2020 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Green Tier Legacy Communities Charter signing.
Since the Charter’s signing in 2010, the network has grown from 5 pilot communities, to 29 cities, villages, towns and counties. The Charter works with all forms of local government and over 1,000,000 Wisconsinites reside in Legacy Communities.
The charter brings local government leaders together, using their collective knowledge to make their communities more efficient and effective. Members meet quarterly to share resources, expertise, network, and provide updates on sustainability initiatives. Members learn from other community’s accomplishments and challenges. This collaboration prevents members from having to ‘re-create the wheel’, tapping into statewide sustainability resources. Communities in partnership with the Wisconsin DNR and NGO partners create a free resource pool.
Working from a core list of best management practices, members focus on improving their communities’ efforts in transportation, land use, energy, waste, water conservation and public health. Each Legacy Community compiles an annual report highlighting sustainability accomplishments and progress from year to year.
GTLC members have direct access to DNR non-regulatory staff that provide technical assistance and act as a liaison for interactions between the community and the department. Nongovernmental charter partners League of Wisconsin Municipalities, Wisconsin Counties Association, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS), and Slipstream also provide technical assistance.
