Last march some ICMA colleagues and I had the chance to preview a new triple bottom line tool for economic development.  It has a simple to use interface and many of us the room thought it would be valuable for local government managers.  Well now is your chance to take a test drive of the tool and offer your feedback on how it might be improved.   The Beta version of the TBL Tool can be accessed at http://www.tbltool.org/.  You should begin with the overview video posted on the home page and the section titled Using the Tool provided in the User's Guide -- then, take the TBL Tool for a spin and provide feedback in the brief on-line survey.  Doing so will help ensure that the TBL Tool responds to field conditions and is as easy to use as possible.

The purpose of this new sustainability tool is to help optimize investments for economic, environmental, and social impact -- what's referred to as the triple bottom line or TBL.  Created with funding by the US Economic Development Administration (EDA), the TBL Tool is useful to public, private, and non-profit investors and decision-makers.  It was developed with significant practitioner input and is responsive to a wide range of communities and investments. The TBL Tool can be used can be used in a number of ways.  For example, it can be used to maximize project impact (design tool); it can be used to winnow or compare projects (decision tool); and it can be used to describe project impact (communication tool). 

Check it out.  It's an impressive piece of work.