Hoping to revisit the success of their first townhall meeting, leaders of the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition are gearing up for a second meeting on Wednesday. (A headline in Monday's Gazette-Times and in an earlier online version of this story erroneously said the meeting was today.)

At that first meeting, people were asked to brainstorm topic areas for focusing efforts on making the city more efficient and self-reliant. Then, dozens volunteered to dig deeper into subject areas such as land use, energy, food security, education and human services.

They will report back on their long-term goals, then break out again to work on strategies.

"We're trying to pack a lot into a relatively short period of time," said Annette Mills, one of the group's coordinators.

The coalition is a network of more than 90 organizations and individuals in Benton County dedicated to creating a community in which resources are renewed at the same rate as they are used - a common definition of sustainability.

Partner organizations include nonprofits, businesses, churches, schools and local government.

Three town hall meetings are planned to create an action plan that will direct city planning, projects and community activism. City leaders are banking on the idea. This year, the City Council invested $30,000 in the town hall meetings and has promised to use the plan to develop city policy.

They have also promised to take the coalition's findings into account when crafting city policies promoting sustainability.

At Wednesday's meeting, Mitchell Duncombe, outgoing Corvallis High School student body president and Megan Blass, a senior at Crescent Valley, will speak about efforts they've made at both Corvallis high schools.

"Both of these students are champions of sustainability," said Anne Schuster, a member of the Corvallis School Board and the coalition steering committee. "It's their future at stake and we need to do everything we can to make sure their generation inherits a world that is healthy and secure."