PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
From the City of Decorah
Contact: Jim Martin-Schramm
Chair, Decorah Sustainability Commission, marschja@luther.edu
The Decorah Sustainability Commission invites the community to review the current Sustainability Plan and provide input into updating the plan in 2024. The meetings will be on Wednesday, April 3rd, from 5:00-7:00 p.m., and on Saturday, April 6th, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the Pulpit Rock Brewery event room.
There will also be additional opportunities to provide input online or via written response. The City’s website, www.decorahia.org, will provide further information on this planning process and how community members can participate.
The Decorah Sustainability Commission was established in July 2020 after a community-driven process in 2019 to create a Sustainability Plan for Decorah. The Decorah City Council adopted a multi-prong approach to sustainability that views economic prosperity, environmental integrity, and community resilience as essential ingredients to our vision for Decorah – one that is healthy, resilient, adaptable, and safe.
The plan includes the following areas of focus: Transportation; Energy; Economic Development; Waste; Land Use; Communications & Outreach; Social Sustainability – Equity & Well-Being; and Air & Water.
These eight interconnected systems have a big impact on creating the type of community we want for current and future residents. They are meant to help Decorah thrive in the face of outside threats and rapid social and environmental pressures.
The City of Decorah’s Sustainability Plan has helped and will continue to help local officials and community members make decisions regarding growth, management, and community preservation.
At its most basic level, the plan has done this by outlining a series of specific policies, infrastructure improvements, communication tools, and educational programs that will reduce our carbon footprint, mitigate our vulnerability to floods, strengthen our local economy, and cultivate a more connected and welcoming community.
The Decorah Sustainability Commission is focused on updating the Plan in 2024. The process will include reflecting on the work that’s been accomplished and outlining goals for the coming years. As in 2019, this process will include a robust public process to get input for the development of an updated Plan.