Main Results of the Program
“Sustainable Development of Model Communities on a Municipal Level in Russia”
The Program “Sustainable Development of Model Communities on a Municipal Level in Russia”, was successfully implemented in 2005-2006 by the Institute for Sustainable Communities (Vermont, USA) and the Fund for Sustainable Development (Moscow) with financial support from the United States Agency for International Development.
The Program became a unique mechanism for carrying out effective low-cost environmental projects and techniques and strengthening interaction among the country’s organizations and regions.
The Program was aimed at forming viable multi-sector partnerships among local and regional government, Russian businesses, and NGOs on a community level.
The key principle of the Program was the use of an integrated approach to addressing regional issues. Project complexes were fulfilled by consortiums of grantees that included representatives of local municipal authorities, NGOs, businesses, and community services organizations in the sphere of education and health protection.
The priority area of the Program was energy efficiency and, thus, a complex of projects fulfilled in a community was focused on one core energy efficiency project that allowed saving local budget funds intended for utilities payments.
These saved funds were accumulated in the local budget through such mechanisms as Local Community Funds or local government ordinances and were reinvested in community development and new socially significant projects.
Project activities included testing the mechanisms for managing energy-efficiency savings on the basis of joint decision-making by all stakeholders on principles of cooperation and transparency.
The Program included 34 projects implemented in 10 regions of Russia, with the total amount of awarded grants reaching $623,281.
Project complexes also included initiatives addressing local socio-environmental issues and contributing to sustainable regional development: human and environmental health improvement; ecotourism development; education; and information dissemination.
Project complexes involved community members and, especially, the youth into concrete practical activities in support of local sustainable development.
As a result of the Program, 10 communities have identified their most critical issues and have developed and implemented complexes of projects in a range of areas that will mobilize community resources to tackle environmental/economic and social challenges.
List of Projects of the Program Sustainable Development of Model Communities on a Municipal Level in Russia:
- Moscow Oblast, Pushchino. Ecopolice Pushchino. Grant amount $70,392
- Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Semyonov and Voskresensky raions. Sustainable Development of Nizhegorodskoye Zavolzhye. Grant amount $74,861
- Sverdlovskaya Oblast, Nevyansky Raion. Nevyansk – Our Favorite City. Grant amount $75,434
- Kemerovo Oblast, Kemerovo. Sustainable Socio-Economic Development of Kemerovsky Raion Municipality through the Introduction of Effective Resource-Saving Techniques. Grant amount $67,474
- Republic of Buryatia, Barguzinsky Raion. Bargusin. Grant amount $75,303
- Republic of Buryatia, Ivolginsky Raion. Ivolga. Grant amount $74,000
- Republic of Buryatia, Kabansky Raion. Lake Baikal Coast. Grant amount $43,305
- Khabarovsk Krai, Khabarovsk. City Outskirts. Grant amount $37,386
- Khabarovsk Krai, Khabarovsky Raion, Korsakovo Settlement. Energy Efficiency Activities at the Children’s Home of Korsakovo Settlement and the Community Center of Matveyevka Settlement. Grant amount $51,331
- Primorsky Krai, Terneisky Raion. Promoting Sustainable Development in Terneisky Raion. Grant amount $53,522
The following successful results were achieved by the Program:
-The energy-efficiency projects were implemented with a high degree of cost-effectiveness;
-A range of mechanisms for reinvesting and additionally investing funds in energy-efficiency and social projects were developed (Local Community Funds were founded, agreements were reached with local governments, and corresponding ordinances were issued);
-The projects strengthened multi-sector cooperation and mobilized citizens and public organizations for addressing local community issues.
Thus, the Program successfully achieved its goal of creating examples of reinvesting energy savings in the social sphere to address environmental, economic and social problems of a community.
The communities that took part in the Program may serve as models of successful experience for other communities in the area of promoting local sustainable development.
