August Premier: Sustainability Planning for Park Districts and Communities

Coming August 2024! In February 2023, the Wilmette Park District welcomed its first sustainability coordinator, Lucy Mellen. Explore the unique breadth of a sustainability coordinator role, extending beyond the Park District to encompass the Village of Wilmette, the public library, the local township, and the school district. Discover how Wilmette Park District was able to utilize this role to partner with diverse stakeholders over the past year to develop the district's inaugural sustainability plan, fostering a holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community engagement. 

This talk is available for 1 year from release date!

Learning Objectives:

1. Analyze the components involved in developing a comprehensive sustainability plan for a park district, considering the interconnectivity with other community entities. 

2. Understand the key components and methodologies involved in developing a comprehensive sustainability plan, including assessing current practices, conducting external evaluations, engaging stakeholders through various outreach methods, and forming internal committees to facilitate the planning process.  

3. Analyze the collaborative strategies used by the Wilmette Park District to leverage the sustainability coordinator role in partnering with various stakeholders to develop a comprehensive sustainability plan.  

Lucy Mellen

Sustainability Coordinator

Wilmette Park District

Lucy Mellen graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor's degree in Environmental and Sustainability Studies. Following graduation, Ms. Mellen was the heat relief coordinator for the City of Richmond, IN, where she managed the city's grant funded Beat the Heat Program. In this role, Ms. Mellen created the city's first Heat Management Plan.

Ms. Mellen started her role in Wilmette in February 2023. Her responsibilities are divided among five entities in Wilmette: the local township, the library, the school district, the Park District, and the Village government, with the majority of her time dedicated to the latter two entities. Since starting, her primary focus with the Park District has been developing their first Sustainability Plan.

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