People	Profit	Planet

Spreading the Word

The Council for Sustainable Florida’s Executive Forums provide an opportunity for business, civic and government leaders to learn about and discuss how to adopt sustainable development principles.

Forums have focused on such topics as market-based incentives, tourism, agriculture and transportation.

The Council hosted the state’s first Executive Forum on Climate Change in January featuring U.S. Senator Connie Mack (ret.). The forum’s focus on economic opportunities provided a balanced look at issues facing Florida and the nation.

The Council’s efforts continued at the University of Florida in September with an Executive Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility featuring coaching sessions with national experts Hunter Lovins and Bob Willard.

Teaching Sustainability

With thousands graduating annually from business and management programs in Florida’s colleges and universities, the Council launched the Educational Alliance for Sustainable Florida (EASF). The EASF project is based on the belief that Florida’s sustainability will be strongly influenced by the quality of these graduates.

Florida will experience a healthier economic and environmental future through the Council’s efforts with faculty and administrators of Florida’s business and management programs by creating an open dialogue with business leaders.
The Council encourages schools to incorporate the concepts of sustainable development in their programs and increase the emphasis on sustainability in MBA curricula, law and other areas of study.

The commitment by Florida’s business and law schools to include sustainability teaching and concepts as part of the graduate management training is the key to achieving the project’s intended goals:

• Support the efforts of participating universities to integrate sustainability into their curricula as they deem appropriate;
• Increase the number of students graduating with practical experience and knowledge in the integration of sustainability into business and management practices;
• Increase recognition among Florida’s businesses that students with practical experience and knowledge in the integration of sustainability into business and management practices have a competitive advantage over those without it.

» Go to the Council’s website for case studies and a compilation of Florida Best Practices for use in the classroom.

Creating a Vision for Florida

The Council is pleased to be a partner with the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida.

Created by the Legislature in 2005, the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida was formed to envision Florida’s next 50 years, and to make specific recommendations to the Governor and Legislature about how to realize that future.

Led by its Chair, Mayor Rick Baker of St. Petersburg, the Century Commission has identified the 12 “Essential State Interests” that must be addressed if we are to create a sustainable Florida. The Commission has begun the deliberate and data-based study of these issues, how they relate to each other, and how they will affect our future.

The Century Commission is committed to looking beyond the significant crises of the day in order to build a consensus on how we will address the even greater challenges facing us in the next generations.

Its mission is to serve as a catalyst for encouraging long-range, data-based planning and implementation of sustainable development policies and practices that ensure a strong economy, healthy environment and vibrant quality of life for Florida. The Commission is an advocate for stronger interdependent action amongst state, regional and local governments.

The Commission is committed to ensuring that Florida remains a desirable place to live for future generations. You can help the Commission create a vision for Florida and Tell Us About Your Florida at www.CenturyCommission.org.

People	Profit	Planet

Pledge to Adopt a Brighter Future

It is important for us to realize the impact we have on our environment. Our daily routines affect the world around us on a much larger scale than we’d like to think. But we have the ability to shape the future. It is up to each one of us.
The Council for Sustainable Florida developed the following standards with the assistance of hundreds of individuals and business leaders across the state. Adopt and implement these principles and you are on your way to becoming a sustainable organization.

Sustainable Florida Standards

1. State Your Values
   Identify your principles and goals in a public statement. Establish an environmental ethic with criteria by which investors and others can assess the environmental performance of your organization.
2. Be Involved
   Make a commitment to citizen involvement, collaborative approaches, and community partnerships.
3. Promote Stewardship
   Be a leader on environmental quality and resource conservation.
4. Meet People’s Needs
   Promote opportunity, equity, and improved quality of life.
5. Manage for Sustainability
   Adopt best management practices, systems and new technologies.
6. Generate a Fair Return
   Sustain your program through productivity and efficiency.

Implementing these standards in your business or organization are important steps toward a sustainable future, and will create a brighter future for generations to come.

Protecting Our Land and Waters

From the time Spaniards planted their flag in Florida in 1565 — 445 years ago — more than 2,600 square miles has given way to urban development in the seven county central Florida area known to many as myregion.org. With current low-density growth patterns and projected population growth rates, the region stands to loose another 2,600 square miles to development in the next 45 years.

This dire scenario is playing out across Florida. At issue is what will happen to our cities, farmlands and natural resources.

With the possible exception of Alaska, no state’s economic sustainability is more closely linked to environmental sustainability than Florida. A healthy environment directly generates income for many Florida residents through the tourism industry, including boating, hunting, fishing, birdwatching, hiking, kayaking, ecotourism and our beaches.

In 2000, 71.5 million people visited Florida resulting in $117 billion total economic output, 1.75 million jobs, and $78 billion in gross state product. Economists increasingly document that natural landscapes are valuable amenities and key attractors for population growth.

There is a growing recognition that protecting the lands and waters that provide us with clean water, clean air, recreation and wildlife habitat is a critical component of sustainable development. Effective and equitable environmental preservation can only occur with coordination among and cooperation between the numerous entities that make and/or have a stake in land use decisions.

New towns and cities are already coming into existence or are in the planning process. Increasingly, as with Babcock Ranch, these developments are integrating economic and environmental values.

One question facing Florida is whether the state’s agricultural lands will be here to enjoy in 50 years. To many, Florida’s ag lands are the next place to turn to absorb the state’s swelling population. And to those who seek to protect Florida’s natural resources, the state’s ag lands provide multiple environmental benefits, such as the provision of wildlife habitat and water treatment and storage.

The Council is helping organizations explore options that protect the most vulnerable landscapes while ensuring sustainable economic growth and agriculture.

Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida

Charged with creating a statewide 50-year vision for Florida, the Commission’s first step was to identify Florida’s most precious natural places with its Critical Lands and Waters Identification Project (CLIP).

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

As part of the state’s Action Plan to preserve wildlife, the Commission calls for the development of a Cooperative Conservation Blueprint that will help protect the most vulnerable landscapes and habitats while ensuring sustainable economic growth and agricultural opportunities. The Century Commission’s CLIP data is feeding this effort.

Economic Incentives

[Photo courtesy Visit Florida]

These efforts to identify land with the highest and most significant natural resource value can produce different opinions. Traditionally, the perception is that the valuation of environmentally sensitive land decreases when identified. Therefore, it is vitally important that these efforts also address economic issues while engaging agriculture and private land owner interests. As noted earlier, there is value in preserving protecting rural and agricultural lands.

Programs like the Rural Lands Stewardship Act provide for market-based tools to encourage the preservation and restoration of natural landscapes. When engaging stakeholder groups — especially those from the private land owner community — efforts will stress the desire to limit regulation if economic policies and tools can create the same desired conservation.

Contact the Council if your organization would like to hear more about these efforts or become engaged in the conversation about new market-based incentives, conservation, smart growth and sustainable working and natural landscapes.