Building consensus in environmental projects

1. Consider permanent liaison committees with stakeholder membership. There is an immediate skepticism when large projects with potentially significant environmental impacts are seemingly suddenly introduced for stakeholder input. Permanent liaison committees can help allay the stakeholder suspicion that problems and their solutions are being thrust at them. The mandate for these committees can be global, considering a changing slate of environmental issues as they arise, or they can be very specific, comprising community associations in the vicinity of a major facility, say a sewage or power plant. The committee membership should reflect the community and draw from other groups to provide a network of "involvement by association".
   
   
2. Maintain an environmental scorecard. Many upper tier governments (provinces in Canada and states in the US) regularly produce “State of the Environment” reporting. Local, regional or watershed based reporting can also be beneficial in many ways, particularly if the report production is community assisted, using interested residents. Regularly providing this open and impartial presentation of key environmental indicators without linking them to any specific project gives the community an early and unbiased discussion of issues that may have to be addressed through future initiatives or capital projects.
   
   
3. Know the community issues, not just positions. While it is important to know the platform of the various special interest groups and associations that you may face, it is more important to understand the issues that resulted in these positions being taken. This knowledge should naturally follow if the other opportunities for stakeholder involvement discussed are employed.
   
   
4. Keep a toolbox of information sources, organizations and individuals that can be used to provide initial reaction to proposed approaches to projects. Using groups such as the non-profit Water Treatment Advisory Network, whose membership include consultants, equipment suppliers, research and public interest organizations, can give access to a broad range of stakeholder interests prior to determining an initial course of action.
   
   
5. Use qualification based consultant selection (a guideline is available at www.peo.on.ca). It is important to demonstrate fiscal responsibility in consultant assignments. However, this can lead consultants to streamline project tasks for competitive advantage. This may mean that while a feasible solution is defined, it may be at the expense of a more rigorous process that would yield more alternatives and opportunities to optimize the project. Demonstrating a thorough approach through consultant selection will increase the confidence in the community that consideration has been given to all options.
   
   
6. Integrate value engineering in projects to provide a further opportunity to engage the stakeholders directly in the solution. Allowing full stakeholder participation in defining all possible alternatives and how those alternatives are evaluated will give those stakeholders a sense of empowerment and ownership in the final solution.