The SDPS Initiative:

In January of 2008, the Superintendent and a core group of district employees began the organizational work for the creation of Sustainable Duluth Public Schools (SDPS). SDPS now has broad student, faculty, and administrative representation and multiple guest community members, who me e t regularly throughout the school year and are now completing work on a comprehensive strategic sustainability plan. This plan will enable the district to operate more efficiently and in a sustainable manner.

SDPS  started training in the Natural Step Science based framework for making sustainable decisions in a strategic way. The training is hosted by Sustainable Twin Ports which began as a collaborative project designed to build capacity and momentum around sustainability using The Natural Step framework as a guide.  It was developed by a grass-roots network of community groups in Duluth, MN and Superior, WI in an effort to better understand the challenges and opportunities of sustainability and to move the region toward sustainable solutions. Other organizations who are involved with The Natural Step are: City of Duluth, Inn on Lake Superior, Duluth Grill, London Road Car Wash, Douglas County, Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation, Twin Ports Testing, Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce, The Jamar Company, Members Cooperative Credit Union, DTA, St. Luke's Hospital, and the University of Wisconsin-Superior.