The Councillor as Guardian of the Environment


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<The Councillor as Guardian of the Environment>

An Essay and Workshop for Local Elected Leaders on Environmental Governance
with Emphasis on Adopting Environmentally Sound Technologies (ESTs)
- Training for Elected Leadership -

Part II - Workshop on the Councillor as Guardian of the Environment
- WORKSHOP -

WORKSHOP COMPONENTS

13.11 Exercise: ASSESSING A LOCAL GOVERNMENTfS CAPACITY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE

Time Required: 90 minutes

Objective:

To provide participants with the opportunity to assess their local authorities' present capacity to provide a high quality environment for local residents and the ecology.

Trainers' note: Additional materials required for this exercise consist of 5x7 in cards so that each participants can have at least two cards. If possible, half the cards should be of a different color toaid in differentiating the data that each contains.

Process:

Give participants an Environmental Profile Questionnaire and ask them to complete it following instructions printed on the questionnair. Explain that the results will help them to assess the progress of their own local authorities in recoganizing and dealing effectively with environmental risks.

While participants are completing the questionnaire, distribute 5x7 in cards, two cards per participants (different colors if possible). When all participants have completed their questionnaires, ask them to identify statements which are checked either "no" or "don't know" on the questionnaire. When these have been identified, ask participants to write the word "no" at the top of one of their cards. On the same card, ask participants to list all the statements checked "no" on the questionnaire. The statements may be identified by a number instead of written out to save space and time. On the other card (different color if possible), ask participants to write the word "don't know" and then list on that card those statements checked "don't know."

As participants finish entering their scores on the two cards, collect the cards. Separate the cards into two stacks, the "no's" and the "don't know." Enter the results by placing a check mark on a sheet of newsprint for each number entered on each of the cards. One sheet of newsprint might be used for the "no's" and a second for the "don't knows." You might recruit two of the participants to help you with the data entry task and give the others a refreshment break until the task is complete.

When participants have returned from their refreshment break, ask them to look over the newsprint sheets and comment on the results of the data entry. To guide the discussion, ask them to notice where the most "no's" are concerntrated and the most "don't knows." Ask them how they would interpret these results. Useful discussion-starter questions might include:

What does the distribution of the "no's" reveal about the general level of government activity in preventing, controlling or remedying local environmental problems?
What does the distribution of the don't knows" reveal about the level of councillor awareness of their local governments' inventions with the environment?
In general, what does this exercise suggest about the value of environmental assessment to the councillor as a Guardian of the Environment?

Alternative Design: Groups of participants who know each other and work together might be asked to conduct the exercise relative to environmental practices from their pre-workshop assignment instead of those listed on the next couple of pages. The participant groups might be asked to consolidate their questionnaire results as described in the exercise to take advantage of an opportunity for shared experience.

ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT QUESTIONNAIRE

Instructions. This questionnaire contains thirty statements that de-scribe practices that most authorities would regard as positive steps toward environmental sustainability. The statements are grouped in five categories: environmental governance; water supply and waste water disposal; solid waste and recycling; land use and planning; and transportation. To the right of each statement is a degree of compliance scale containing three responses: yes, no, don't know. Read the first statement. If the statement is reasonably applicable to your local authority, check the block under the "yes" category. If the statement is not applicable to your local authority, check the block under the "no" category. If you are unable to check either the "yes" or "no" blocks with any degree of certainty, then check the third block, "don't know." Continue with the next statement, and so forth, until you have checked one item on the scale for each of the thirty statements in the question-naire. Complete the questionnaire by summing each of the three columns and entering the result at the bottom.

Environmental Audit Questionnaire 1