City of Joondalup A Case Study for the The Earth Charter and Strategic Earth Charter Initiative, Planning at the City of Joondalup, by John Goldsmith Sustainable Western Australia Development Officer and The City of Joondalup is applying the Earth Charter as part of its Strategic Planning process. A comparison between Rhonda Hardy Council policies and the Earth Charter demonstrates Manager, Strategic and significant common ground between the two and the value of Corporate Planning, the Earth Charter as a tool in local government strategic City of Joondalup planning. The City of Joondalup’s approach towards !" Earth Charter and the Strategic Planning developing a sustainable future is one based on Process. Council leadership, education and community participation. Several innovative sustainability This case study features the way in which the initiatives are building the community’s capacity City has utilised the Earth Charter in its Strategic to address sustainability issues. Such initiatives Planning process. include : The City of Joondalup Profile. The City of !" Environmental, Social and Economic Joondalup is the second largest local government Sustainability Policy; authority in Western Australia, and represents !" Community funding; Environmental and approximately 161,000 residents (11% of Perth’s Sustainable Development Fund; metropolitan area population). The City has !" Adoption of corporate and community experienced one of the fastest population growth greenhouse gas emission reduction targets; rates in Australia since the 1970s. !" Sustainability education, information packages and promotions; The City of Joondalup is situated approximately !" Sustainability web site at 26 kilometres north of Western Australia’s http://living.joondalup.wa.gov.au capital city Perth, on the northern urban fringe of !" Environmental and Sustainability Advisory the Perth metropolitan area. The City is 96.8 Committee; square kilometres in area and is located between __________________________________________________________________________________________________ City of Joondalup Earth Charter case study 1 the Yellagonga Regional Park (including Lake individuals around the world have debated the Joondalup) on the eastern boundary, and the principles and wording that now forms the Indian Ocean on the western boundary. inspiring document that is the Earth Charter. The Earth Charter Development of the Earth Charter has included input from six international summits on related The Earth Charter is a highly integrated set of topics such as population, women and habitat sustainable development principles. It is based held after the Rio Summit. Unprecedented on four major themes, namely (1) respect and worldwide consultation process has resulted in a care for the community of life, (2) ecological document that can genuinely lay claim to integrity, (3) social and economic justice and (4) articulate common, universal values (source: democracy, non-violence and peace. The four www.earthcharter.org). major themes are presented as sixteen key principles which are summarised as follows: The Earth Charter represents a set of important community values and a shared community 1 Respect for the Earth vision on a global scale. The Earth Charter 2 Care for life provides an ethical foundation from which 3 Democratic societies sustainability decisions can be based upon. The 4 Secure Earth’s bounty and beauty for Earth Charter principles give guidance for both present and future generations individuals and also organisations and has 5 Protect and restore ecological systems considerable application for helping 6 Prevent environment harm and apply the communities and organisations establish and precautionary principle determine their strategic direction. 7 Safeguard regenerative capacities of the Earth The City of Joondalup Integrated Planning 8 Advance the study of ecological FrameworK sustainability 9 Eradicate poverty A key focus for the City’s Strategic and 10 Ensure economic development is Corporate Planning Business Unit is to develop equitable and sustainable an integrated planning framework that facilitates 11 Affirm gender equality the organisation to achieve its strategic 12 Uphold the right of all to a supportive objectives. A component of the framework natural and social environment includes the development of a strategic plan. 13 Strengthen democratic institutions Input into the strategic planning process was 14 Integrate sustainability into lifelong based on direct input from the community and learning major stakeholders within the City. A key 15 Treat all living beings with respect and component to the City’s planning framework has consideration been the incorporation of a Corporate Plan that 16 Promote a culture of tolerance, guides the City’s performance in achieving its nonviolence and peace strategic goals within financial parameters. The full version of the Earth Charter is available The Integrated Planning Framework provides the at www.earthcharter.org City with a logical framework from which staff clearly understand their role in achieving key The Earth Charter was first noted as an results of the City’s Strategic Plan. The important concept at the Brundtland Commission framework has been developed to enable greater in the late eighties. The Earth Charter was organisational and community alignment to the further developed at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit City’s Strategic Plan. This is being achieved via where the Summit’s Secretary-General, Maurice consultation and input with stakeholders Strong, together with Mikhail Gorbachev, including the community, councillors and staff. initiated a global non-government movement to Figure 1 shows the integrated planning foster and promote the Earth Charter. Since framework then, thousands of diverse groups and __________________________________________________________________________________________________ City of Joondalup Earth Charter case study 2 Figure 1, City of Joondalup Integrated Planning Framework The inputs that are utilised for the planning issues paper. Approximately eighty issues process are based on a community consultation papers and strategy papers were submitted and methodology. This methodology involves analysed. engaging the community, staff and Councillors via a consultation process (refer to Figure 2). Survey data, strategy papers and issues papers were analysed to identify the key strategic The consultation process occured through a themes that Council could use as strong guidance number of mechanisms including a standard for the City’s Strategic Plan. survey of four key questions provided on-line, advertised through newspaper and hardcopies Development of the Strategic Plan is based upon provided to libraries and customer service formulation of the vision, and key strategic centres. All these points of entry served as themes and values. Once completed, the City’s communication inputs for collecting the data senior staff then commence development of the required for analysis. Approximately 400 City’s Corporate Plan, Directorate Plans, surveys were completed for analysis. Staff Business Unit Plans. The annual budget is then throughout the organisation were asked to created as an output of the planning process develop and submit issues papers, which also which enables the City to align its financial formed a significant part of the analysis process. capability with its plans. The outcome is a The comparison between the Earth Charter and cascading integrated planning framework for the the strategic planning process was prepared as an City (shown in figure 3). __________________________________________________________________________________________________ City of Joondalup Earth Charter case study 3 Figure 2, Consultation Methodology Figure 3, Cascading Integrated Planning Framework __________________________________________________________________________________________________ City of Joondalup Earth Charter case study 4 Comparison of Existing City of Joondalup Policies and the Earth Charter. Table 1 presents a comparison between the Earth Charter and a selection of existing City of Joondalup policy. Policies which relate to Earth Charter principles are shown highlighted in red. Earth Charter Principles City of Joondalup Policy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 2.1.1 Employment 2.1.2 Equal Employment Opportunity 2.1.3 Occupational Health and Safety 2.3.1 Policy Development and Review Process 2.3.2 Communications 2.3.4 Provision of Information 2.3.6 Public Submissions 2.4.1 Accounting Policy 2.4.2 Investment policy 2.4.6 Purchasing of Goods and Services 2.6.1 Access to information with people with disabilities 2.6.2 Access to Council Services and Facilities for People with Disabilities 2.6.3 Public Participation 2.6.4 Environmental, Social and Economic Sustainability 4.2.1 Library Service 4.2.2 Online Services Provision 4.6.1 Burning of Garden Refuse and Cleared Vegetation 5.1.1 Waste Management 5.2.2 Council Reserves and Parks 5.4.2 Stormwater Drainage into Wetlands Discussion The results of the comparison between Council City policies tend to be specific and relatively policies and the Earth Charter clearly show that narrow, in contrast to the broader scope of the there is considerable similarity between the two. Earth Charter principles. This indicates that Interestingly, the comparison highlights two while policies relate in some degree to the Earth Earth Charter principles (9 and 16) which the Charter, policies may not cover the full scope of City currently has