NETF GRANT TO JOSLYN INSTITUTE FUNDS SUSTAINABLE LEADERSHIP Unique workshops engage civic leaders The Joslyn Institute for Sustainable Communities will receive initial funding of $200,000 from the Nebraska Environmental Trust Fund (2008 funds) to support the creation of the Nebraska Sustainability Leadership Workshop (NSLW), a unique forum for community leaders to explore solutions to environmental challenges. The NSLW will be comprised of an annual series of 20 statewide sessions in which mayors, city managers, county board members, city councils, school boards and other civic leaders can engage planning, design and leadership experts in finding solutions to critical ecological challenges. Organized around case studies, community leaders will present local issues for discussion with experts and fellow community leaders. Each session will be limited to 15 participants and five consultants, and will explore such topics as: • sound ecosystem management; • protection of soil resources through regional cooperation in public/private and urban/rural coalitions; • management of air quality and community health issues through interjusrisdictional planning, sustainable design and smart growth strategies; • management of watersheds across jurisdictional boundaries to ensure safe and adequate water for all living systems; • underutilized or misallocated natural resources (water, wind, soils, materials. 4-season solar climate), and how jurisdictions can cooperate to make the most efficient use of resources through energy efficiency, waste reduction and material re-use. Initially the program will run for two years under NETF funding, plus matching grants. I-80 GREEN CORRIDOR PROPOSED A draft report released by the Nebraska Innovation Zone Commission calls for a "green corridor" concept that would preserve scenic views, protect sensitive environmental areas and require that new buildings blend into the scenery. Consultants working with the Nebraska Innovation Zone Commission are seeking public input on a draft of a regional comprehensive plan (Phase 1 Mid-term report) for the Interstate 80 corridor between Omaha and Lincoln. The Phase 1 Mid-term report  is derived in part from input provided by focus groups and an Internet survey that indicated strong public interest in preserving the open-space feel of Nebraska's primary highway as it runs between the state's two largest cities. The Phase I Mid-term report can be downloaded here. ENVISIONING REGIONAL DESIGN: A WINDOW TO A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE Envisioning Regional Design is a partnership of the Joslyn Castle Institute for Sustainable Communities, AIA Nebraska, the Nebraska Environmental Trust Fund and the Nebraska Innovation Zone Commission (NIZC) to craft a vision for the rapidly growing Metroplex region. Last fall the partners conducted a charrette with 150 stakeholders. For an online summary of results from the six focus areas, click here or download the Envisioning Regional Design Final Report which is now available. Above, a detail of a rendering by artist Robert Hanna of the future I-80 corridor with protected green spaces and development that blends with the region's natural landscape. JCI'S FALL CONFERENCE, BUILDING RESOURCE EFFICIENT COMMUNITIES One hundred stakeholders from the Omaha-Lincoln Metroplex region participated in the Joslyn Institute's Envisioning Nebraska Fall Conference, "Building Resource Efficient Communities," conducted on 15 November at Quarry Oaks Golf Course near Ashland. This was a unique opportunity to meet and work with three nationally known experts in sustainable design, including Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, co-founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism, Brad Klein, Environmental Law Institute Fellow, and Susan Seacrest, founder of the Lincoln-based Groundwater Foundation. DECONSTRUCTION TEAMS REUSE OLD BUILDINGS Deconstruction teams from JCI's DeConstruction Nebraska dismantle old buildings for reuse and resale at EcoStores Nebraska in Lincoln. Read about how DeConstruction Nebraska dismantled a landmark building in Walton, Neb., that was slated for demolition. Materials from the building were sold at JCI's EcoStores Nebraska in Lincoln. Read the archived article in the Lincoln Journal Star. JCI IS SECRETARIAT OF UN PROGRAMME JCI leads a UN-sanctioned worldwide partnership, the North/North Network for Urban Sustainability, which targets urban sustainability issues in major cities of the Northern Hemisphere. For more than ten years JCI has been a member of the United Nations Best Practices & Local Leadership Program (BLP). Read More An ecosphere is any region or place suitable for life and is valued and maintained according to its many interdependencies and interconnections. In the search for more sustainable processes, strategies, means, and values in our life-support and consumption decisions,  Joslyn Castle  Institute uses the Ecospheres and Five Domains concepts as organizing principles for building and maintaining healthy, sustainable communities. W. Cecil Steward and Sharon Kuska's article, A Design, Planning and Urban Administration Strategy for Sustainability explores the practical application of the Five Domains methodology, know as E/STEP. If you wish to be notified about what's new in this website, please click here. ~ WE MOVED ~ The Omaha office of the Joslyn Institute for Sustainable Communities is now located downtown: 1004 Farnam Street, Ste. 101 Omaha, Nebraska 68102 402/933-0080 Stop on by or drop us a line. GREEN OMAHA COALITION GATHERS COMMUNITY SUPPORT The Green Omaha Coalition provides a framework for green building initiatives in Greater Omaha. A resource to city government, businesses, education, and citizens, GOC fosters collaboration with key stakeholders to accelerate the adoption of green building practices, policies, and programs. Help build a more sustainable Omaha by joining one the GOC’s five councils: Public Agency, Education, Neighborhoods, Business, and Design & Construction. Calendar of events, news, council blogs and more at www.greenomahacoalition.org. LINCOLN GREEN BY DESIGN FORMING TASK GROUPS Lincoln Green by Design partners agreed to form task groups at their Spring Meeting. LGbD is open to anyone interested in  working toward building a more sustainable Lincoln (Read more about LGbD). Join the growing list of Lincoln Green by Design partners by visiting the LGbD website. LGbD task groups include Building & Design, Education, Food Systems, Business, Economics & Finance and Land Use, Planning & Development. A comprehensive look at upcoming sustainability-based events in the approaching months can be found on JCI's CALENDAR page. DRAKE COURT The Joslyn Castle Final Report to the Drake Partnership, Drake Court: Revitalizing an Omaha Landmark for an Urban Neighborhood's Sustainable Future chronicles a nine year committment by The Nebraska Investment Finance Authority, the City of Omaha, NuStyle Development and the Joslyn Castle Institute for Sustainable Communities to reviving this inner city landmark. Read More MULTIFUNCTIONAL RURAL LANDSCAPES Twyla Hansen and Charles A. Francis discuss the economic, policy, and social impacts of land use changes in Nebraska. In this important document the authors also address the long-term implications of rural land conversion for Nebraska and the obstacles to slowing farmland conversion. Read the document or peruse the presentation online. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY A KEY TO STATE ECONOMY Research shows natural amenities can be as effective in generating jobs as traditional industrial development, [ECONorthwest Economist Ernie] Niemi said. That’s largely because people want to live near natural amenities, especially younger, well-educated people adept at creating their own businesses and incomes. Yet many Nebraskans hold the view that the value of land and water lies strictly in the commodity it can produce. “If you don’t fold environmental quality in your economic development strategy, then you are undermining that strategy,” he said. Read the complete news article in Lincoln Journal Star or download the full ECONorthwest report, Natural Resource Amenities and Nebraska's Economy: Current Connections, Challenges, and Possibilities. FLATWATER METROPLEX The Omaha/Council Bluffs/Lincoln metro will be home to more than two million by 2050, placing increasing pressure on a fragile ecosystem. JCI's Flatwater Metroplex Report recommended the formation of the Nebraska/Iowa Metroplex Indicators Conference, a partnership for regional sustainability. More Online Survey Powered By QuestionPro Web Surveys ARTICLE ARCHIVE Learn about green building in GreenSource Report. Also see our Design and Development newsletter articles archive for information on past JCI projects as well as articles on various issues of sustainable growth and design.