Mission
SCN Fox Valley is a coalition of the sustainability committees of local businesses and governments that plan with and advocate for the Fox Valley region of Wisconsin, working for a future that is locally self-reliant and that sustains the regional global environment.
Vision
SCN envisions a sustainable Fox Valley region of Wisconsin where, in 20 years, public knowledge of sustainability issues is increased, people and communities have adopted less consumptive lifestyles and environmentally conscious organizational cultures, energy conservation measures are widely adopted, there is regional application of clean, renewable energy sources, and communities are designed and redesigned with sustainable practices in mind.
Goals
To achieve this vision, SCN Fox Valley has identified three goals which guide our work:
- To increase awareness of the issues involved in creating a sustainable future for the Fox Valley region of Wisconsin. These issues include meeting people’s needs fairly and efficiently while reducing wasteful energy consumption, reducing dependence on fossil fuels & other underground substances, and reducing degradation of nature, air & water.
- To educate citizens about processes for creating changes in their communities.
- To increase the number of people involved in planning and advocating for changes to sustainable practices through SCN Fox Valley activities.
We’re getting this done by:
- Sponsoring periodic speakers and educational activities for our members and the general public
- Providing citizen support to the Sustainability Committees of the Village of Fox Crossing, Town of Greenville, and the Cities of Menasha, Neenah, and Oshkosh, as well as Outagamie County
- Providing input and support to local governments when doing long-range comprehensive planning and during the planning of community development projects
- Supporting the adoption of sustainable practices and ecology principles in our community
- Promoting the use of renewable energy, land and water conservation, recycling, and improved housing and transportation design options as solutions to the sustainability issues facing the Fox Valley region
History of SCN- Fox Valley
Out of a concern for additional community planning related to the future sustainability of our region, the call for positive action in response to this issue was made. In 2006, a conference in Menasha that connected UW-Extension with the City of Menasha, Valley Transit, and the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission was held in June of 2006 entitled Energy Impacts on the Fox Valley: Our Past, Our Future. As a result of this event, the ECOS coalition of the Fox Valley first formed which boasted a mailing list of 100+ individuals. (ECOS means “home” in Greek as was it seemed to be a fitting name for a group focused on securing the sustainability of our community’s future.)
Several years later, in support of the expanding needs for sustainability leadership, leaders from the UW- Extension and Regional Planning held another Conference in the winter of 2011 in Appleton that gathered the many newly formed sustainability committees of the communities and businesses in the Fox Valley region of Wisconsin. From the discussions held there, the Sustainable Communities Network (SCN) that we have today was formed!
The motto the group used was… Enough for Everyone Forever… Building Community through the Wise Use of our Natural and Human Resources.
Since that time, the SCN has strived to develop as a coalition of cities, universities, and businesses focused on education and actions in support of the implementation of sustainable practices here in the Fox Valley. SCA was the kind sponsor the development of our website. Educational events and panel discussions on the wide range of issues related to sustainability have been held.
Early gatherings of the sustainability organizations across the Fox Valley were held to introduce us to each other and foster a sense of common purpose which we continue to work on today. Most recently, the development of this website and the community calendars that it houses reflect this effort at networking with groups across the Valley.
We continue to plan and advocate for a Fox Valley of Wisconsin that is locally self-reliant and sustains the regional and global environment.