What is sustainability?

The SFPUC is engaged in developing an organizational Sustainability Plan. The common meaning of sustainability is the capability to maintain. In the context of sustainable development, however, sustainability is defined as the goal of meeting current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. For a utility like the SFPUC that provides water, wastewater, and power services, the challenge is to translate this development goal into a planning strategy that frames decisions around current and future service needs, and their effects on the environment, economy, and society (the triple bottom line).

Though other utilities around the United States have developed sustainability plans, the SFPUC will be the first triple-enterprise utility in the country to develop a plan against the triple bottom line; this is a difficult challenge and a terrific opportunity for the SFPUC to become a model.

How will a sustainability plan benefit us on a daily basis?

First, the Plan is not an end in itself, but will be a “living” document that will provide a base and set the stage for sustainable, strategic planning at SFPUC. Already, the concept of sustainability is embedded in the SFPUC’s mission, and the Department is engaged in numerous and ongoing activities that apparently contribute to our overall sustainability. At this point, we have to say “apparently” because at present we have no way of gauging whether an action individually or as it relates to others is in fact sustainable across all our activities or the organization as a whole.

The plan will help us determine the sustainability of the SFPUC’s activities. First, it will put into place a framework that will allow us to assess and evaluate where we are now in our overall sustainability performance. It will highlight what’s working or not, identify goals and priorities for improvement, and then provide a reliable context for decision making to move us into the future.

The indicators and guidelines that we’ll use will be consistent with the requirements of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Guidelines, the international standard for reporting on economic, social and environmental performance. With a Sustainability Plan in place, SFPUC intends to become a GRI reporter, benchmarking and reporting periodically on our performance.

What issues and deliverables will be included in developing the plan?

We’re looking now at a wide variety of issues, including those of and related to the SFPUC’s three enterprises, its internal business functions and its relations with its communities and stakeholders. The Plan’s four major deliverables include the Sustainability Indicators and Best Practices report of 8.1.06 now posted; the Sustainability Baseline Assessment FY 05-06 of 6.11.07 now posted; the Proposed Strategies and Initiatives for Improving Performance of 5.16.08 now posted, and the sustainability plan and program due in December 2008.

How can you participate?

We’re reaching out to internal and external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders include SFPUC staff led by a sustainability strategy group of eighteen of our top management. This group provides leadership of the plan and program - oversees and reviews components and deliverables. We also invite SFPUC staff to meet and comment on key deliverables. Deliverables of the plan continue to be posted on this site, and we welcome your comment on these postings.

Our external stakeholders include our regular forums, such as the Citizens Advisory Committee and Bay Area Water Stewards, and, of course, the general public. In addition, we’ve created an external stakeholder group of 24 invited representatives of interest groups, agencies, and experts on sustainability, who have committed to review and comment on key draft deliverables through the plan’s development.

SFPUC’s Manager for Strategic Planning, Susan OMalley Wade, is managing development of the plan, and welcomes you to contact her directly. To assist, SFPUC has hired Arup, a global engineering and planning firm with cross-disciplinary expertise and international experience in best practices, sustainability indicators, benchmarking, and plan development.

Visit this web page to view the links, including deliverables and links to other helpful sites. We’ll continue to post information and invite you to use the dedicated email for comments.

Comments?

Please email all Sustainability Plan comments and inquiries to

sustainabilityplan@sfwater.org