to benchmark our progress along with other cities working in urban sustainability. The City of Cleveland Office of Sustainability gained important feedback on both our successes and opportunities for improvement by participating in STAR.” JENITA MCGOWAN Chief of Sustainability, City of Cleveland, OH Certified 3-STAR Community

“STAR helps us create an active roadmap for a sustainable community and allows us to measure our progress along the way. With the help of this tool, we are making more informed

decisions that have a big impact on our community.” SHANNON PARRY

Sustainability Officer, City of Santa Monica, CA

STAR COMMUNITIES STAFF: Hilari Varnadore, Executive Director Kristi Wamstad-Evans, Technical Manager Andrea Peet, Sr. Program Manager Lacey Shaver, Outreach Coordinator Aaron Lande, Education Coordinator

FOR MORE INFORMATION www.STARcommunities.org info@STARcommunities.org

(855) 890-STAR