What Does the Town Do to Promote Sustainability?

The Town of Black Diamond, along with a group of community members and a representative of the Provincial Government created the original Municipal Sustainability Plan, with 5 pillars as its foundation:

• Community
• Economic Development
• Environment
• Governance
• Social

Strategic Plan

In 2012 the newly updated Strategic Plan for the Town of Black Diamond contained the Municipal Sustainability Plan as an appendix to help ensure that all future decisions made by Council had in mind both the vision, mission and core strategies of the Strategic Plan and the vision, values and goals of the Municipal Sustainability Plan. It was felt that it needed to be one document to ensure that the sustainability goals became as much a part of life as the strategic plan had become. As a result:

• Economic Development sustainability has become integrated into the Economic Development Committee's Strategic Plan;
• Sustainable Advisory Committee continues to be an active committee working to provide residents with information, education and programs to help each achieve their individual sustainability goals. Brochures have been published, solar programs initiated, etc.;
• Forward thinking, environmentally beneficial decisions have been made by Council, such as solar and wind power installations on the Town Office and Oilfields Regional Arena, water consumption choices and standards implemented and green energy purchases;
• The 5 Pillars are used to group committees for annual visits to Council to discuss their work, their successes and their needs, creating a networking opportunity for like-minded groups;
• Tasks arising from the regular review of the strategic plan relating directly to the sustainability pillars are sent out to the appropriate department and/or committee either for research or to arrange for work to be undertaken, generally requiring reporting to Council upon completion.