Assessing Neighborhood Greenness
August 01, 2009
How green is your neighborhood? The Green Omaha Coalition’s Green Neighborhood Council wants to know.
The council has developed a Green Neighborhood Scorecard (GNS), a tool that allows neighborhood residents to assess the greenness of their corner of the city while identifying areas of environmental need. The GNS, which debuted last year, is a multi-question survey that covers five topics – energy, waste and recycling, food, water, stormwater and transportation.
“Completing the GNS is an interactive process that requires respondents to walk around their neighborhoods and find the answers to most of the survey questions,” said Nancy Williams, a member of the Green Neighborhood Council Scorecard Committee. It can be completed over a few days and outings, she noted.
The GNS also includes practical tips and resources neighborhood leaders can use to help green their neighborhoods. Neighborhood groups that complete the scorecard will help the Green Neighborhood Council:
- Assess the current green state of neighborhoods in Douglas County
- Determine the need for green neighborhood support, environmental information and resources in Douglas County
- Develop practical projects that support the creation and advancement of green neighborhoods
- Establish a baseline that allows neighborhood groups to chart their environmental progress
The GNS and resource list are available for download from www.greenomahacoalition.org. Completed scorecards should be submitted to the Green Neighborhood Council via mail, email or online via Survey Money by Saturday, Aug. 15.
Neighborhood groups with high scores will be eligible for recognition at the 2009 Green Homes Tour Sept. 19. For more information, visit www.greenomahacoalition.org or email gncscorecard@gmail.com.