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Sustainable Pennsylvania

Sustainable Pennsylvania

Municipal Certification Project

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Home › Participating Municipalities

White Township

Indiana County

White Township Indiana County

In 2019 the Township completed the Hoodlebug Trail Extension, complete with bike repair station and parking area. The Township is looking forward to looking at ways to protect farmland and promote community gardens and infill development. In addition, the Township would like to explore traffic calming techniques and complete street options.

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Municipal Website
Population:15,242
Key Action:
Current Assessment:
2/23/21
Assessment History:

Energy Use, Conservation and Green Building

Municipal Energy Use
Question:
Municipality has or is in the process of retrofitting street lights and traffic signals to LED bulbs.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality has established goals from the energy audit findings and is methodically implementing the energy audit findings.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality has recently completed an energy audit of all municipal buildings and operations. The audit includes findings and recommendations and establishes a baseline of energy usage
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Community Energy Use
Question:
The municipal comprehensive plan contains an energy conservation element.
Answer:
yes
Notes:

Governance and Community Engagement

Community Engagement
Question:
Municipality communicates with the public via a regularly scheduled newsletter or regularly updated web based communications.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
Civic engagement, public participation and transparency are regularly assessed and facilitated.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Sustainability
Question:
Newly elected officials participate in Local Government Academy or other orientation training for public officials.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
Professional development for municipal personnel and officials includes participating (at a minimum, per year) in quarterly Local Government Academy, PA DCED or other professional training association programs.
Answer:
no
Notes:
Question:
An executive/management level municipal staff person has responsibility for management of the municipal sustainability program expressly included in their job description.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality is committed to passing a resolution (within six months of enrolling) to affirm participation in the Sustainable Community Essentials Certification Program.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Public Safety
Question:
Municipality maintains updated public safety mutual aid agreements with neighboring municipalities and shares resources.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Municipal Operations
Question:
Green vehicle fleet assessment has been initiated toward: using greener fuels and/or vehicles, vehicle right?sizing for the job/trip, retrofit or replace older diesel trucks or equipment with cleaner technology, or driver education about driving techniques for fuel economy
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
Professional staff are employed or retained, in the areas of budgeting and finance.
Answer:
yes
Notes:

Environmental Stewardship

Air Quality
Question:
PA State anti-idling law is enforced and compliance is promoted.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Green Infrastructure
Question:
Low impact and green development projects, as well as techniques (pervious pavement, bioswales, cisterns, woodland and steep slope protection) are fostered through incentives, ordinances and design guidelines.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
Written policies exist and ordinances and incentives have been enacted to conserve environmentally and ecologically sensitive places (for example, slopes over 25%, slide prone soils and geology, springs and vernal pools, mature woodlands, Natural Heritage Areas, etc.) in order to protect public safety and natural resources while using green infrastructure for stormwater management.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
Policies, plans and ordinances protect wetlands and waterways and their buffers.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Water Use, Conservation and Quality
Question:
Sufficient investments are being made to the water, sewer, and stormwater systems per real costs and keeping pace with maintenance and operations.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
Drinking water and sanitary sewer rates are based on the real cost of providing service.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
Water provider(s) prioritize improving service to existing developed areas as opposed to opening up new areas to development.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
Low impact development and onsite stormwater infiltration is encouraged.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
Cooperation is occurring with neighboring municipalities to manage water and sewer supply, treatment and distribution, sewage and stormwater, in the most cost-efficient way.
Answer:
yes
Notes:

Land Use and Transportation

Green Space
Question:
The municipality has a PA Dept of Agriculture Agricultural Security Area (ASA).
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
The greenspace/open space plan has benchmarks and results are reported annually to the public.
Answer:
no
Notes:
Question:
The Comprehensive Plan includes a parks/recreation and open space component with proposed passive or active greenways, parks and trails and the zoning and subdivision ordinances support the vision.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
The Comprehensive Plan identifies environmentally sensitive, ecologically significant, and civic/historic places.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Mobility
Question:
Trails for walking and bicycling are being developed or maintained
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
Traffic calming techniques, "complete streets" projects, access management and congestion management programs have been evaluated and are being implemented.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
Alternate transportation (e.g. transit, inter-modal, multi-modal, bicycle/pedestrian) are accommodated and promoted.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Community
Question:
Land use and development decisions are assessed to ensure they do not have negative fiscal, stormwater, traffic, infrastructure, or service demands, or quality of life impacts on neighboring municipalities.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
The comprehensive plan and ordinances promote pedestrian-oriented, dense, walkable, mixed-use development (in existing and proposed development), and redevelopment in the core or town center.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
Up-to-date ordinances for zoning and subdivision/land development are in place to implement the comprehensive plan.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
A multi-municipal comprehensive plan has been adopted as has an official map.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
Comprehensive land use/development plan is current, addresses impacts to neighboring communities, and incorporates sustainability principles.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
Professional staff are employed or retained to manage the land use program.
Answer:
yes
Notes:

Local Economy

Material Use, Waste, and Recycling
Question:
An expanded material recycling program is being advanced, i.e., e-waste, composting, pharmaceuticals, and household hazardous waste for community-wide collection.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
All municipal buildings have an active recycling program.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
There is a written waste reduction and recycling ordinance for residential, commercial and institutional facilities.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
There is a curbside and/or drop-off recycling program.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
Waste and recycling ordinances and regulations are in compliance and enforced per Act 101, or if not a mandatory-Act 101 municipality, a municipal recycling program is conducted.
Answer:
yes
Notes:

Housing

Affordability
Question:
The comprehensive plan addresses the community benefits of and need for expanding housing choice.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Sustainable Neighborhoods
Question:
Staffing is in place sufficient to enforce building and maintenance codes.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality has elected to administer and enforce PA's statewide Uniform Construction Code (UCC).
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
A program is being implemented to put blighted, abandoned properties back into productive use: smart rehab code, conservatorship, demolition, acquisition, green lot strategies, etc.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
A current inventory of vacant and blighted/blighting properties is maintained and mapped.
Answer:
yes
Notes:

Other Sustainability Innovation

Additional Initiative
Question:
Provide an on-line link to description of a sustainability innovation that the Municipal Manager/Secretary feels strongly is deserving of additional recognition and is not covered by any of the above criteria options.
Answer:
yes
Notes:

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Human Resources
Question:
The municipality has a written municipal policy prohibiting discrimination and valuing diversity and inclusion.
Answer:
yes
Notes:

Education

Cooperation
Question:
The municipality and local public schools cooperate to share facilities and other resources. (For example, the municipality assists with the cost of evening lifeguards for community use of a school swimming pool or for provision of crossing guards.)
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
Municipal planning is coordinated with the school district and the two meet together at least once per year.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Engagement
Question:
Municipality works with schools and local nonprofits/community organizations to engage students about community issues such as waste reduction and recycling, public safety, wellness, conservation, nature, etc.
Answer:
yes
Notes:

Healthy Communities

Local Food
Question:
A community produce garden(s) is available.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Healthy People
Question:
Outdoor recreation opportunities, amenities, and lifestyles are promoted.
Answer:
yes
Notes:
Question:
Programs by local government, or in cooperation with the non-profit and private sector, exist to address community health concerns, i.e. exercise programs, feeding programs for children and the elderly, crime watches, accessible health care, exercise away from areas of air pollution, etc.
Answer:
yes
Notes:

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About Sustainable Pennsylvania

Sustainable Pennsylvania, a joint project of the Pennsylvania Municipal League and Sustainable Pittsburgh, is a voluntary performance recognition program designed to help municipalities set and achieve sustainability goals, save money, conserve resources, and foster a vibrant community.

Pennsylvania Municipal League

The Pennsylvania Municipal League is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization established in 1900 as an advocate for Pennsylvania’s 3rd class cities. Today, The League represents participating Pennsylvania cities, boroughs, townships, home rule communities and towns that all share The League’s municipal policy interests.

The mission of the Pennsylvania Municipal League is to strengthen, empower and advocate for effective local government.

Sustainable Pittsburgh

Sustainable PGH is a nonprofit committed to building the knowledge, perspective, and ability needed to create a better tomorrow for our region.

Contact us

Email info@sustainablepa.org or call Leslie Rhoads from PML at 717-236-9469 *237 or Jim Price from Sustainable Pittsburgh at 412-259-5331

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