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as the Health and Safety Fair, Sylvan Beach Parade, the Neighborhood Centers Inc. Community Health Fair, and Christmas on Main Street, among others. Focus Area 4 — Need for Increased Susainaility In recent years, there has been a renewed awareness and emphasis on sustainable development practices. There are many approaches to seek improved sustainability, one of which is the design and construction of new (or redeveloped) building sites. Infusing Best Management Practices (BMPs) and providing incentives for good design will move the City toward more responsible development / redevelopment outcomes. Many of these techniques also have the added benefit of enhancing community character. Key Planning Considerations Key planning considerations to maintain and improve public safety services include: 1) Increasing water conservation through the use of Best Management Practices (BMPs), Low Impact Development (LID), water conservation programs, and additional landscaping to reduce demand for treated, potable water. 2) Protecting important and finite natural resources such as air and water quality, wildlife habitat, and open space lands. 3) Reducing solid waste to landfills through continued improvements in recycling, composting, and diversion of solid waste from landfills. 4) Reducing the long -term operational costs of public infrastructure, thereby maximizing the use of taxpayer dollars. 5) Increasing the amount of outreach to encourage both the private sector and citizens of La Porte to adopt sustainable practices. Based on these planning considerations, the following goals, actions, and initiatives address specific issues and needs identified during the public participation process (and outlined in Chapter 1, Plan Context). Actions and Initiatives 1) Determine a plan of action to reduce per capita per day water usage by five percent within five years of the most recent adoption of the City's 2009 Water Conservation Plan. In the same timeframe, maintain a level of unaccounted water loss at 12 percent or less. Within 10 years, the City should achieve a 10 percent reduction in per capita per day water usage and maintain a level of unaccounted water loss at 10 percent or less . 20 2) Adopt a long -term energy strategy to include an energy plan that enumerates reduction goals based on the current energy usage. A 20 For the purposes of calculations, the 2009 Water Conservation Plan specified that per capita water use is equated to the use per connection. The five- and 10 -year targets are based on a five- and 10 -year rolling annual average. A COM UNIT - Y VISION FOR 1A PORTE, TEXAS - 2010 UPDATE