Decorah City Council approves participation in sustainability system—despite criticism it's just "a way to feel good about ourselves"

The Decorah City Council has approved spending $1,000 to participate in STARS—the "Sustainability Tracking and Assessment Rating System."  The system will be used by the city to get recommendations on which operational changes would conserve energy and thus save money.

The lone dissenter in the 6-1 vote was city council Member Randy Schissel, who complained the system would be just "a way to feel good about ourselves."  Schissel said a previous effort by the city council to get information on sustainability initiatives cost $2,500 and did not produce recommendations on what the city should do.

Fellow city council member Ross Hadley agreed there were "no quantifiable metrics last time," but stated there would be recommendations this time.  City council member Steve Luse said the STARS membership would save the city much more than its $1,000 cost.

The vote on STARS membership comes as the city council is working on an updated sustainability plan for the City of Decorah.