Below are answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the STAR Technical Advisory Committees (TACS). If you don’t find the answer you are looking for, please email karen.yacos@iclei.org.

How do I apply for a TAC?

• More information and an online application are available at the STAR website.
  
• The deadline for submitting your application has been extended to December 10, 2008.
• Members for each TAC will be appointed by the Steering Committee by December 17.  Everyone who applied will be notified of the outcome.

What are the time and resource commitments?

• All TAC members will be required to attend a 2 ½ day kick-off TAC Retreat to be held at the Johnson Foundation’s Wingspread Conference Center in Wisconsin. The dates have been changed, and the retreats will now be held the week of February 1 or February 8, 2009.  We anticipate that two TACS will meet at a time. The exact dates for each TAC have not yet been determined.
• All TAC members are expected to participate in two to three conference calls per month.  Each call will be approximately 1 ½ hours in length and will require some preparation and research, as necessary, to meet the goals of the TAC. It is safe to assume that you will be committing to approximately eight hours each month to fulfill your role on a TAC.
• The TACS are volunteer committees; however the TAC Retreat expenses (travel, lodging and food expenses) will be covered.
• Appointments to the TACS will be for a one year term, which may be extended into a second term. We are developing a governance policy which will bring further definition to the terms and commitment.

I have expertise in several areas; which TAC should I apply for?

• Apply to the TAC where your background, expertise and interest are strongest. 
  
• If you are not sure, or your expertise is equal across more than one TAC, you are welcome to apply to multiple TACS and we can help to determine the best fit.

How will the TACS address the interconnected nature of the various issues that are the focus of each separate TAC?

• STAR is a sustainability index so we are very aware of the need to develop indicators and metrics that take into account the overlapping nature of community issues, challenges, and solutions. This will be the most challenging aspect of developing STAR and attention to interconnectedness will make STAR a very unique and useful program. We are committed to making sure our work integrates issues to the highest level possible. 
  
• Although each TAC will be responsible for a specific issue area, we are developing mechanisms to make sure that each TAC is collaborating with the others so that cross-cutting issues are discussed and addressed. Through the member selection process we will make sure that each TAC has some members who are well versed on issues beyond the focus of their TAC (e.g.  The Planning & Design TAC will have people who can speak to social equity issues related to land use).
  
• In terms of the overall process, we plan to form a committee that oversees the progress of all TACs and facilitates collaboration. This oversight committee will include a representative from each of the eight TACS, as well as sustainability experts with significant experience in integrating issues. This group will meet periodically and will be charged with ensuring that the work of the TACS, and the indicators and metrics developed, are informed by and support the integrated nature of sustainability.