Enviro software maker Hara allies with community sustainability organization

ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability USA, an organization representing more than 600 local governments working on sustainability initiatives, is promoting the Hara environment management software application to its members.

Under the partnership, the organization is encouraging the use of the Hara software as local governments working through its Five Milestone process toward establishing baseline measures for energy and emissions management.

One example of a city that is using the Hara software is Palo Alto, which is keeping tabs on 160 different projects related to sustainability, energy efficiency and natural resource management. In the first year of using the Hara software, Palo Alto cut its energy use by 8 percent and reduced solid waste by 22 percent.

Another city that has opted for the Hara application is Las Vegas, which is using the software to pull disparate data into one system.

One big reason to use software like this is pretty simple: it could help your town or city meet the reporting requirements associated with federal funding for energy efficiency and other sustainability programs. Hara's deal with ICLEI doesn't preclude these communities from using other software, but it sure helps the software developer from a municipal standpoint.