By Evelyn Alemanni

Ecological Communities is an experiment in community engagement to promote sustainability. It is an outreach program of the Applied Sustainability Center at the University of Arkansas, and Fayetteville is the pilot city. It has the goal of building a more sustainable world, one community at a time. They do this via a website: http://eco.walton.uark.edu/default.asp.

Information on the site empowers users to make sustainable choices, and offers information for residents, businesses, non-profit groups and government entities. It comprises four building blocks: an eco-dashboard that provides information on Fayetteville, Arkansas environmental footprint and compares it to usage across the state and country. An eco-pledge allows users to commit to reducing their impact on the planet; eco tools help users manage their energy use, and resources help users learn more about sustainable lifestyles.

While the site applies largely to Fayetteville at this time, take a look - there are many tools that you can implement in your own town.