Wolters et al.: Sustainability Initiatives in Rural Cascadia
In Small and Rural Local Government Environmental Sustainability Plans, Programs and Policies in Cascadia: A Comparative Analysis, Erika Allen Wolters, Brent S. Steel, and Sadaf Farooq (all Public Policy, Oregon State), and Tamara Krawchenko (Public Administration, University of Victoria) examine the environmental sustainability efforts of small and local governments within the “Cascadia” region which spans British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington.
The authors note that Cascadia, like many rural regions, faces distinct challenges to sustainability efforts compared to urban areas. Rural communities are often characterized by their relationship to and reliance on surrounding natural resources and must balance economic survival with environmental stewardship, often preferring local to top-down approaches.
The authors identified environmental sustainability plans, programs, and policies across the region by conducting two rounds of mailed surveys. These surveys were sent to mayors of selected Cascadian jurisdictions chosen from a database of cities, towns, villages, and districts with populations of 30,000 or fewer. Survey responses revealed that many rural communities have implemented sustainability initiatives such as water conservation efforts and recycling programs, and that while open space preservation, community environmental education, and growth management programs were less common, they were nonetheless present in roughly half of the surveyed jurisdictions. The authors controlled for independent variables such as government type, population change, remoteness/rurality, local government budget, and political orientation.
Their findings indicate that while state and provincial frameworks can support sustainability efforts, factors including cities, population growth, economic health, and geographical factors are more critical in predicting the adoption of environmental initiatives in rural Cascadia. Surprisingly, local governments with budget challenges had a higher presence of programs, suggesting that sustainability is a priority.
Overall, the data underscore the significance of local conditions and priorities, pointing to the need for tailored approaches to expanding programs and for policies that can help even resource-limited governments implement environmental sustainability initiatives. The authors advocate for further research with a particular focus on growing environmental challenges such as climate change and water scarcity.
