The Conservation District of Polk County Iowa (PCC) has selected paleBLUEdot to analyze and make recommendations for sustainable practices and policies within PCC operations and to develop a Polk County Conservation Sustainability Plan.  PCC has a professional staff of over 40 employees and manages 22 parks and natural areas covering more than 15,000 acres that are visited by more than 1.8 million people each year. The wide variety of resources managed by PCC includes, a Championship golf course, an Equestrian Center, a Nature Center, an Outdoor Recreation and Wellness Center, cabins, shelter houses, a skate park, canoeing/kayaking rentals, bird watching, designated hunting areas and quality campgrounds and the largest prairie/wetland restoration in the state.  

paleBLUEdot’s work will begin with assisting the Polk County Conservation with a data analysis of current PCC sustainability projects, greenhouse gas emissions inventory, and developing a vulnerability assessment to understand the largest climate risks facing the organization.  Following this sustainability baseline review, paleBLUEdot will work collaboratively with PCC staff in development of a Polk County Conservation Sustainability Plan.  The paleBLUEdot team’s full scope of work for PCC will include:

1. Generate a Greenhouse Inventory creating baseline understanding of where PCC is currently in terms of sustainability.  Metrics will include: energy use, environmental footprint of the organization’s day-to-day operations, sustainability practices already in place, and carbon sink/carbon sequestration of current plant communities on PCC managed land.

2. Climate vulnerability assessment: Assess vulnerabilities and risks to the organization in terms of climate change. Look at ways our organization can adapt to these. 

3. Provide recommendations on best practices to improve upon our sustainability efforts suggest next steps, assist in goal setting, timelines, and benchmarks to track progress.

4. Provide examples from other like organizations (local or global) who have excelled with their sustainability efforts and determine how we  partner with what these organizations are already doing (if local). 

5. Recommend potential funding sources to achieve our sustainability goals.

6. Provide educational graphics and models for educating the public and staff on the benefits of sustainability practices. 

7. Provide budget models, ROI, and forecasts for implementing actionable recommendations and next steps. 

The paleBLUEdot team is honored to work with Kane County in developing the county’s first countywide Climate Action Implementation Plan (CAIP).

The paleBLUEdot team provides a wide range of expert consultant services supporting community resilience, including Climate Action Planning, Sustainability Consulting, and Renewable Energy Planning..  Learn more about paleBLUEdot's Climate Action Planning services here.