Sustainable Decision Making

The City frequently makes complex decisions and there are many competing interests in arriving at a final decision. The Sustainable Decision Making Matrix (SDMM) is a weighted decision making tool that is aligned with the major focus areas of the Sustainability Master Plan (SMP). Therefore, when this tool is used, it can inform these decisions and help fulfill the goals of the SMP.

Open the Sustainable Decision Making Worksheet(PDF, 68KB)

How to Use This Tool

Decision makers should use either the Excel version of the Sustainable Decision Making Matrix or the fillable Sustainable Decision Making Matrix worksheet to calculate the weighted score of a particular action (project, policy, program or code). The higher the weighted score, the more a particular action is aligned with the goals of the Sustainability Master Plan. The tool can be used to evaluate different alternatives or approaches to the same goal, to see if changing the approach can improve the outcomes of more priority areas.

The Sustainable Decision Making tools score the following areas:

1. Greenhouse Gas Reduction - How much could this action directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Kirkland?
2. Environmental Quality - How well could this action protect habitats, open space and tree cover; reduce consumption of natural resources; and restore ecosystems?
3. Community Health / Quality of Life - How much would this action benefit community health, quality of life, and increase Kirkland’s resilience to natural and human-caused hazards?
4. Environmental Social Justice - How much could this action improve equitable environmental outcomes for historically disenfranchised communities (low income, BIPOC)?
5. Reduction of Energy Consumption - How much could this action directly reduce energy use, reduce energy costs and replace fossil fuel-based consumption with renewable energy sources?
6. Net Cost - What is the net cost (cost - savings) for the City to complete this action?