Green Dubuque Superhero Workshop @ The Smokestack – Highlights + Ideas

Green Dubuque Workshop
January 4, 2017 6:30-8 PM
The Smokestack, 62 E. 7^th Street
RSVP for the 2/21 Environmental Integrity Workshop (Food + Beverages Provided)

On Wednesday, January 4^th, input for the Comprehensive Plan was collected in conjunction with Green Dubuque’s monthly Green Drinks meeting. Over 30 participants shared their thoughts on Dubuque’s future, with a focus on environmental sustainability. The night included an overview and status update on the Comprehensive Plan and a superhero-themed workshop utilizing an inclusive, innovative method called Collective Social Learning.

Have you shared your ideas on how to make our City more livable, viable and equitable? Don’t wait another minute! Click here to share ideas and photos of what you’d like to see happen in Dubuque.

Introduction

Mike Hoffman, project consultant with Teska Associates, Inc., and Dave Johnson, project lead with the City of Dubuque, opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and providing an overview of the comprehensive plan, its purpose, timeline, and the importance of public participation in guiding the process.

“What works the best is when we conduct outreach at community events – your events.”
–Mike Hoffman, Teska Associates

“It’s the community’s ideas that will form this plan.”
–Dave Johnson, City of Dubuque

Green Heroes

Participants chose their favorite green superhero and self-selected into corresponding focus categories. The small groups then utilized the Collective Social Learning format, which emphasizes inclusivity, accountability, and action, to generate innovative ideas and strategies around each category.

Collective Social Learning

Collective Social Learning uses a four-stage process centered on a focus question. Stage 1 asks, “What should be?” – creating a vision of the ideal. Stage 2, in contrast, asks, “What is?” – an assessment of current conditions – barriers and assets. Stage 3 asks, “What could be?” – an opportunity for participants to propose improvements. Finally, Stage 4 asks, “What can be?” – a pledge (preferably a personal pledge) to action. Each stage lasted approximately ten minutes. Participants wrote ideas in their own words using colored markers, and themes were reported back to the larger group upon completion of the exercise.

Team Aquaman – How can Dubuque as a community ensure clean water?

Stage 1: What should be? (Envisioning the ideal)

Participants envisioned a future where the water quality of the Mississippi River was clean and pure, and protected as a vital environmental and recreational resource. One participant wrote: Water so clean you can drink it right from the river, while another offered: Education (i.e. river museum) should address water quality challenges and causes.

Drought-tolerant landscaping, soil quality, and reducing runoff were also prominent:

Pesticide free lawns and parks
Drought tolerant landscapes
When water hits the landscape it infiltrates instead of running off

Other ideals mentioned included:

Better flood management
Partnerships in the surrounding counties for regional protection upstream and downstream.

Stage 2: What is? (Existing facts)

Participants were asked to list the current facts that both enable and hinder how Dubuque as a community ensures clean water:

Stage 3: What could be? (Proposed solutions)

Participants were asked to mix the ideal scenario with a healthy dose of reality to devise practical solutions that the community could implement to ensure clean water.

Five proposed solutions dealt with localized stormwater capture. One such solution was using rainwater catchment systems to irrigate – not stressing the water purification plant.
Three solutions called for increased awareness/education: Expand the Green Vision Schools to more schools and parents, Annual clean water pool party celebration (i.e. Yakima, WA), and River Museum offer “Free Days” periodically for residents – helping making accessible to all.
Two solutions pertained to large-scale farming and industrial practices: Technical support for farmers to implement agroforestry, diversified cropping systems, networking with one another (peer groups) and imposing regulations on residential/agricultural industrial waste that runs off into surface waters.
One idea called for a ramping up of composting services, Bigtime composting so we can apply lots of compost to reduce runoff and erosion.

Stage 4: What can be? (Actions)

Group members were asked to report actions that they can feasibly undertake in the short-run to ensure clean water:

Team Invisible Woman – How can Dubuque as a community (residents, businesses, and government/non-profits) work together to reduce and ultimately eliminate waste?

Stage 1: What should be? (Envisioning the ideal)

Zero waste initiatives targeted at youth, incentives for businesses to recycle and compost, and a shift in attitudes were all present in the collective ideal envisioned for Dubuque’s future:

Stores benefiting by creating less garbage
Charge for plastic bags
Very high landfill fees
Effective education for kids about why littering is harmful
Recycling initiatives
Bottled water elimination initiative
Composting on large level (schools, businesses, etc.)
Buy-in from all citizens

Stage 2: What is? (Existing facts)

Stage 3: What could be? (Proposed solutions)

Proposed solutions included programming and educational campaigns in order to curb littering, promote composting, and measured waste reduction targets for landfills. Other solutions were geared toward policies such as plastic bag bans and a ban on the landfilling of food residuals due to harmful methane emissions. Attitude shifts related to waste were once again mentioned.

Programming:

Effective program to teach kids about why littering is harmful
Backyard composting training

Policy:

Littering enforcement
Carry bottle (reusable) with you – charge extra for water bottle
Landfill ban of food and food residuals
DMASWA adopt a target (per capita) of a 2%/year reduction in landfilled tonnage

Attitude Shifts:

Change business/corporate cultures to change on a large scale

Stage 4: What can be? (Actions)

Group members proposed actions for specific organizations in Dubuque:

Team The Flash – How can Dubuque as a community (both City government and citizens) implement complete streets concepts and greater mobility?

Stage 1: What should be? (Envisioning the ideal)

Ideally, Dubuque should offer safe and affordable transportation options for all. Many ideal visions pertained to complete street programming, infrastructure, and policy.

Programming:

More city support for Bike to Work Week
More bicycle safety questions on driver licensing test
Walkable Dubuque
Give an award to the company that has the greatest percentage of employees biking/walking to work

Infrastructure:

Complete bicycle routes around all of the city
Middle Fork Catfish Creek Trail
Electric Vehicles

Policy:

Community involved in drafting complete streets policy with transparency, accountability and systematic approach.
Enforced complete streets policy.

Stage 2: What is? (Existing facts)

Stage 3: What could be? (Proposed solutions)

Participants proposed practical solutions. Like the ideals brainstormed in Stage 1, solutions centered on programing, infrastructure, and policy.

Programing:

Citizens + Pedometers Programs (there must be a grant for that)
Close Iowa Street to vehicular traffic on Saturday Farmers Market mornings
DBQ city/police initiatives to get kids free bike lights

Infrastructure:

Designated Bike Lanes (i.e. Asbury/Locust) + Everywhere they make sense
Middle Fork Catfish Creek Trail

Policy:

Community Input
Transparent documentation
Accountability
Based on maintenance schedule of roads

Stage 4: What can be? (Actions)

Individual actions that can be made in the short-term by group members to advance complete streets policy are below:

Team Storm – How can Dubuque as a community better use alternative energy?

Stage 1: What should be? (Envisioning the ideal)

The alternative energy team envisioned a Dubuque where households and businesses could produce, transmit, and sell renewable energy freely, electric vehicle charging stations were ubiquitous and implemented through the city code, and geothermal and hydroelectric power sources were explored.

Other ideal scenarios included:

Converting air pollution to usable energy
Walkways generating electricity
School curricula focused on alternative energy and electric public buses

Stage 2: What is? (Existing facts)

Stage 3: What could be? (Proposed solutions)

Proposed ideas pertained to design standards that facilitate and construction of alternative energy infrastructure on homes, businesses, and transportation systems. These ideas, among others, included:

Solar panels on city structures and homes
Tesla charging stations at the Intermodal
Wind turbines (small, individual structures)
Low-income access to energy efficient/clean energy technology
Incentives for landlords

Stage 4: What can be? (Actions)

Group members proposed actions for specific entities in Dubuque:

Following the team presentations to the larger group, participants were encouraged to participate in upcoming community workshops: Environmental Integrity (February 21) – RSVP TODAY, Social + Cultural Vibrancy (April 19), and Equity (June 27). In the meantime, additional comments and news can be shared by clicking here or via the project app.