2. What is a Community Action Plan?
.......... Defining Community Action

A Community Action Plan (CAP) is a call to action. As a document, it outlines and publicizes a community's commitment to improving the environment. It lists the projects, both current and desired, that have widespread support and will help address the major concerns of the community, and it provides a framework within which those projects can be undertaken.

As a process, a CAP is more than a document. It is a forum for creating a community network, with the goal of encouraging effective action.

The purpose of an environmental community action plan is to encourage individuals to act for the environment, either by making changes in their own lives, or by participating in community-based projects. To this end, each community action plan has the following objectives:

1. to improve the local environment through public action and community projects,
2. to promote public involvement in environmental projects and community groups;
3. to develop partnerships in support of community projects, involving all levels of government, the business community, funding agencies, schools and universities, and non-government organizations.

Some of the distinguishing characteristics of a Community Action Plan are:

• It is cooperative. The CAP brings together community leaders from all sectors to determine where they can work together to achieve community-wide goals. If an issue is too controversial, then it should be referred to a different planning (or lobbying) process. For example, a CAP may not help you to site a landfill, but it will help you promote recycling, composting, and waste reduction initiatives throughout the community.

• It is efficient. The CAP process is designed to spend a minimum amount of time on committee work and planning. Depending on the size and existing degree of organization in the community, the Community Action Plan can start producing results in six months.

• It is effective. The Community Action Plan provides a concise summary of the major priorities for a community-wide campaign. Whether the reader is a volunteer, community group member, store-owner, teacher, or politician, the plan will show them how they can get involved, who to contact, and how to find support for their own initiatives.

.......... What if We Already Have a Community Plan?
No problem. Developing a Community Action Plan is not a new idea, nor is it a rigid process that must be followed to the letter. Community planning for the environment already exists in many forms. There are many existing types of action plans, including Healthy Community Plans (combining health, social and economic issues, and the environment), Remedial Action Plans (for water quality), Green Community plans, solid waste management plans, and the municipal Official Plan. Each is designed to involve the public in the planning process.