How can you include a sustainability plan in an environmental project proposal?

A sustainability plan is a strategic document that outlines an organization's commitment to incorporating environmentally, socially, and economically responsible practices into its operations, policies, and overall business strategy. The primary goal of a sustainability plan is to promote long-term sustainability by considering the impacts of an organization's activities on the environment, society, and the economy. This type of plan is commonly developed by businesses, government entities, non-profit organizations, and other institutions as a roadmap for integrating sustainable practices into their daily operations.

More specifically, through sustainability plan adoption, we can consciously develop and implement strategies as a nation under NDCs and NAP programs, to reduce carbon and methane emissions from landfill and enable eligibility of climate finance for more developmental projects in solid waste management.

Including a sustainability plan in an environmental project proposal is crucial for demonstrating your commitment to minimising environmental impact and promoting long-term ecological balance. Here are steps and considerations to help you integrate a sustainability plan into your environmental project proposal: Introduction and Background: Project Objectives: Stakeholder Engagement: Environmental Impact Assessment: Resource Management: Waste Management: Renewable Energy Sources: Carbon Footprint Reduction: Biodiversity Conservation: Community Benefits: Monitoring and Evaluation: Compliance with Standards and Regulations: Adaptability and Resilience: Budget Allocation: Education and Training:

Creating a sustainability plan should be measured through these key indicators as follows: 1. Alignment with existing national policies, regulations and institutional frameworks for a nation, for easy adoption and implementation 2. Active involvement of all relevant stakeholders across the service delivery chain. 3. Sustainable management arrangement and operation & maintenance strategies. 4. Resource recovery and reuse strategies. 5. Accountability strategies to ensure transparency 6. Clear monitoring and evaluation strategies to ensure consistent quality performance in service delivery. 7. Safety and capacity building strategy for key actors. 8. Adopt more nature based systems and strategies to safeguard the environment and health.

A practical case, I am currently working on a sustainability plan for the Ayidan landfill project in Accra, Ghana. Main elements are to: 1️⃣ Advise on imperatives for optimisation of disposal capacity and implement an incremental at source segregation of waste. 2️⃣ Provide institutional and management arrangements including financing mechanisms for sustaining effective operation and maintenance of the landfill. 3️⃣ Provide the main cost items for both CAPEX, OPEX and whole life cyle costing applied over entire life of landfill. 4️⃣ provide sustainable procurement plan 5️⃣ conduct online gas measurements for first 2 years to inform gas utilisation 6️⃣ incorporate appropriate measures for inclusion of Informal waste pickers

The active involvement of the upcoming youth in adopting such plans can ensure long-term change. Ensure massive behavioral change programs such as citizen science approach for effective implementation practices.