Sustainable Communities

Tribes across the nation are developing or expanding community-wide sustainability programs. Examples include recycling and composting programs, renewable energy projects, and utilizing community green teams to assess and prioritize sustainability needs. There are so many ways to get involved in your community.

However, most of these sustainability projects need further funding to be successful. Listed below are some grants available for community sustainability programs:

• The EPA's Building Blocks Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov  program supports the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, a collaborative effort among the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and EPA to protect the environment, promote equitable development, and help address the challenges of climate change.
• The EPA's Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov  program is an annual, competitive solicitation open to state, local, regional, and tribal governments (and non-profits that have partnered with a governmental entity) that want to incorporate smart growth techniques into their future development. Once selected, communities receive direct technical assistance from a team of national experts.

EPA is also taking applications for community energy planning, disaster resilience and climate change adaptation, land use planning for economic development agencies, and economic viability of rural communities.

Additional Resources:

• The Sustainable Native Communities Collaboration Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov : An initiative of Enterprise Community Partners that supports housing appropriate to American Indian communities nationwide.
• Sustainable Communities online Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov : A website developed by a broad coalition of organizations around the United States to pool information on sustainability and make it more readily accessible to the general public.
• Institute for Sustainable Communities Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov : Provides the tools and skills to inspire active citizenship, protect the environment, and take on climate change.