REMINDER: The deadline to apply for the STAR Leadership Program is October 15!

The STAR Community Rating System is a voluntary, self-reporting framework for evaluating, quantifying and improving the livability and sustainability of US communities.   The STAR framework is designed for use by communities of all sizes and shows that comprehensive sustainability strategies are not just for urban areas or those large enough to have a dedicated sustainability office. 

In fact, STAR certification might be especially valuable for smaller and rural communities as a way to integrate sustainability metrics across both government departments and community organizations.  STAR certification may also prove to be a distinguishing mark for communities that otherwise find it difficult to stand out in crowded field and a way to promote themselves nationally.

Mark Wells, Executive Director of the Rockingham County (NC) Business & Technology Center (and a Six Sigma Green Belt), found the framework appealing on both counts.  He is leading the effort for Rockingham County (population 93,000), which is part of the Piedmont Triad region.  The county intends to pursue STAR certification as part of this year’s class.

Wells had been looking for ways to measure and communicate community-wide performance on a variety of economic and sustainability factors.  For Rockingham County, the holistic approach of the STAR community framework is one of the major benefits.   It provides specific guidance for bringing together in one place metrics from many parts of the community that might not otherwise be connected in people’s minds but that together represent the place they want to be. 

For example, data and measurements related to education, health, the environment and the economy are brought together and considered under one framework, giving community leaders a more comprehensive understanding of how well the community is faring.   Without this framework, Wells explained, information on early childhood education, for example, might not be linked to efforts to improve the community’s economic vitality.  The framework can make those connections clear and help identify specific steps the community as a whole (not just one department) can take to improve its economy in ways that go beyond the traditional economic development measures.  

STAR certification is not a simple matter of filling out some forms.  It is precisely this rigor, though, that gives its value to smaller and rural communities.  Identifying performance measurements and setting high goals is what makes it worthwhile, according to Wells, and how it will distinguish Rockingham County going forward.

Wells and Andrea Peet, STAR Communities Program manager, offer this advice to communities that are getting started or just thinking about entering the program:

1. Don’t be overwhelmed by the quantity of actions and outcomes in the overall framework.  Focus on the areas within each of the seven goal areas that are most important to your community.
2. When reviewing the objectives and measures, start by listing what you are already doing.  Chances are, you will be surprised at how many of the activities are already underway within your community. 
3. Look beyond your own job and your own organization.  Go community-wide to see and explain how other agencies and organizations are working toward these same goals.
4. Use the framework to think about how you might do things differently in areas where the community is already active to meet stretch performance measurements.
5. Don’t get tangled up in the research.   Gather what you can for your community, prioritize as needed, and understand that every single measure might not apply in your circumstances.   The STAR network knows that data collection can be a challenge and offers financial and technical assistance to support communities that don’t have sufficient resources on their own.

This brings us back to the Leadership Program. 

The Leadership STAR Community Program supports a cohort of cities, towns and counties as they get organized around the Rating System and then collect and report their data in order to receive a certified STAR Community Rating. Leadership STAR Communities will have extensive access to STAR Communities staff and on-call experts, online tools, training programs (both web-based and in-person), technical assistance and other services associated with the STAR Community Rating System. 

Applications are due October 15.