A Declaration of Principles
Any web-based initiative that purports to offer recommendations and a sense of direction to New York communities ought to declare what it stands for. So, with a respectful nod to Nobel Prize laureate William Faulkner (who is loosely paraphrased in the first entry below), here is a Declaration of Principles which shall guide the development of this blog:
1. Above all, we are committed to the belief that upstate New York will not merely endure; it shall prevail.
2. In order to prevail, development in upstate NY must be sustainable, and communities must be livable.
3. To achieve sustainable development in any community, planning must be proactive rather than reactive.
4. Proactive planning requires a vision based on broad consensus.
5. Vision and consensus require civic engagement and well-informed community input.
6. Local leaders need proven, accurate tools in order to capture community input and use it to craft a vision and build consensus.
7. Sustainable-NY.org is committed to providing the high-quality tools that upstate NY leaders need in order to make sure their communities prevail over the long term. Our tools will help local leaders and managers capture community input, build consensus, craft a shared vision and make the necessary plans for a sustainable future.
Sustainable-NewYork is guided by a fundamental optimism about the long-term prospects for our great state. Yet we realize that times are tough for many right now. Upstate NY communities, schools and human service organizations are financially strapped these days, and the very idea of devoting resources to planning is increasingly viewed as a luxury rather than as a matter of course. Therefore Sustainable-NewYork.org is committed to providing to the general public as many resources as possible at no cost whatsoever, while its parent company, CN Consulting, P.C. at Sustainable-NewYork.com, continues to provide quality professional services at the lowest possible cost, and with efficient dispatch.
