Over the past two decades, the City of Burlington's approach to sustainability has evolved into a comprehensive strategy for the future of the city. Many environmental and socio-economic projects were implemented in the 1980s and 1990s, however these initiatives were not part of an integrated strategy. In 1999, the municipality engaged the community in a process to develop a vision of a more sustainable Burlington. Through a multi-faceted participation process, citizens and representatives from local organizations reached consensus on the critical elements of a sustainable city. The vision which emerged, as well as the plan which guides future action, is based on several ethical principles, including economic security, empowerment, social well-being, and ecological integrity. The overall strategy adopted by Burlington has created a strong basis for nurturing a culture of sustainability and moving towards the community vision.

The goal of this program is to create a strategy for a sustainable Burlington.

Following adoption of the Legacy Project Action Plan, Legacy succeeded in securing written commitments from major community institutions for specific actions to implement the Plan's priorities. These commitments have successfully resulted in changed policies and programs including a comprehensive rewrite of the City's zoning ordinance, a local purchasing program at the University of Vermont, adoption of "sustainability" as the integrating context for k-5 curriculum, a community education effort to combat racism, appointment of high school students to City Commissions and Boards, and adoption of a 10% Challenge Campaign community-wide to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.