Pioneer Valley releases toolkit focused on sustainability

The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission in June released a “sustainability toolkit” with information about practices in areas such as smart growth, energy, climate change, food security and green infrastructure.

The project is intended to assist communities by providing technical assistance and resources to help them in adopting strategies to take action on issues such as climate change and clean energy. It is also intended to promote implementation of the region’s sustainability plan, “Our Next Future: An Action Plan for Building a Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Pioneer Valley.”

The 854-page toolkit has received an award from the National Association of Regional Councils.

Christopher Curtis, the chief planner at the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, said one purpose of the document is to educate people about trends in fields such as food security and green infrastructure – a combination of natural features and human enhancements that can, for example, limit stormwater runoff that finds its way into sensitive ecosystems.

“Some of the other pieces – smart growth, for example – we’ve been working on for quite for some time, but still I think the strategies are fresh and relevant,” Curtis said. “People may find a lot there they haven’t seen before.”

Among the more than 25 best practices included in the report are energy-performance scoring, idling reduction campaigns, infill development and adaptive re-use, and retrofitting municipal buildings. Model bylaws and ordinances are also highlighted.

The report can be downloaded at www.pvpc.org.