PHASE 4: Implementing Actions IMPLEMENTING LEAPS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE: TRAINERS’ HANDBOOK...

PHASE 4: Implementing Actions

IMPLEMENTING LEAPS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE: TRAINERS’ HANDBOOK

Implementing Actions

PHASE 2: ASSESSING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ND SETTING PRIORITIESIMPLEMENTING ACTIONS


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Implementing Actions

1) Identify potential implementing institutions

2) Evaluate opportunities for working with private sector

3) Evaluate opportunities for working with the NGO sector

4) Review existing organisational structures

5) Secure participation of implementing institutions

6) Prepare project implementation plan

7) Prepare project budget and establish accounting procedures

8) Secure project financing

9) Ensure effective integration of EAP into statutory planning processes



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LEAPs Equal Action

Implementation phase is distinct from planning phases:

The real measure of your success will be how well the recommendations in the action plan are converted into action.

• Collecting data on appropriate indicators

• Monitoring and evaluating implementation efforts

• Conducting educational activities

• Facilitating citizen participation

• Advising municipality on environmental issues

• Planning involves stakeholder group jointly preparing action plan.

• Implementation requires specific institutions to take individual responsibility.

Stakeholder group can perform valuable tasks in overseeing action implementation, including:

• Securing participation of implementing institutions



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1. Identify Potential Implementing Institutions

Key implementing institutions at the local level include:

Effective implementation requires the active participation and involvement of numerous institutions.

The stakeholder group can play a critical role inidentifying, bringingtogether, and securing the participation of keyimplementing institutions.

• Municipality

• Public utility providers

• National government

• Industries

• Private businesses

• Non-governmental organisations

• Academic institutions



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Case Study: Municipality of Radom, Poland — Residential Water Conservation Programme

Priority issue: Significant decline in aquifer — the major source of drinking water in the city

Priority actions: Implemented end-use water efficiency programmes. The municipality started a pilot programme that involved installing low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators in 1,800 residences

Results: Devices reduced water consumption by 20-30% in each residence

Implementing institutions: Municipal water provider, Regional Environmental Education Centre

Private sector role: Selling water-efficient showerheads and faucet aerators to city

NGO sector role: The Regional Environmental Education Centre — an NGO — designed and implemented a water conservation education programme for the community



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Implementation group:

Management committee established to oversee project implementation, composed of representatives from:

• Overseeing the implementation of the water conservation programme and educational programme

• Informing the community about the progress of the water conservation programme

• Monitoring data collection activities during programme implementation

• Coordinating the flow of information about water usage and use of the water efficient devices

• Assisting in solving problems that occur during implementation

Responsibilities of managementcommittee included:

• The municipality

• environmental committee of the city council

• Water utility

• SKER (i.e. stakeholder group)

• Local technical university



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2. Evaluate Opportunities for Working with Private Sector

• Financing the project using public and/or private funds

• Designing and/or constructing the facility

• Operating and maintaining the facility or service

Local governments and private companies can work in partnership to provide environmental services through a contractual arrangement.

Contractual arrangement meanssharing responsibility and risk for:



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In Deciding on Contracts with Private Businesses, Consider Whether Private Firms Will:

• Provide access to more sophisticated technology than might otherwise be available

• Lead to cost-effective design, construction, and/or operation

• Provide enhanced opportunities for raising funds

• Allow the local government to delegate certain responsibilities that it is less interested in undertaking

• Provide a specific service for a fixed price

• Lead to an acceptable loss of control over specific management issues

• Expose the local government to an acceptable level of risk



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3. Evaluate Opportunities for Working with NGO Sector

Partnerships can take the form of:

Local governments and NGOs can work together to provide a wide range of environmental services.

• External support for funding: Partnerships with NGOs can demonstrate commitment to public participation, and thus, increased opportunities for financial support.

• Outreach assistance: NGOs have access to large networks of volunteers and citizens to help raise public awareness and solicit public input.

• Implementation assistance: NGOs can provide specialised expertise in implementing certain programmes.



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In Deciding on Contracts with NGOs, Consider whether They Will:

• Help build public trust and confidence

• Allow decision-making process to conclude within time limit

• Have sufficient experience to take on specific implementation responsibilities

• Enable the local government to increase public awareness of government policies and activities

• Improve decisions on how best to implement specific actions

• Expand the resources available, such as volunteer time, for project implementation



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4. Review Existing Organisational Structures

Review existing government structures and ask:

Existing government structures may not be adequate or appropriate to meet new environmental challenges and needs.

• Is action implementation beyond the financial means of a single municipality? If so, consider forming a regional council with adjacent municipalities.

• Does management of a particular environmental issue, such as river pollution, require a regional solution? If so, consider forming a regional council.

• Is there enough coordination between municipal departments to implement actions? If not, consider establishing inter-departmental environmental task force.

• Is the problem occurring outside the legal boundaries of the municipality? If so, consider extending municipal boundaries or renegotiating service territories.



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5. Secure Participation of Implementing Institutions

Consider forming implementationgroups: Your stakeholder group can form separate implementation groups associated with different environmental issues. It is critical to ensure

coordination among institutions with different responsibilities for implementation.

Implementation groups can be composed of institutions withresponsibilities for:

Consider signing “implementation agreements” to secure commitments of implementing institutions.

• Undertaking education programmes

• Conducting research

• Investing in pollution control/reduction

• Enforcing against environmental polluters



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Case Study: Leak Detection and Industrial Water Conservation by Municipality of Troyan, Bulgaria

Priority issue: Inadequate drinking water supply, identified by the citizen committee as the town’s most serious environmental problem

Priority actions: Repairing leaky underground pipes, industrial water conservation and environmental education

Results:

• Completion of a digitised map of the underground pipe network.

• An audit of the entire water system and water audits of the largest industries. Industries were told how much water they were wasting, how much money it cost them, and measures they could undertake to decrease water use.

• Establishment of an environmental education centre providing education to schools and general public.

• Fixing of 70 leaks and replacing nearly a kilometre of pipe led to water savings of about 10%.



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Implementing institutions: Municipal water utility, participating industries

Private sector role: A Bulgarian-born, Canadian wastewater specialist conducted wastewater audits for five large industries in Troyan. These audits revealed enormous opportunities for saving water and reducing wastewater flows.

NGO sector role: Citizen committee members oversaw the programme.

Implementation group: The citizen committee and Troyan municipality established a joint management team to oversee project implementation.

Integration into statutory planning processes: The city adopted a new environmental ordinance that requires industries to pay based upon the volume of water they use and to file information on water consumption with the municipality. The ordinance requires the largest industrial water users to develop their own water supply where feasible.



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6. Prepare Project Implementation Plan

An implementation plan helps assure that:

A project implementation plan integrates the actions for each priority issue into a comprehensive strategy.

Implementation plan:

• Identifies specific tasks

• Assigns a time schedule

• Determines who will be responsible

• Identifies associated costs

• Actions complement each other toward achieving the goals and targets

• Tasks and responsibilities necessary for implementing each action are clearly identified



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Sample Format: Project Implementation Plan

Specific tasks Timetable Responsible groups/individuals

Associated costs

Description of selected actions:Goals and targets :Strategy #1:



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7. Prepare Project Budget and Establish Accounting Procedures

Budgets:

• Provide a mechanism for overseeing the expenditure of project funds and monitoring implementation activities

• Guide expenditures so that money is spent only on activities that directly support stated goals and targets

• Identify necessary resources and specify when those resources need to be used

Budgets provide a framework for keeping track of project costs and revenues.



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Effective Accounting Procedures

Effective accounting procedures ensure proper monitoring of project expenditures and revenues.

Effective accounting proceduresinclude preparation of:

Financial statements provide valuable tools to keep track of spending so that sufficient funds will be available for planned activities.

• Transaction reports or expense logs

• Financial statements that compare budgeted amount for each item with actual expenditure



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8. Secure Project Financing

A project financing plan:

• Addresses all aspects of raising the necessary capital to construct a large environmental facility

• Provides a systematic process for answering a wide range of questions that financial institutions will ask before they will loan money to your municipality

Raising capital for large environmental facilities poses one of the most serious implementation challenges.

A project financing plan describes:

• Technical aspects of the project

• How much the project is expected to cost

• How the borrower expects to repay borrowed funds to the lender



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Elements of Project Financing Plan

Technical aspects of theproject:

• What analysis was conducted to verify that the selected technology will achieve the desired level of environmental improvement?

• Does the project represent the most cost-effective solution?

• Does the project use a proven and demonstrated technology?

Strength and capacity of the borrower:

• Does the borrower have sufficient assets to secure the loan?

• Does the borrower have sufficient experience and capacity to manage the project technically and financially?

• What will the financial impact upon residents and businesses be from the new facility or system?



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Project financing needs:

• What are the key cost assumptions and total financing requirements of the project?

Elements of Project Financing Plan (continued)

• Are the revenue projections reasonable and sufficient to cover all capital, operating and maintenance costs?



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9. Ensure Effective Integration of EAP into Statutory Planning Processes

Statutory processes include:

Recommendations in action plan need to be linked to legal planning processes of local government and other institutions.

• If your action plan recommends protecting undeveloped land surrounding the urban core of the city, work with municipal staff to map areas to incorporate into the next land-use or development plan.

• Annual budgeting

• Municipal development plans

• Capital infrastructure planning

• General land-use plan reviews

Examples:

• If your action plan recommends the construction of a wastewater treatment plant, work with the municipal budget committee to see that funds are allocated.

PHASE 4: Implementing Actions IMPLEMENTING LEAPS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE: TRAINERS’ HANDBOOK...

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