Energising South African Cities & Towns - City Energy Support Unit

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• little or no support for the adoptedplan and implement ation,• failure to identify issuescommunity members considerimportant.Use public relations andmedia eventsUse the media to publicise focusgroup workshops, public meetingsand the overall planning process.Consider developing a regularnewsletter that tracks your progressdeveloping goals, objectives,and implementation strategies. Thenewsletter also should feature thepeople who are involved in the sustainablecity plan. Newsletters keeppeople informed and help buildbroad community support.Occasional press events are alsoessential. Feature energy relatedprojects that are already under wayand that bring together some of theproposed goals of your sustainableenergy plan. Low-income energyefficiencyprogrammes, mass transitprogrammes or recycling efforts providetangible success stories.Staying visibleOther ways to stay visible include:• connecting your planningprocess to other importantcity events,• explaining sustainability in thesimplest words possible, such asResistance to changecontinuumInfl uenced by:• Feelings• Perceptions• Experiences• Beliefs• Infl uencesIn 1979 Portland, Oregon was the first major UScity to adopt an energy conservation policy.Then years later, changes in local energy andenvironmental conditions caused local leadersto examine links between energy use andhousing, transportation, solid waste, air andwater quality and business development.Hundreds of citizens and every city departmentwere involved in developing a 1990energy policy with a broader goal of achievinga sustainable energy future.‘meeting today’s needs withoutcompromising the future’.If your community isn’t ready forthe word ‘sustainability,’ use otherwords that link together energy andenvironmental issues and economicdevelopment.It is usually a good idea to developa draft sustainable energy plan withproposed energy goals to start thediscussions. Public participation processescan be expensive, so try to linkthe development of the plan with theIntegrated Development Plan orother community processes run bythe municipality.Identify and use championsSuccessful programmes typicallyhave one thing in common: theyare endorsed by key leaders in thecommunity. These leaders becomechampions for the energy plan.This is a good idea – it worked for meand you should try it tooI’m ready to try this (action)I’m interested – Please tell memore about your ideaYes it’s a problem but if I change it,I might lose something elseYes it’s a problem but I don’t trust this personor agency – too young, what do they know…Yes it is a problem but I don’t trust thissituation / it won’t work hereIt’s a problem but it’s not my responsibility /no timeNo problemYou need to identify and use appropriatechampions.Suggested champions includecity council members, communityleaders, environmental leaders andbusiness owners.Useful education and publicawareness toolsYou will need some tools to helpexplain and convince others of theneed for and benefits of your sustainableenergy goals.Some effective methods are presentationsusing slides or overheadtransparencies, a collection of articleson sustainability or how othercities are benefiting from similarefforts, educational exhibits to taketo meetings or put in building entrancesand other public places.Before reaching for a camera,though, think about your audience,what message you want to send,and the best way to send it.To make your message morepowerful, use simple language andgood graphics that tell a story orillustrate a point.Resistance to changeAs you identify supporters of yourenergy plan, it is equally importantto identify those city departmentsand others who will not be supportive,as non-supporters can hinderyour progress.Usually you’ll find that nonsupportersare people who are resistantto change. Some of them willsimply need the right sort of informationthat make the energy linksrelevant to them, although othersneed more work and you will needto work up the resistance-to-changecontinuum.When you do come across nonsupporters,work closely with themto understand the nature of the conflictor barrier between your effortsand their goals.Common ground usually can befound for at least some areas of yourplanning effort.16 ENERGISING SOUTH AFRICAN CITIES & TOWNS
S t e p 7FINALISINGTHE PLANFROM YOUR participation process,you will now have a lot ofinput on your draft plan or yourdifferent scenarios. You will havea list of possible and current projectsand programmes to be considered,and you will also haveanalysed their advantages anddisadvantages.Now your city must decide on aset of reasonable objectives that canbe implemented.Your next step will be to identifypriority projects that fit in underthese objectives.IDENTIFYINGPRIORITY PROJECTSThere are several approaches youcan take to select priority projects,and the approach that works bestwill depend on the nature of yourcity. Remember that it is very importantto value what is being donealready – show that you are alreadyon the road.Each programme option hasboth benefits and costs that are amix of economic, social, political,environmental and implementationimpacts. The process of decidingwhich impacts to rank or how to assignmore weight to one factor overanother is a political one.Decision-makers often balancecosts with political acceptability tofind the path of least resistance. Thiscan lead to development which isunsustainable. Rather consider thefollowing criteria:Analyse direct and indirecteconomic benefitsEvaluate the cost of programme optionsin energy Rand savings, businessgenerated, jobs created and taxrevenue generated. Also considerindirect economic benefits, such asavoided health costs, avoided firesand destruction of dwellings andmaterial corrosion from pollutants;reduced impacts from rising energycosts; and less risk of energy supplyinterruptions; job gains and supportfor local industry development; devolutionof economic power.Evaluate energy sustainabilityUsing the key elements of sustainability,evaluate programme optionsfor their contribution to a sustainableenergy system. You mightwant to pursue some options eventhough they are expensive and donot have significant short-termeconomic benefits, particularly ifthey are critical to making otherprojects happen. You may be able toaccess climate change financing forprojects which have high upfrontcapital costs and/or longer paybackperiods.Prioritise projectsWhen identifying priority projects,describe and quantify the relatedimpacts and benefits to a reasonablelevel of detail. It is possible to use alot of your limited resources determiningthose impacts. To conserveresources, quickly sort and quantifythe easy options. Assess the relativeimpacts of the difficult ones by rankingor scoring programme optionson a simple scale, such as 1–5. Basethe score on your own or a group’sopinion, supported with data fromthe energy scan (see pages 4–5, Planningfor a Sustainable Future).Sorting optionsSorting options and identifyingpriority projects may seem to be aformidable task, but the analysisyou just completed should helpyou considerably. And you also willhave help from others. Many of theanswers will become apparent asyou develop your support in andout of local government. If yoursupport-building efforts have beensuccessful, the solutions and politicalwillingness will be there.It is important to stay in closecontact with your supporters. Together,you will be developing andchanging implementation strategiesalong the way.ADOPTING THEFINAL PLANAs soon as you have a high levelof agreement (which you shouldhave after all your support-buildingefforts), take your sustainableenergy plan to your city council forformal adoption.Inform the media and providean opportunity for formal recognitionof individuals and businessesthat worked on the plan.ENERGISING SOUTH AFRICAN CITIES & TOWNS 17
Page 1 and 2: EnergisingSouth AfricanCities & Tow
Page 4 and 5: Example of local authorityenergy us
Page 6 and 7: PLANNINGfor a sustainable futureALT
Page 8 and 9: S t e p 1DESIGNATING A ‘LEAD’OF
Page 10 and 11: ENERGY IMPERATIVESLocal, nationalan
Page 12 and 13: S t e p 4CONDUCTING A CITYENERGY AU
Page 15 and 16: ENERGY VISIONS, GOALS, TARGETS & ME
Page 17: Examples of co-operative projectsDe
Page 21 and 22: The Portland Energy Office proposed
Page 23 and 24: S t e p 1 0PUBLICISINGTHE BENEFITS&
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Page 27 and 28: COMMUNITYELECTRICITY SUPPLYModels f
Page 29 and 30: Above left: The Bus Rapid Transit (
Page 31 and 32: and thermal comfort of the basicRDP
Page 33 and 34: LIGHTINGA NUMBER OF SOUTH AFRICAN m
Page 35 and 36: ENERGY RESOURCESfor local authoriti

Energising South African Cities & Towns - City Energy Support Unit

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