This briefing paper offers short case studies and lessons derived from a minority of small communities who made strides protecting the environment despite the odds against them. First, using the data from the 2010 ICMA sustainability survey,[i] we describe the problem – that smaller and poorer municipalities are less likely to enact sustainability policies. Next, we present seven brief case studies of municipalities that defied the odds and implemented various sustainability policies. We conclude with lessons about the actions local leaders in these places took and their motivations.

Acknowledgements: Research on the case studies presented in this paper was made possible in part with funding from the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture grant # 2011-68006-30793.