EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (for internal use only)

Page 1 of 4

Executive Summary Last Revised: 11/12/2008

Subject:

Planning Services for the MARTA Sustainability Program

Work Order for Sustainability Planning Services

Metro Atlanta Transit Team (MATT)

S.L. King Technologies, Inc.

Originator/Department:

T. Rishan Tesfamichael, Department of Engineering

Date Originated:

01/27/2009

Contact Number:

Department Head Name/Title:

Rick Shay / Program & Contract Management

Department Head Signature:

Funding Source: Operating Capital Federal Grant

Other (please indicate)

Sustainability Related: Yes No

Internal Approvals

Routing

Order Approval

Initials/

Date

Routing

Order Approval

Initials/

Date

CENTRAL SUPPORT OPERATIONS

AGM/Audit AGM/Bus Operations

AGM/External Affairs AGM/Infrastructure

AGM/Legal Services AGM/Police

AGM/Planning AGM/Rail Operations

Executive Director/DEO Executive Director/Safety

Deputy General Manager/COO

BUSINESS SERVICES

AGM/Finance OTHER APPROVALS

AGM/Human Resources

AGM/Contracts & Procurement

AGM/Technology

Chief, Business Support Services

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (for internal use only)

Page 2 of 4

Executive Summary Last Revised: 11/12/2008

GENERAL MANAGER

General Manager/CEO

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (for internal use only)

Page 3 of 4

PURPOSE:

To approve work orders and authorize Metro Atlanta Transit Team (MATT) to retain the subconsultant services of S.L. King Technologies, Inc. who shall provide services for the MARTA Sustainability Program. Said program shall communicate the Authority’s goals, policies, and programs, as well as render the authority a more efficient, service-based agency. DISCUSSION (including alternatives):

The Subconsultant shall prepare and furnish the following deliverables in four (4) separate tasks:

Task I: Initial Planning

This initial phase involves identification of key issues and funding sources, establishing MARTA’s carbon footprint, and recording baseline metrics. Specific deliverables shall include a work plan, technical memorandum, outreach plan, and a final presentation to MARTA stakeholders.

Task II: Design Guidelines/Environmental Sustainability

New facilities shall be considered for LEED certification and related feasibility analytics. The sustainability guidelines shall be developed, and lifecycle costing will be used to identify opportunities for efficiency. Specific deliverables shall include new construction sustainability guidelines, cost itemization of water consumption, and additional estimates of up-front costs and payback data.

Task III: System Assessment/Capital Program

This phase of the study involves the assessment of existing facilities according to the United States Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy Efficient Design) for Existing Buildings program. Said facilities shall be audited for energy efficiency and used as a basis for sustainability program costs and anticipated savings. Emissions, transit oriented design, recycling programs, and utility rates are just a few of the criteria that will be weighed against current operations as part of the assessment. Specific deliverables shall include a conditions assessment report and sustainability recommendations report.

Task IV: Program Recommendations

The final phase consists of developing a compendium of recommended actions for authority review and implementation. Said recommendations shall be both policy and project related. Specific deliverables shall include the MARTA Corporate Sustainability Plan and a presentation to MARTA stakeholders.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (for internal use only)

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The projected timeline for initiating work will likely be 1-months after the use of capital funds are authorized. In an effort to meet the expected deadline, advancing these work orders at this time will allow MARTA to develop the Task I deliverables within the anticipated timeline. The Period of Performance for this Work Order is based on January 1, 2009 through December 30, 2009. The anticipated schedule for the Consultant's services is as follows:

1. Task I - January 1, 2009 to July 1, 2009

2. Task II - January 1, 2009 to November 1, 2009

3. Task III - July 2, 2009 to November 1, 2009

4. Task IV - November 2, 2009 to December 30, 2009

IMPACT ON FUNDING:

The cost of the work performed by the Consultant pursuant to the Agreement, as authorized by the Work Order, exclusive of fee and not withstanding any additional consulting services requested by the client, shall not exceed a Cost Limitation of $1,226,829.00. The earned fee shall not exceed $74, 460. RECOMMENDATIONS & TIMELINE (as appropriate):

Staff recommends approval of the Work Order in order to immediately begin work appropriate to Task I deliverables in accordance with the above stated schedule.

T.R. Tesfamichael

Personal

Philosophy

of

Education

December 8

2010 As a designer, I believe in the inherent value of original thought and social

entrepreneurship. Delivering effective education in art and design is my

way of contributing to incremental change and the kind of discovery that

leads learners to engage their potential. Ultimately, cultivating a hunger

for learning is the job of the teacher—edifying learners to assimilate

existing concepts and awaken themselves to new ideas. The way that I

accomplish this is by demonstrating how other disciplines inspire ideas

and enhance core competencies.

Why Lifelong

Learning Is

Mission

Critical

Tesfamichael | 1

Personal Philosophy of Education

Education is not terminal. “Education encompasses more than just the facts and ideas

that are taught in classrooms. It is a broadening experience that develops all aspects of the

student’s life: social emotional, psychological, mental and physical” (Ginsberg, 1997, p.79).

True education is a lifelong pursuit of knowledge. Lifelong learning is an inherently social

construct and has political roots in Europe. Lifelong learners belong to learning communities.

Longworth & Osborne (2010) quote affirmations of the Commission of the European Union:

A Learning Community is a city, town or region which goes beyond its statutory

duty to provide education and training for those who require it and instead creates

a vibrant, participative, culturally aware and economically buoyant human

environment through the provision, justification and active promotion of learning

opportunities to enhance the potential of all its citizens (p.374)

There have been global initiatives to trial particular frameworks for lifelong learning but

implementation and performance have varied widely.

A study by Fahr (2005) found that “highly educated people accumulate human capital

through their specific leisure time use...this effect tends to widen the skill gap between more and

less educated people.” Efforts to expand lifelong learning initiatives seek to close that gap.

Although, historically, the ethos for the movement was expected to trickle down to participating

cities and institutions, the movement has been disjointed—especially in the US--due to a lack of

coherent messaging and adoption at the policy level. Essentially, communities and educational

institutions have been doing the best they can with existing advocacy.

Towards a European Learning Society (TELS) was an early project of the European

Learning Commission via ELLI where the regional learning centers were defined at four scales

which includes “individual; company; groups of companies; government” (Longworth &

Tesfamichael | 2

Osborne, 2010, p.372). These scales map especially well to the individual, group, and

organizational levels of conceptualization for management theory—a framework which serves

well to articulate effective approaches to leadership (Yukl, 2006, p.497). Administrators can

certainly leverage these frameworks to propagate the message of lifelong learning throughout

their organization.

Interestingly, an instrument was developed to measure the effectiveness of this evolved

“learning cities” initiative in various municipalities throughout Europe. This questionnaire was

dubbed the “Learning Cities Audit Tool.” (Longworth & Osborne, 2010, p.374) One unique

objective was to attract what Longworth & Osborne (2010) termed the “reluctant learner;”

motivation and wellness are success indicators (p.374). This is a most exciting challenge.

More conferences were held to explore potential applications for the TELS program,

which produced performance indicators that helped focus dialog and research. Discourse

emerged emphasizing the importance of empowerment at the local scale, to extend the ability to

influence decisions on the ground (Longworth & Osborne, 2010, p.376). Another policy paper

was released in 2001 which included recommendations to the European Commission regarding

the development of learning regions. These recommendations suggested branding strategies for

the movement, selection process of flagship cities, developing instruments to measure and

monitor success, integrating technology, promoting awareness, partnering with universities,

intergovernmental collaboration, and economic development (Longworth & Osborne, 2010,

p.377). A separate list of recommendations was directed toward local municipalities

implementing the learning cities program. These are tangible action items that outline ideas for

appointments of key leadership, conference concepts, online documentation and archival, market

analysis, community engagement, and an official charter (Longworth & Osborne, 2010, p.377).

The private sector is uniquely positioned to champion this endeavor in the United States.

Tesfamichael | 3

An appetite for learning is a theme that can be woven into existing for-credit programs.

It does not have to be separated from workforce development, baccalaureate programs, or

remedial education. Futurist Richard Watson (2010) mocks self-conscious attempts to simulate

intellectual environments (p.112), but instead recommends a more subtle approach to nurturing

reluctant learners to be more “intellectually promiscuous” (p.138). Watson (2010) writes “The

link here is curiosity or, more specifically, a love of serendipitous experiences” (p.139).

As a designer, I believe in the inherent value of original thought and entrepreneurship.

Delivering effective education in art and design is my way of contributing to incremental change,

and the kind of discovery that leads learners to engage their potential. Ultimately, cultivating a

hunger for learning is the job of the teacher—edifying learners to assimilate existing concepts

and awaken themselves to new ideas. The way that I accomplish this is by demonstrating how

other disciplines inspire ideas and enhance core competencies. There are a number of channels

that facilitate this pursuit including TED, NPR, RSA, Meetup, museums, trade associations, and,

of course, books.

Take, for instance, Leonardo Da Vinci and that he was more than a painter and sculptor;

his study of human anatomy led him to the “Vitruvian Man,” a seminal work that advanced

understanding of the proportions of the human body and borrowed ideas from the architect,

Vitruivius. Vitruvius is most renowned for his seminal work “The Ten Books on Architecture,”

which revolutionized early renaissance architecture and design philosophy. Vitruvius was first a

writer, then an architect and engineer. Accordingly, if we were to persist in mapping the

influences of these masters, the list of contributors would continue nesting ad nauseum. It is

interdisciplinary learning experiences that will cultivate the hunger to learn, dissolve silos and

help shore up performance of our students, and, thus, our institutions (Basham & Mendoza,

2008; Watson, 2010, p.139). This, I believe.

Tesfamichael | 4

References

Basham, M., Campbell, D., & Mendoza, P. (2008). Critical issues facing America's community

colleges: a summary of the community college futures assembly 2008. Community

College Journal of Research & Practice, 32(11), 857-870.

Fabes B., & Mattoon, R.H. (2007, September). Measuring community college performance.

Chicago Fed Letter,(242), 1-4. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Global

Fahr, R. (2005). Loafing or learning? the demand for informal education. European

Economic Review, 49(1), 75-98. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Global

Freeman, R. E. (2005). (418-435) The development of stakeholder theory: an idiosyncratic

approach. In Ken G. Smith & Michael A. Hitt (Eds.), Great minds in management: the

process of theory development. New York: Oxford University Press.

Ginsberg, B. (1997). Enrichments and enhancements for older adults beyond the classroom.

Ageing International, 24(2/3), 75. Retrieved from Education Research Complete.

Longworth, N., & Osborne, M. (2010). Six ages towards a learning region — a retrospective.

European Journal of Education, 45(3), 368-401. doi:10.1111/j.1465-3435.2010.01436.x.

Watson, R. (2010). Future Minds. London, UK: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

Yukl, G. (2006). Leadership in organizations (7th edition), 497. Upper Saddle River,

NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

C or p o r a t e | I ns t i t u t i o ns

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