The city of Joondalup succeeded in  applying the Earth Charter as part of the planning process for the 2000-2005  City of Joondalup Strategic Plan. Joondalup, located approximately 26  kilometers north of Western Australia’s  capital city of Perth, is the second largest  local government authority in Western    Australia. The city’s strategic plan was developed  with input from communities and other stakeholders, including councilors and  staff.  The Integrated Planning Framework  provided staff with a clear role in achieving key results and enabled greater  organizational and community alignment with the Strategic Plan. In this  process, the Earth Charter assisted the city of Joondalup in incorporating sustainability  principles into its Strategic Plan.
 
  A way in which Joondalup  utilized the Earth Charter in its strategic planning process was by comparing  the Charter’s principles with existing Council policies. This comparison showed  that many council policies relate or correspond with principles in the Earth  Charter. It highlighted an especially strong connection between the city’s  Environmental, Social, and Economic Sustainability policy (policy 2.6.4) and  numerous Earth Charter principles. The comparison also found that existing  Council policies tend to be specific and relatively narrow, in contrast to the  broader scope of the Earth Charter Principles. 
 
  In addition to  highlighting similarities between the Earth Charter and the policies of  Joondalup, the comparison indicated that the city had no existing policy which  related to either Earth Charter principle 9 or principle 16. The city of Joondalup was therefore  able to recognize gaps in its policy in relation to both poverty alleviation  (principle 9) and the promotion of a culture of tolerance, nonviolence, and  peace (principle 16).

From this experience, the city’s Planning Unit considered the Earth  Charter to be ideal for helping communities and organizations to establish and  determine their strategic direction. The Unit found that the Earth Charter has  practical applications as a comprehensive checklist for developing  sustainability indicators, an educational tool for teaching and learning about  sustainable practices, and an inspirational set of guiding principles in their  community’s activities. Joondalup won a state government award for sustainable  development planning.

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