Podcasts about urban sustainability directors network

Visionary urban planners and community organizers recognize that effectively addressing the climate crisis requires drawing down carbon out of the atmosphere and sequestering it back where it belongs in natural systems. Urban forestry is a nature-based solution that simultaneously addresses the parallel crises of climate change and wealth inequality. With Brett KenCairn, Boulder city Senior Advisor and Samira Malone, Urban Forestry Program Manager at the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. 

Nature's Genius is a Bioneers podcast series exploring how the sentient symphony of life holds the solutions we need to balance human civilization with living systems. For all the talk about the Age of Information, what we're really entering is the Age of Nature. As we face the reality that, as humans, we have the capacity to destroy the conditions conducive to life, avoiding this fate requires a radical change in our relationship to nature, and how we view it. Looking to nature to heal nature, and ourselves, is essential.  Traditional Indigenous wisdom and modern science show us that everything is connected and that the solutions we need are present in the sentient symphony of life. We can learn from the time-tested principles, processes, and dynamics that have allowed living systems to flourish during 3.8 billion years of evolution.  In this enlightening series, we visit with scientists, ecologists, Indigenous practitioners of Traditional Ecological Knowledge, community organizers, and authors reporting from the frontlines of ecological restoration. They explore the intelligence inherent in nature and show us how to model human organization on living systems. Guests featured in the series include: Jeannette Armstrong - Co-Founder, Enwokin Centre; Brock Dolman - Co-Founder and Program Director, Occidental Arts and Ecology Center; Erica Gies - Author and Journalist; Brett KenCairn - Founding Director of Center for Regenerative Solutions; Toby Kiers - Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Co-Founder of SPUN; Kate Lundquist - Water Institute Co-Director, Occidental Arts and Ecology Center; Samira Malone - Urban Forestry Program Manager, Urban Sustainability Directors Network; Teresa Ryan - Teaching and Learning Fellow, Forest and Conservation Sciences Dept., Univ. of British Columbia; Merlin Sheldrake - Biologist and Author; Suzanne Simard - Author and Prof. of Forest Ecology, Univ. of British Columbia; Rowen White - Seedkeeper/Farmer and Author from the Mohawk community of Akwesasne Executive Producer: Kenny Ausubel Written by Cathy Edwards and Kenny Ausubel Produced by Cathy Edwards Senior Producer: Stephanie Welch Program Engineer and Music Supervisor: Emily Harris Producer: Teo Grossman Host and Consulting Producer: Neil Harvey Post Production Assistants: Monica Lopez and Kaleb Wentzel-Fisher Graphic Designer: Megan Howe

It feels fitting to start 2024 talking about the big numbers, the big climate financing gaps we face and ways to fill them. We know that addressing the climate crisis requires trillions of dollars of investment. It'll need to come from government, corporations, and big finance, but there's another stakeholder with an important contribution. Private philanthropic foundations have important roles to play too, particularly in helping communities that might otherwise be left behind and in using philanthropic capital as a catalyst. By de-risking investments and taking concessionary returns, philanthropy can unlock hundreds of billions of dollars of needed investment. Today, we're joined by Elizabeth Yee, who oversees Rockefeller Foundation's global programs, including its recent $1 billion commitment to climate change. I've gotten to work with the Rockefeller Foundation in a variety of partnerships over the years, and I've been impressed by how they recognize their ability to take a lead and help accelerate fields. Of course, it's interesting to remember the Foundation was initially funded by Standard Oil founder John D Rockefeller, something that Liz and I discuss in our conversation. In recent years, the Foundation has demonstrated real commitment to climate leadership. And even in the weeks following this interview, the Foundation announced that it will pursue a net-zero emissions target for its $6 billion endowment, making it the largest private US foundation to pursue a net-zero endowment to date. Liz and I talk about the Foundation's history in climate philanthropy, two different programs with billion-dollar plus commitments, how it works to catalyze other funding, the intersections of energy, food, health and economic opportunity and much, much more. Lots to learn and think about in this one. Here we go.In today's episode, we cover:[3:43] Elizabeth's background and history working on climate, along with her current role[7:15] Key elements of the Rockefeller Foundation's Climate Commitment [9:23] The Foundation's divestment from fossil fuels in its endowment and details about the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet[12:23] Reasons behind the significant commitment to climate and the timing of such a commitment[13:58] Overview of the billion-dollar commitment, including the main pillars and distribution across different climate priorities[16:35] The theory of change behind the Foundation's climate initiatives[19:36] The types of partners needed for the success of the initiatives[21:17] Influencing ideas and narratives[22:43] Selection process and priorities for initial grantees.[25:07] Grantees: Climate Mayors, C40, and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network[27:12] Insights into the Invest in Our Future Initiative and its significance[28:22] Grantees: Makerere University School of Public Health and University of the West Indies[30:32] Success for the foundation in committing significant resources to climate[32:00] The message for other investors or foundations considering a similar commitment[33:27] Elizabeth's outlook and hopefulness despite the existing financing gapsResources MentionedRockefeller FoundationPress Release: The Rockefeller Foundation Commits Over USD 1 Billion To Advance Climate Solutions

Peter Plastrik knows cities. He was born in Paris, grew up in New York City, and lived in not one but four Michigan cities. He is cofounder and vice president of the Innovation Network for Communities, was a founding consultant to the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and has worked closely with the Urban Sustainability Directors Network since its inception in 2008. Pete has also been the lead author on several national reports about cities and climate change and co-wrote the book, Life After Carbon: The Next Global Transformation of Cities, in 2018. Pete's most recent book, Connect, Innovate, Scale: How Network's Create Systems Change, with John Cleveland and Madeline Taylor, looks at over 20 case studies of people and programs, embedded in what Pete calls “networks,” that are actually, in Pete's view, changing the world, that are making our places and our planet greener, juster and better in a discernible, measurable way.  We invited Pete to share his knowledge about and experience with cities and with these changemakers, the social innovators and social innovations that are having a real and positive impact on urban living today and what the future of cities, and the planet as a whole, might look like. 

Shauna Sylvester is the former Executive Director of the SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue and is moving on to be the Executive Director of the Urban Sustainability Directors' Network. Shauna has also been involved in various organizations, such as the Social Planning and Research Council of B.C., the Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society, Canada's World, among others. This episode explores the impacts and changes made through these organizations, as well as how Shauna developed an interest for promoting community dialogue. Am and Shauna also discuss Shauna's concerns with Canada's changing place in the world, her focus on getting cities to 100% renewable energy, and her 2018 mayoral run in the City of Vancouver. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/175-shauna-sylvester.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/175-shauna-sylvester.html Resources: — The SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue: https://www.sfu.ca/dialogue.html — The Social Planning and Research Council of B.C. (SPARC BC): https://www.sparc.bc.ca/ — Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society (IMPACS): https://reliefweb.int/organization/impacs — Cuso International: https://cusointernational.org/ — Canada World Youth: https://canadaworldyouth.org/ — CIVICUS World Assembly: https://www.civicus.org/worldassembly/ — Imagine Canada: https://www.imaginecanada.ca/en — Kumi Naidoo: https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/bios/kumi-naidoo/ — Canada's World: https://www.sfu.ca/dialogue/programs/international-relations/canadas-world.html — COP26: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/cop26 — Fossil of the Year Award: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canada-tagged-as-fossil-of-the-year-1.827062 — Carbon Talks: https://carbontalks.wordpress.com/about/ — Renewable Cities: https://www.renewablecities.ca/about-renewable-cities — SFU Public Square: https://www.sfu.ca/publicsquare/about.html — Renovictions: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/residential-tenancies/ending-a-tenancy/renovictions — Semester in Dialogue: https://www.sfu.ca/dialogue/semester/ — Ecotrust Canada: https://ecotrust.ca/ — The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada (The Circle): https://www.the-circle.ca/how-we-work.html — Urban Sustainability Directors Network: https://www.usdn.org/about.html Cite this episode: Chicago Style Johal, Am. “From Dialogue to Action — with Shauna Sylvester,” Below the Radar, SFU's Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, June 7, 2022. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/175-shauna-sylvester.html.

Hey everybody. I am so excited for y'all to listen to this episode today, we have Tanya join us and we literally intervals so many stories, things that have been untold, things that are unfolding, things past, things in the future. I think you're in for a real treat because we're getting in deep into how interconnected racial equity, racial justice, environmental justice, climate justice. It's so alive. It's so vibrant. You're really going to enjoy this one. Please check out their website and suggestions in this episode: https://www.unconsciousbiasproject.org/resources/land-acknowledgement FB: https://www.facebook.com/tania.abdul / https://www.facebook.com/BreatheforJustice IG: https://www.instagram.com/breatheforjustice/ Website: https://www.breatheforjustice.org/ Resources from this episode: POC psychedelic collective - https://www.pocpc.org/ People of Techno color Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/potcpodcast/ Green Action for Health & Environmental Justice (and Greenaction, Bayview Hunters Point Mothers and Fathers Committee) - https://greenaction.org/ SF Bay Shoreline Contamination Cleanup Coalition - http://sfbayshorelineccc.org/ Hip Hop for Change Inc. - https://www.hiphopforchange.org/ Pomo Wiki - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomo Bloody Island Massacre (Pomo Clearlake Massacre) - https://www.aclunc.org/sites/goldchains/explore/bloody-island.html Urban Sustainability Directors Network - https://www.usdn.org Climate Reality Project - https://www.climaterealityproject.org/ Extinction Rebellion - https://rebellion.global/ Sunflower alliance - https://www.sunflower-alliance.org/ SF Bay keeper - https://baykeeper.org/ http://www.tonation-nsn.gov/nowall/ Ute group Utah & Uranium Mines - https://indiancountrytoday.com/the-press-pool/white-mesa-ute-organize-protest-spiritual-walk-and-online-conference-to-confront-the-white-mesa-uranium-mill You can find more information at https://unconsciousbiasproject.org/. Dr Linet Mera and Alexis Krohn are your hosts. Seth Boeckman is our editor. If you like what you hear, please subscribe to this podcast and follow us. We can be found on: Facebook: Unconscious Bias Project Twitter: @UBP_STEM

Robyn studied architect, civil engineering, and city and regional planning, and today she  is the Long Range Planning & Sustainability Manager at the City of West Hollywood. Robyn notes that building genuine, long-lasting relationships within and across industries and communities is the key to meaningful, district-scale sustainability work. “Transformation is happening at the local government level,” she says, “and it's so important for us to learn about what's working. That's why the networks and relationships are so valuable.” She attributes the growth of sustainability activity at the local level (even when it's not called that) to the thought leadership shared via those networks, such as the Government Alliance on Race and Equity and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. At the moment, Robyn is working on a Climate Action & Adaptation Plan that centers equity and addresses the drought and heat that is ahead for the community of West Hollywood. And she is thinking a lot about the gnarly problem of decarbonization of existing buildings, which is a challenge facing communities of every scale.

We have a returning guest this morning, Dana Murray, Environmental Sustainability Manager for the City of Manhattan Beach. Dana leads environmental sustainability policies and programs for the city, including climate resiliency, coastal adaptation planning, reducing plastic pollution, expanding the green business program, native habitat restoration, and climate change mitigation.  Dana represents the City of Manhattan Beach as an Alternate on the Board of Directors for the Clean Power Alliance of Southern California, and is a member of Green Cities California and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. Dana was formerly the Senior Marine Scientist and Coastal Policy Manager at Heal the Bay where she worked on science and policy issues related to coastal habitats and marine wildlife in California. She developed Los Angeles' MPA Watch citizen science monitoring program, assessing how people use L.A.'s underwater parks, and served as the Co-Chair of the Los Angeles Marine Protected Areas Collaborative.  This morning, we'll learn about the various environmental programs the City of Manhattan Beach has already implemented, the City's first Climate Ready Program and Sustainable MB. =+=+=+=+=+=+ To Find Out More about our host Joe Terry visit https://www.ForeverMemoirs.com For a comprehensive selection of things to do and places to go in the South Bay of Los  Angeles visit http://www.SouthbayByJackie.com What's Happening in the South Bay, South Bay, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, The South Bay Show, Los Angeles, California, Current Events Calendar, Torrance, El Segundo, Palos Verdes

We have a returning guest this morning, Dana Murray, Environmental Sustainability Manager for the City of Manhattan Beach. Dana leads environmental sustainability policies and programs for the city, including climate resiliency, coastal adaptation planning, reducing plastic pollution, expanding the green business program, native habitat restoration, and climate change mitigation.  Dana represents the City of Manhattan Beach as an Alternate on the Board of Directors for the Clean Power Alliance of Southern California, and is a member of Green Cities California and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. Dana was formerly the Senior Marine Scientist and Coastal Policy Manager at Heal the Bay where she worked on science and policy issues related to coastal habitats and marine wildlife in California. She developed Los Angeles' MPA Watch citizen science monitoring program, assessing how people use L.A.'s underwater parks, and served as the Co-Chair of the Los Angeles Marine Protected Areas Collaborative.  This morning, we'll learn about the various environmental programs the City of Manhattan Beach has already implemented, the City's first Climate Ready Program and Sustainable MB. =+=+=+=+=+=+ To Find Out More about the two show hosts of The South Bay Show read on: Jackie Balestra features a comprehensive selection of things to do, places to go and people to know in the South Bay.to learn more visit http://www.SouthbayByJackie.com To Find Out More about Joe Terry visit http://www.ForeverMemoirs.com What's Happening in the South Bay, South Bay, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, The South Bay Show, Los Angeles, California, Current Events Calendar, Torrance, El Segundo, Palos Verdes

We have a returning guest this morning, Dana Murray, Environmental Sustainability Manager for the City of Manhattan Beach. Dana leads environmental sustainability policies and programs for the city, including climate resiliency, coastal adaptation planning, reducing plastic pollution, expanding the green business program, native habitat restoration, and climate change mitigation.  Dana represents the City of Manhattan Beach as an Alternate on the Board of Directors for the Clean Power Alliance of Southern California, and is a member of Green Cities California and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. Dana was formerly the Senior Marine Scientist and Coastal Policy Manager at Heal the Bay where she worked on science and policy issues related to coastal habitats and marine wildlife in California. She developed Los Angeles' MPA Watch citizen science monitoring program, assessing how people use L.A.'s underwater parks, and served as the Co-Chair of the Los Angeles Marine Protected Areas Collaborative.  This morning, we'll learn about the various environmental programs the City of Manhattan Beach has already implemented, the City's first Climate Ready Program and Sustainable MB. =+=+=+=+=+=+ To Find Out More about the two show hosts of The South Bay Show read on: Jackie Balestra features a comprehensive selection of things to do, places to go and people to know in the South Bay.to learn more visit http://www.SouthbayByJackie.com To Find Out More about Joe Terry visit http://www.ForeverMemoirs.com What's Happening in the South Bay, South Bay, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, The South Bay Show, Los Angeles, California, Current Events Calendar, Torrance, El Segundo, Palos Verdes

Both coastal adaptation professionals and their stakeholders are increasingly asked to deal with uncertainty, surprise and difficult transformative change as they face growing threats from climate change, including sea-level rise and extreme events. They also face a growing psychological crisis. The list of traumatizing disasters grows longer every year: Katrina, Irene, Sandy, Matthew, Maria, Harvey, Florence, Dorian and so on. And even in the absence of a traumatic natural disaster, “just” the inexorable change can result in fear, anxiety, outrage and grief among other responses when facing these growing realities. As coastal professionals seeking to support our communities in preparing for and dealing with the impacts and necessary adaptations, we ourselves face two profound challenges: (1) coping with what we know (i.e., what science tells us is coming over the short- and long-term and the intimate knowledge of what this means for our communities); and (2) coping with stresses associated with working with the communities most vulnerable to this change. The Adaptive Mind project was launched in 2017 to help coastal professionals build their psychosocial coping capacities and skills in dealing with this dual challenge. Our paper presents empirical results from a survey of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, Sea Grant Extension, Urban Sustainability Directors Network and the American Society of Adaptation Professionals on their perceptions of these realities, experiences in their work including burnout, and their needs to cope more effectively with the range of psychosocial challenges associated with the demands of their work at this time. Results to-date characterize the challenge and call for in-depth trainings, peer support and institutional shifts in organizational culture to better support the very individuals whose job it is to support all that is involved in protecting our coasts and communities.

Kumar is the Chief Sustainability and Resilience Officer for the City of Evanston, IL and serves in multiple leadership capacities within the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) including as a co-chair for the People of Color Support Initiative and on the USDN Planning and Advisory Committee. Kumar’s work centers around stakeholder collaboration including: community advocacy groups, strategic partners, other units of government, elected officials, and various city departments, all to make Evanston a climate-ready and carbon neutral community. In 2018, Kumar was named to the 2018 GreenBiz “30 Under 30” global list of 30 young leaders in sustainable business who demonstrate “the world-changing promise of sustainability in their everyday work.”  Kumar Joins Sustainable Nation to Discuss: Engaging people of all ages on local climate issues The importance of spaces for people of color and how they relate to progress on racial equity within sustainability Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) People of Color Support Initiative Evanston's Climate Action and Resilience Plan Advice and recommendations for sustainability leaders Interview Highlights: Sustainability and resilience were both built into your climate action and resilience plan. Talk to us a little bit about the development of this plan, what that process looks like and the challenges of now prioritizing your actions around this plan. Now is the right time for us to be talking about that. We're certainly at the point at which the plan has been approved and we're moving quickly into implementation. If we backtrack a little bit, back in 2017, when the federal administration indicated their intent to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, we already had numerous commitments around climate action and resilience at the local level. That process of pulling out of the Paris agreement actually kicked us into gear. The mayor called on the community to develop a 17-member working group of residents to work alongside city staff to develop a plan. The climate action group had their first meeting in November of 2017 and had their last meeting in November of 2018, so they took 12 months, meeting and breaking out into task forces, to develop the entirety of the plan. So, this plan was written by community members in consultation with city staff. We didn't hire consultants to develop the plan and it wasn't a plan that city staff developed and then asked community members for feedback. It was written by and then edited and advised on by city staff and other community partners. As we now look at implementation a lot of the responsibility has been turned back on the city and some of our major partners. So, the process that we're going through right now has two pieces to it. One piece is looking at our administrative responsibilities or things that city staff and municipality can focus on. So, thinking about where we purchase our energy from for a municipal standpoint, what we're doing with our fleet, how we're evaluating a critical infrastructure for vulnerability etc. But then also within we had dozens of policy changes that were recommended and advised upon. So, the other part of this process is figuring out how we move forward many of those policy changes, understanding that some of them are pretty complex. For example, thinking about the way in which we transition our buildings to be net zero emissions or net zero energy. In Evanston, 80% of our community wide greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation. So, although we are a suburb, we have very strong public transportation options in the city. That leads to, thankfully, a smaller proportion of our emissions being transportation related. But as a very built out community, we have to look at our building sector very intentionally about how we're not only going to transition to low and no carbon fuels, but also reducing that energy consumption. Evanston is a member of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) and it looks like you serve in a few different ways within that organization. One of them is serving as the co-chair for the People of Color Support Initiative. Tell us a little bit about that initiative and the importance of integrating social issues and racial equity issues within your city's sustainability program. I'm glad you brought up USDN. Evanston has been a USDN member for quite a few years now. I've had the privilege of being a member and the representative for the city for the past two years since I've been in this role. That organization has been crucial to my professional development, but also to ensuring that Evanston as a community has access to resources, technical expertise, funding opportunities and really innovative practices from around the nation. I'm indebted and grateful for the members in that network and the staff. The initiative that you mentioned is a really important one within professional spaces, particularly within professional environmental spaces. Oftentimes and historically, those spaces have been predominantly and overwhelmingly white. As the climate justice movements and the environmental justice movements become a bit more mainstream, I think it is really crucial that not only are we thinking about the way in which those communities are impacted, but also the people that are working in those spaces and what their experience is. Often times, those staff people, whether they be working for a city or for a corporation or for community organization, are still working in predominantly white spaces. I think that one of the benefits of a network like USDN is that when members decide that there is a need for additional training or additional support, whether it be small cities joining together and saying, "Hey, you know what, we need an affinity group to work on issues that are specific to small cities in small departments because we don't have million dollar budgets and dozens of staff." USDN is really able to respond to that and help facilitate and create those spaces. In particular, the Members of Color Peer Support Initiative is incredibly important for a number of reasons. One is just to provide a space so that people of color within that network are able to connect and support each other in their lived experience of the person of color within the field. But additionally, it provides a value to USDN because it's also creating a space in which USDN has a group of people to be able to ask for feedback and support on how the network as a whole is serving their memberships and their members of color. So, I think those things are incredibly important. What is one piece of advice you would give other sustainability professionals that might help them in their careers? The advice that I've gotten that has felt the most useful isn't sustainability related at all. It's just to take care of yourself. To heal, to give yourself time to rest and just to recognize that your needs are valid and important. This work can feel exhausting as a lot of socially minded work can. It seems like we continue to get waves of terrible news and projections that are going in directions that we don't want to see. So, it's not just about avoiding burnout, but it's about being able to be the person that you want to be and not allowing your position or your work at that one particular time to define you. It's really important that we continue to be able to contribute and feel like that contribution is helpful and healthy for us. I'm gonna cheat a little bit and use an Audrey Lorde quote, which I'm sure many of the listeners are familiar with. She says,"Caring for myself is not self indulgence, it is self preservation and that is an act of political warfare." Oftentimes when we think about things as big and challenging is climate change, it's easy to forget how important it is to take care of ourselves. What are you most excited about right now in the world of sustainability? There's a bunch of things but I will be brief. I'd say the youth climate strikes are really inspiring and exciting. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the conversations around the Green New Deal go at the federal level. I think it's exciting to have federal policy being talked about in that way. It's also really exciting that there are over 200 communities around the country that have made formal commitments to 100% clean energy by 2035, if not sooner. Those are all things that give me hope and are exciting. What is one book you would recommend sustainability leaders read? One that I am working my way through right now that I find really insightful is called The Environment and the People in American Cities from the 1600's to the 1900's by Dr. Dorceta Taylor. What are some of your favorite resources or tools that really help you in your work? I'd say the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, first and foremost. There's a Chicago based network called Environmentalists of Color or EOC, which I had been involved in and found as a really valuable and supportive space. There's a blog called Fake Equity, which always has really relevant topics around thinking and being reflective around the type of work you're doing. It's not just sustainability related, but it's really insightful. I'm not a huge Instagram person, but I have started following a few folks. One of them is Go Green Save Green, which provides really helpful and appealing and informative infographics for consumer tips and products on things like reusables and avoiding plastics. The green 2.0 report by Dr. Dorceta Taylor. There's another podcast out about social entrepreneurship, which I've been listening to recently and it's by a dear friend, Judy Lee. It's called Money Mission and Me, and it's intended to be a resource for anyone interested in how startups can be a force for good. Where can people go to learn more about you and your work at the city of Evanston? Our Twitter handle is @GreenEvanson. My personal Twitter handle is at @MrKumarj. You can also find some information on Linkedin. About Sustridge Sustridge is a sustainability consulting firm providing consulting in sustainability strategy development, GHG emissions calculating and management, zero waste planning and guidance in TRUE Zero Waste, B Corp, LEED and Carbon Neutral certification.  

Kendra is a licensed Mechanical Engineer with over 15 years of experience in the corporate, nonprofit, and government sectors and is currently serving as the Chief Sustainability & Resilience Officer for the City of Boulder. In that role, she oversees the city's climate, energy and zero waste policies and programs and leads a city and county wide Resilience team. Her current work includes exploring future carbon taxes and pricing mechanisms, as well as designing and piloting innovative new climate, energy, and resilience programs. Prior to joining the city, Kendra was a Principal at Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), where she led projects ranging from deep energy retrofits, industrial process efficiency, efficient data center design and operation, and the development of carbon neutral plans for cities, campuses, and Fortune 500 companies.  Kendra Joins Sustainable Nation to Discuss: 80% GHG reduction goals by 2050 Carbon pricing mechanisms B Corp movement in Boulder Resiliency and sustainability work at the city level Advice and recommendations for sustainability leaders Kendra's Final Five Responses: What is one piece of advice you would give other sustainability professionals that might help them in their careers? Focus on relationship building. I think this was a lesson I learned over the years starting on the technical side in engineering. I think I always thought that if I had the right answer and the data behind it, that's all I would need to create change. What you really need is to develop the relationships with the people whose partnership support and behavior change you need to occur. I think that that would be one piece of advice. The other thing would be for sustainability professionals that are maybe starting out, to focus on broader issues than just sustainability, like resilience, equity and economic vitality. This kind of ties into the relationship building, but those are kind of the big ticket items that I have seen come up, in just the last two or three years, focused around sustainability. A successful sustainability effort is only going to be successful when it addresses resilience, equity and economic vitality. What are you most excited about right now in the world of sustainability? I think I'm most excited about what I'm seeing as a recent shift in focus or attention on food choice and food systems and the impact that that actually has on the global carbon footprint. I think that the recent IPCC report that came out in October of this year really did a great job in opening people's eyes to the fact that it's not enough to just transition from fossil fuels to clean renewables, but we have to address how we manage our forests, how we manage our lands and the choices that we make about food. I think that that's been a very taboo topic even in the world of sustainability, and definitely with cities and local government, not wanting to even talk about people's personal food choice. But I think that that taboo is going away a little bit now and it's opening some really interesting conversations about how our food is produced, how sustainable that is in the long-term and what can we do about it? What is one book you would recommend sustainability leaders read? I'm going to cheat because I have two. The first one, which is the actual academic answer is Paul Hawkens Drawdown book. That's amazing. If you don't want to spend the time reading the entire book, there's a great website called Drawdown. They actually did all these studies and ranked the most impactful actions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. You'd be really surprised that three out of the top five have to do with food and land management. It's not just all energy. The other one I would say is a Sci-Fi book, Ready Player One by Ernest Klein. It's one of my all-time favorite books, but the entire premise of the book is that climate change has occurred and the world is incredibly different from how we now know it. So, people are forced to live in this alternate video game reality. I'm definitely going back to my math team roots here and you're going to see what a dork I am by books, but I love that book. It's such a fun read. It's exciting, but it also has serious undertones of what our world could look like when climate change occurs to a level that climate science is now predicting. I love that one and I think it's a great way to reach wider audiences about this problem. What are some of your favorite resources or tools that really help you in your work? The Paul Hawkens Drawdown website I use constantly. Also, the networks that are available for local governments such as 100 Resilient Cities, the Urban Sustainability Directors Network and the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance. All of these websites for local government, or the public in general, they have great resources, great ideas about quick, actionable things to move the needle. That RMI Low Carbon Cities Guide that I mentioned is great. And then also the GreenBiz newsletters. I find those really useful for just staying up to date on the current news in climate and sustainability. Where can our listeners go to learn more about you and the work that you are leading at Boulder? You can go to our website which is bouldercolorado.gov/climate. That will take you to our home page on climate where you can learn a lot more about all of our programs and projects. Contact Kendra Tupper: https://bouldercolorado.gov/climate Contact Josh Prigge: https://www.sustridge.com/

Vicki Bennett is the Sustainability Director for Salt Lake City, working with both city agencies and the public to create a more livable community. She holds a degree in Chemistry from the University of California at San Diego, and an Executive MBA from the University of Utah. Vicki’s experience includes sustainability program management, climate change mitigation and adaptation, energy policy, food security, waste diversion and environmental compliance. She has led Salt Lake City’s award-winning Salt Lake City Green sustainability program for 17 years, which has integrated sustainability policies throughout the governmental operations and Salt Lake City as a whole. She is founding member of both the Urban Sustainability Directors Network and the Utah Climate Action Network. Vicki Joins Sustainable Nation to Discuss: Cities collaborating with energy utilities to meet renewable energy goals Leading local food policies and programs in communities Engaging businesses in sustainability Advice and recommendations for sustainability leaders Vicki's Final Five Question Responses: What is one piece of advice you'd give other sustainability professionals that might help them in their careers? I think, especially for younger sustainability professionals, understand that there are a lot of ways to get into the field. You may be wanting to do the technical carbon accounting and working on renewable energy issues. You might be the communications person. You might be looking at it from a broader environmental point of view. You need to approach it in a way that it's what you really love. Just go out, get involved and you'll find the path into the field. It doesn't have to be any one direct method. What are you most excited about right now in the world of sustainability? I'm really excited about the different ways that we're looking at renewable energy. I know it's growing fast. When we first set our renewable energy goals here in the city, I remember we were talking about having 10 megawatts and we thought that was a really exciting number. Now we're already at the gigawatts stage in the state and it's growing fast. And I think that it's something that is going to be more and more integrated and help us over the hump with the reducing our use of fossil fuels. What is one book you would recommend sustainability professionals read? Well, we all need to have a sense of humor and my favorite book is the Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey. It is one of the very first books from many years ago, which had some of the environmental terrorists. It just makes me smile to think that it goes back that far. What are some of your favorite resources or tools that really help you in the work that you do? It gets back to all of our networks. If I need something, I go to the sustainability directors network (USDN) or I go to one of our local networks, be it the Climate Action Network or others. We also have a group that works on air quality. Sustainability is something that there's more and more written about it, but it's changing so fast and things are moving so quickly. What really counts is having the people that you can turn to when you need. Where can people go to learn more about you and the work that you're leading at Salt Lake City. Our website is slcgreen.com and everything is there.  

"Resilience Hubs" have emerged as an effective way to strengthen resilience in an equitable manner and enhance community development. They serve as important neighborhood center before, during and after natural disasters. Kristin talks with us about the concept, value and logistics of resilience hubs.

Barbara Buffaloe is the city’s first Sustainability Manager. In her role, she is responsible for integrating short- and long-term sustainable comprehensive action plans, resource conservation, and related sustainability programs to advance a more sustainable, vital and well planned future for the city. Barbara is a co-chair of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) Planning Committee, a peer network of local government sustainability officials across the United States and Canada dedicated to creating a healthier environment, economic prosperity, and increased social equity. Buffaloe holds a BS in Environmental Design and a MS in Environment & Behavior from the University of Missouri. She has been a LEED Accredited Professional since 2004 and is a huge fan of breakfast tacos. Barbara Joins Sustainable Nation to Discuss: Climate Action and Adaptation Planning in a red state Maintaining personal sustainability while working on behalf of global sustainability Working collaboratively with other institutions throughout the community Advice and recommendations for sustainability leaders Barbara's Final Five Responses: What is one piece of advice you would give other sustainability professionals that might help them in their careers? Taking time for yourself, making sure that you're thinking about what sort of priority areas that you want to focus on and sticking with them as part of a plan will help you maintain your sanity as well as show the impact of the work that you're doing without getting distracted with all the other squirrels and balls running around. What are you most excited about right now in the world of sustainability? I am most excited about the local action efforts I see among communities. After the president pulled out of Paris Agreement, seeing all these communities, even without sustainability staff members, signing on and saying, "We're still in and we're still committed to making a difference." What is one book you would recommend sustainability professionals read? There's actually a good book written by a couple of former sustainability directors called The Guide to Greening Cities, and if you're in sustainability in local government, it has a lot of really good projects and ideas that can help you establish and make impact in your community. What are some of your favorite resources or tools that really help you in your work? I must sound like a broken record and I should be getting royalties on this, but USDN, the Urban Sustainability Directors Network is a wealth of knowledge besides just the peer learning among your peers and other communities, but also their innovation projects have a lot of best practices that you can implement in your own community Where can our listeners go to learn more about you and the work you're leading at Columbia? You can google my name because there's not a lot of Barbara Buffaloe's out there. And our city website is Como.gov/sustainability or else you can find me at Twitter @BarbaraBuffaloe.  

Jennifer Green is Burlington, VT’s Sustainability Officer with duties that include oversight of the Climate Action Plan and work on Burlington’s transition to net-zero energy in the thermal and transportation sectors. Jennifer is based at the Burlington Electric Department, the city’s municipal electric provider and responsible for making Burlington the first city in the country to source 100% of its electricity from renewables. Jennifer’s work experience also includes time with the Peace Corps, CARE International, and the World Resources Institute. In addition to working for the City, Jennifer teaches sustainable development courses at the University of Vermont.  Jennifer Joins Sustainable Nation to Discuss: Incorporating social equity initiatives into climate change efforts History of sustainability leadership in Burlington Burlington's transition to net zero energy Advice and recommendations for sustainability leaders Jennifer's Final Five Question Responses: What is one piece of advice you would give other sustainability professionals that might help them in their careers? I think successful sustainability directors are doing this because they know they need to, but it's building a base and a network of colleagues and stakeholders that can do the work where you can't, or can act as your sounding piece where it's maybe appropriate for you not to. Again, sort of back to this idea of partnerships and collaboration. I think the most successful sustainability officers or directors know that they can't do it alone. So, you sort of put your pride aside and you reach out to the people that you know can help out where you may not be able to do it alone. Progress is going to happen with all of us working together and in tandem. I guess that would be my first piece of advice. The second piece of advice I would say, sort of at the risk of wanting to have things perfect before you roll out a program or project, there's a lot to be said with taking a stab at it and then regrouping, evaluating and monitoring your success or progress or where you fell short, and sort of tweaking things and carrying on. I think oftentimes in government we wait for things to be perfect before we roll them out, until we've got every "I" dotted and "T" crossed and where you have the opportunity to sort of dive in, to the extent possible, with the understanding that you can group up and make tweaks as necessary. There's so much information out there. Also, never being afraid to reach out. It's amazing what you can do when you call somebody on the phone and ask for advice. Here in Burlington, we're exploring ideas like advanced metering infrastructure for our electric meters. We've been talking to the water department  to ask, "What would it look like if we had a meter that did both water and electricity."  We have cities in our network who are doing just that and so we can talk to them for advice and guidance on how it's working and what we need to be aware of. This may be a long time out in Burlington, but there's no reason why we can't reach out to peers and other cities now to begin to chart a course. What are you most excited about right now in the world of sustainability? One thing I'm seeing that I find exciting is this idea of equity no longer being sort of a topic that only a few people are talking about in isolated cases. I'm seeing equity and this idea of bringing everybody into the fold. Everybody's talking about it as an important theory and means by which to move ahead. I think equity, which was once a sort of a conversation that a few cities and a few people in a few cities we're talking about at one point, has now become the status quo and a critical part of the sustainability movement. And I see that as exciting and hopeful. What is the one book you would recommend sustainability professionals read? I can tell you that we've been referring a lot to Drawdown. Paul Hawken edited Drawdown last year and it's available. It's pretty hopeful. I've heard Paul Hawken twice now. First at the University of Vermont where he came as a keynote speaker and then more recently at the Urban Sustainability Directors Network annual meeting. So it's been great to hear his message twice. You know, it hits home and it's a little digestible when you hear it twice. But the Drawdown book is just a wealth of information and inspiration and I think that would be the book, at the very least, I would recommend that sustainability officers, directors, or really anybody who's interested in the field, at least flip through and sort of familiarize themselves with. What are some of your favorite resources or tools that really help you in the work that you do? For cities that are unfamiliar with the STAR Community Index. This is a good opportunity to make a plug for STAR. It's a tool by which cities can collect and analyze a whole plethora of sustainability data over time. It not only allows cities to talk to cities and compare apples to apples versus apples to oranges, but it also allows a city internally to be looking at setting targets and goals based on their trajectory of their data over time. So I think the STAR communities index can be a really great tool. The USDN and the funding that they have in place for cities tap into has been a really invaluable resource for me and for Burlington. There's a tool that is perhaps less relevant to states outside of Vermont and California. Here in Vermont, the Renewable Energy Standard provides what we refer to as sort of tier three funding to help Burlington, and other cities with municipalities, transition to electricity away from fossil fuels. So we use our tier three resources to strategically electrify, essentially. So it's the $200 that we can offer a Burlington electric customer or a resident towards an electric bike through tier three, which allows us to bring down the cost and eventually help transition people away from a single occupancy vehicle to perhaps an e-bike as an alternative. So one of the important tools that we're using here at the Burlington Electric Department is what we refer to as tier three funding. Where can our listeners go to learn more about you and the work you're leading at Burlington? I would start with the Burlington Electric Department website. There's not a lot yet on our transition to net zero energy, but stay tuned for that. The city of Burlington website is also a helpful resource. I'm really proud that the city of Burlington was one of the first cities along with Chicago, that downloaded a lot of the EPA data and research that was available online, and that we feared would no longer be available under this new federal administration. I think one of the best resources that you'll find on our city of Burlington website is actually EPA data that we in essence house in order to ensure that it stays sort of safe and available to all.

Today, I’m sharing my interview with Natalie Narotzky, Program and Communications Manager for the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN).  From their website: "The Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) is a peer-to-peer network of local government professionals from communities across the United States and Canada dedicated to creating a healthier environment, economic prosperity, and increased social equity. Our dynamic network enables sustainability directors and staff to share best practices and accelerate the application of good ideas across North America." I met Natalie a few years ago through our local 350 Massachusetts climate action group where we spent a good deal of time together serving in leadership roles. Natalie put her impressive skills and abundant energy immediately to work, enabling us to achieve far more than we ever could have without her help. I am proud to continue to work with her on important climate initiatives here in western Massachusetts, and to call her my friend. Mature and accomplished beyond her years (she's not yet 30!), Natalie exemplifies the kind of young person who is highly motivated to make real change in our society in answer to the greatest challenges of our times. To live sustainably on the earth is no fad – it is an imperative, and one that we can no longer ignore. Natalie understands the urgency of this work, and rises to the occasion, and then some.  Thank you Natalie! It was a fun interview and a pleasure to learn more about your work! You can listen to this episode via various channels: Listen on the Audible Café website Listen (and subscribe! and leave a 5-star review! :-D) via Apple Podcasts If you'd like to follow the show's Facebook page, click here! Listen on Stitcher Audible Café is a place-space where we spend time together each week exploring the natural world, wildlife, sustainable living, and climate change. This opens up possibilities that are basically limitless. And, now more than ever, we need to spend time together being inspired, learning, and trusting we can have a positive impact on the world we love. Thank you so much for being a part of the Audible Café! It means a lot. If you'd like to get in touch, just reply to this message, or email listenup@audiblecafe.com. I can't wait to hear from you! LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE: LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE: Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) website Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance (CNCA) website USDN’s Urban Sustainability Bulletin The Guide to Greening Cities by Sadhu Aufochs Johnston, Steven S. Nicholas, and Julia Parzen. Available at Island Press. LEED sustainability and green building education at U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) website

The Building Science Podcast got a couple of Press Passes and went to New York City last week for the AIA Conference on Architecture, 2018. What an incredible conference it was! We had the opportunity to connect with so many thoughtful and visionary architects who want to build a better, healthier future. We're psyched. One of the most thoughtful conversations we had was with Corey Squire and Tate Walker about the new Committee On The Environment's new Toolkit. It's a resource-rich document that helps firms and projects of any kind measure their progress against benchmarks of sustainability without restrictive prescription pathways, while keeping outcomes at the central focus.COREY SQUIRELEED AP O+MSustainability Process Manager, Lake|Flato ArchitectsCorey works with all Lake|Flato teams to establish sustainability goals, analyze designs with simulation software, and collects post-occupancy performance data. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Oberlin College and a Master of Architecture from Tulane University. In 2012, Squire was awarded the Eskew+Dumez+Ripple Research Fellowship to study building post-occupancy energy performance and sustainable design processes.Tate WalkerAIA, LEEP AP BD+C, Sustainability Director, OPN ArchitectsAs an architect focused on energy and sustainability in the built environment, he steers OPN’s sustainability initiatives, focusing on energy research, technology evaluation, and high performance design. He regularly writes and presents on issues relating to energy, technology, building science, and promoting environmental awareness through design. His experience includes integrating teams, design charrettes, building systems, and sustainability initiatives on capital projects.Tate has worked nationally for clients such as Northwestern University, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Iowa State University. He served the United States Green Building Council in various capacities since 2008 and has been a leader within the Wisconsin Green Building Alliance since 2005, including serving as the organization’s vice president in 2009.At OPN, Tate led the adoption and administration of the 2030 Challenge to transition to net zero energy buildings. He also is chair of the firm’s annual Green Day event and an internal sustainability committee.He is currently leading the sustainable design for the new Advanced Teaching and Research Building for the Biosciences at Iowa State University, which is targeting LEED Gold. The 115,000 square foot, $52 million project will be an anchor building on campus, incorporating innovative site, water, advanced materials and daylighting components to support a unique, sustainable experience for its users.About The Committee On The EnvironmentCOTE MissionThe Committee on the Environment (COTE) works to advance, disseminate, and advocate—to the profession, the building industry, the academy, and the public—design practices that integrate built and natural systems and enhance both the design quality and environmental performance of the built environment. COTE serves as the community and voice on behalf of AIA architects regarding sustainable design and building science and performance.COTE reflects the profession’s commitment to provide healthy and safe environments for people and is dedicated to preserving the earth’s capability of sustaining a shared high quality of life. The committee’s mission is to lead and coordinate the profession’s involvement in environmental and energy-related issues and to promote the role of the architect as a leader in preserving and protecting the planet and its living systems.COTE provides the AIA with knowledge about environmental issues and advises the Institute on environmental policy matters affecting the practice of architecture. The committee supports cooperation with educators and institutions of learning, manufacturers, government agencies, environmental organizations, and industry groups in advancing environmentally sound design processes and standards as well as environmentally innovative materials and integrated systems.COTE Goals-To advance the importance of sustainable design to our fellow architects, within the Institute, and to the broader public.-To educate architects about the environmental and energy-related impacts of design decisions & about how to incorporate sustainable design into daily practice.-To define and promote the cutting edge of sustainable design for our profession.-To foster leadership among architects in all facets of environmental decision making.-To recognize environmental leadership of architects in practice, education, industry, and government.-To influence the direction of architectural education to place more emphasis on ecological literacy , sustainable design and building science-To maintain, refine, and strengthen alliances with professional and trade associations and other leaders in environmentally responsible design to coordinate our sustainable agendas to make our message stronger.-To maintain, refine, and strengthen alliances with other AIA Knowledge Communities and committees, and serve as a resource to Institute initiatives and projects that promote sustainability in the built environment.-To green AIA convention venues and meetings.-To communicate the AIA’s environmental and energy-related concerns to the public and private sectors and influence the decisions of the public, professionals, clients, and public officials on the impact of their environmental and energy-related decisions.-To educate architects on regulatory, performance, technical and building science issues and how those issues influence architecture. Educate the architectural profession on programming, designing, and managing building performance.-To investigate and disseminate information regarding building performance best practices, criteria, measurement methods, planning tools, occupant-comfort, heat/air/moisture interfaces between the interior and exterior of buildings.-To promote a more integrated practice in order to achieve environmentally and economically efficient buildings. One of the tools we will plan to promote to achieve this integration is Building Information Technology (BIM).COTE Toolkit Please check out this resource rich document. It's absolutely incredible and this is only Version 1! More great improvements to come. If you're not an AIA member and can't access it, write us and we'll see what we can do about getting you a copy. The more people who can work with the tools provide here, the better outcomes our projects will be. podcast@positiveenergy.pro"Why We Let Ourselves Do Mediocre Work"Great article from Building Green Magazinethat dispels the myth of the "unicorn client" that will come around and make all your wildest dreams come true to design and build sustainably.The Shape Of GreenDoes going green change the face of design or only its content? The first book to outline principles for the aesthetics of sustainable design, The Shape of Green argues that beauty is inherent to sustainability, for how things look and feel is as important as how they’re made.In addition to examining what makes something attractive or emotionally pleasing, Hosey connects these questions with practical design challenges. Can the shape of a car make it more aerodynamic and more attractive at the same time? Could buildings be constructed of porous materials that simultaneously clean the air and soothe the skin? Can cities become verdant, productive landscapes instead of wastelands of concrete?Drawing from a wealth of scientific research, Hosey demonstrates that form and image can enhance conservation, comfort, and community at every scale of design, from products to buildings to cities. Fully embracing the principles of ecology could revolutionize every aspect of design, in substance and in style. Aesthetic attraction isn’t a superficial concern — it’s an environmental imperative. Beauty could save the planet.The Last Auto MechanicGreat blog post by Tom Price (renewable energy entrepreneur. A-EV cheerleader. Founder Black Rock Solar. Recovering journalist, middling mountain biker. Formerly of Capitol Hill, SLC, & BRC) about the ways America’s transportation economy and landscape is about to be utterly transformed into a world beyond driving. Or drivers. Or even car mechanics. Enjoy the ride.Game of ThronesNew Yorker article about the intricate design of seating on commercial flights and the impacts it has on travelers.Habits of High Performing FirmsAIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) released a report called “The Habits of High-Performance Firms” which follows up on the previous “Lessons from the Leading Edge," which is a comprehensive study of two decades of AIA COTE Top Ten Award winners. Launched in 1997, the annual awards are the profession’s longest-running and “best known recognition program for sustainable design excellence,” according to the AIA.Biophilic Design Biophilic Design is an innovative way of designing the places where we live, work, and learn. We need nature in a deep and fundamental fashion, but we have often designed our cities and suburbs in ways that both degrade the environment and alienate us from nature. The recent trend in green architecture has decreased the environmental impact of the built environment, but it has accomplished little in the way of reconnecting us to the natural world, the missing piece in the puzzle of sustainable development. Come on a journey from our evolutionary past and the origins of architecture to the world’s most celebrated buildings in a search for the architecture of life. Together, we will encounter buildings that connect people and nature - hospitals where patients heal faster, schools where children’s test scores are higher, offices where workers are more productive, and communities where people know more of their neighbors and families thrive. Biophilic Design points the way toward creating healthy and productive habitats for modern humans.Architecture 2030Edward Mazria, FAIA, Hon. FRAICFounder and CEOEdward Mazria is an internationally recognized architect, author, researcher, and educator. Over the past decade, his seminal research into the sustainability, resilience, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions of the built environment has redefined the role of architecture, planning, design, and building, in reshaping our world. He is the founder of Architecture 2030, a think tank developing real-world solutions for 21st century problems, and host of the AIA+2030 Professional Education Series and 2030 Districts movement in North American cities.Mazria issued the 2030 Challenge and introduced the 2030 Palette, a revolutionary new platform that puts the principles behind low-carbon/zero carbon and resilient built environments at the fingertips of architects, planners, and designers worldwide. In 2014 he presented the Roadmap to Zero Emissions at the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change calling for zero emissions in the built environment by 2050, and drafted the 2050 Imperative, endorsed by professional organizations representing over 1.3 million architects in 124 countries worldwide. In 2015 he launched the China Accord, which has been adopted by key international firms pledging to plan, design and build to carbon neutral standards in China; and delivered the opening presentation at the UNFCCC COP21 “Buildings Day” titled The 2 Degree Path for the Building Sector.Recently, he developed Achieving Zero, a framework of incremental actions that cities and governments can put in place to ensure carbon neutral built environments by mid-century, and the Zero Cities Project (with the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance, Urban Sustainability Directors Network, New Buildings Institute, and Resource Media) to implement the framework.Mazria speaks nationally and internationally on the subject of architecture, design, energy, economics, and climate change and has taught at several universities, including the University of New Mexico, University of Oregon, UCLA, and the University of Colorado-Denver.Mr. Mazria’s awards include AIA Design Awards, American Planning Association Award, Department of Energy Awards, American Solar Energy Society Pioneer Award, Equinox Award, National Conservation Achievement Award, Mumford Award from Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility, inaugural Hanley Award, Distinguished Career Award from Pratt Institute, Zia Award from the University of New Mexico, Game Changers Award from Metropolis Magazine, 2011 Purpose Prize, and the 2015 Kemper Award from the American Institute of Architects. He is a senior fellow of the Design Futures Council, Honorary Fellow of the RAIC, and received an Honorary Doctor of Architecture degree from Illinois Institute of Technology.COTE Toolkit ContributorsTate Walker, AIA, Project Co-Lead OPN Architects, Madison, Wisconsin, COTE Advisory GroupCorey Squire, AIA, Project Co-Lead Lake|Flato Architects, San Antonio, Texas, COTE Advisory GroupAnne Hicks Harney, FAIA, Long Green Specs, Baltimore, MarylandBetsy del Monte, FAIA, Cameron MacAllister Group, Dallas, TexasDavid Hincher, AIA, Kieran Timberlake, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaGunnar Hubbard, FAIA, Thornton Tomasetti, Portland, Maine, COTE Advisory GroupHelena Zambrano, AIA, Overland Partners, San Antonio, TexasMary Ann Lazarus, FAIA, Cameron MacAllister Group, St. Louis, Missouri, COTE Advisory GroupStephanie Horowitz, AIA, ZeroEnergy Design, Boston, Massachusetts, COTE Advisory GroupStephen Endy, AIA, Mahlum, Portland, OregonVikram Sami, AIA, Olson Kundig, Seattle, Washington, COTE Advisory GroupZ Smith, FAIA, Eskew+Dumez+Ripple, New Orleans, Louisana

Nils Moe currently serves as the Managing Director of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN). In this role, Nils oversees the day-to-day operations of this rapidly evolving North American network of over 185 member communities representing more than 84 million residents. Nils is an experienced, accomplished change agent with over 15 years of successful strategic business development, organizational leadership, and client building. Previously, he served as the Mayor’s Sustainability Advisor for the City of Berkeley, where he helped to implement Berkeley’s Climate Action Plan and worked with the city staff and the community to reduce their GHG emissions. He also has worked as a professor of Organizational Psychology at San Francisco State University, co–founded two values-driven non–profits, and worked in the private sector as a management consultant, specializing in program evaluation of non-profits and 360–degree feedback for Fortune 100 companies. Nils Joins Sustainable Nation to Discuss: Cities leading the way to a sustainable future The power of networks and collaboration in sustainability Local government leading on climate in the absence of federal leadership Trends in urban climate and sustainability work Advice and recommendations for sustainability leaders Nils' Final Five Question Responses: What is one piece of advice you would give other sustainability professionals that might help them in their careers? I think I'm a bit biased, but going back to this notion of my parallel path between the social psychology realm and the environmental science realm, I think our field can be really technical, talking about renewable energy, land use policies, transportation analysis, which is a critical skillset, but something that can't be underestimated, I think is the power of the soft skills in our work. One of the crosscutting challenges that our cities are facing is this notion around human behavior and behavior change. At the end of the day, much of the work that we're doing is about relationships, influencing people, empowering folks to make some key and critical changes to habits that have been forming over their life. So, how can we really do a better job of leveraging some of the key social sciences out there to help us align our work, empower folks to make those key changes? So I think some of the leadership skills, learning a little more about social sciences is sort of a key piece of the puzzle. What are you most excited about right now in the world of sustainability? We're entering our 10th year now. We built this amazing, connected membership. All of these members are doing amazing work in their local municipalities, local counties. Now what does it look like to do this at scale? So our membership have charged us to look at, is there a menu list of initiatives that we can agree on as a membership of 190-plus cities that we feel have the potential to provide strong impact over the next three years? So I think, in short, it's the power of the aggregate. What does it look like to take on these initiatives at scale with large groups of cities that could really start to move the needle and move markets? What would it look like for 150 cities to commit to procuring renewable energy? How would that drive the market, the transaction costs, the energy costs? What would it look like for 50 cities to get together and go out to their auto manufacturing industry and say, "We want an electric vehicle, light duty truck with these specs." One city isn't going to get the attention of an auto manufacturer, but 50 cities will. So I think it's this power and strength in numbers that is really exciting to me. What is one book you would recommend sustainability leaders read? I don't want to sound like a homer here, but a checkout the Guide to Greening Cities. Excellent book by Julia Parzen, Sadhu Aufochs Johnston, and Steven S. Nicholas. It's five years old now, but it still does an amazing job of talking about the challenges, the opportunities, the successes from the city level. S What are some of your favorite resources or tools that really help you in the work that you do? Yeah, check out our USDN website. We've got some public pages around the innovation products that are coming out from our cities which are really intriguing. This aggregate high impact practice work will be on there in the fall of 2018. We've got a great series of equity training videos, Equity 101, that I think could be beneficial to folks at large. Innovation Network for Communities has some great work on their website. We have Paul Hawkins speaking at our annual meeting in San Diego last year. So I think Drawdown is a really compelling story in a way to prioritize the actions that are ahead of us. We're looking forward to Hunter Lovins', Finer Future, which is coming out in the fall. And we work with some amazing partners. The list is really long, so it's tough to choose just a few, but Eco America - Let's Talk Climate. A way to sort of find the middle ground around some of these key and politically challenging discussions around climate change. The Georgetown Adaptation Clearing House is an amazing repository of all the amazing work that's going on around resilience. Your podcast is a good one too. I'm a fan. Finally, working on our listeners go to learn more about you and the work that you're leading at USDN? Reach out to us if you have any questions. We are at USDN.org. Our sister organization, CarbonNeutralCities.org. We're @USDN on twitter. Check us out and look forward to hearing from some of you.

Luke Cartin is the Environmental Sustainability Manager for Park City, Utah.  He oversees Park City’s goals of achieving net-zero carbon and 100% renewable electricity for city operations by 2022, and community-wide 2032. These goals are the most ambitious in North America for any municipality, and one of the most aspiring world-wide. There are many programs underway, including; electrification of city fleet and buses, bringing on large scale renewables, quantifying open space as carbon sinks, and pursuing net-zero energy buildings.  Previous to coming to the city, he worked in ski resort sustainability for 15 years. His work has been featured in the New York Times, BBC, Outside Magazine, Newsweek, and other international outlets. He lives with his wife, two kids, and many animals just outside Park City.  Luke Joins Sustainable Nation to Discuss: Setting ambitious renewable energy and carbon neutral goals Climate change impacts on the ski industry and tourism Engaging local farmers in regenerative agriculture Advice and recommendations for sustainability leaders What is one piece of advice you would give other sustainability professionals that might help them in their careers? I would say there's two ways to view the climate crisis, and then also sustainability overall. View as like you're learning a chest match, meaning the only way you're going to get better is by playing and doing. Failure will be an asset to you because you will quickly understand what does not work. And I know folks are scared to fail, but we need to act and you have the silent majority. So the goal is to really focus on trying and doing. Don't put up barriers to say, "well our community can't do that because of this or that." Set these ambitious goals and that'll force you to create the pathway forward. What are you most excited about right now in the world of sustainability and regenerative development? I think it's how quickly things can change once the pathway forward is shown. When we set our 100 percent renewable electricity goal, people thought we were nuts. I mean other communities were like, "what are you guys doing? You're in a state with a regulated utility that's owned by Berkshire Hathaway." But the great thing is the pathway forwards have been created and it seems daunting to get a community that's mostly coal fired to carbon neutrality and hundred percent renewable in 14 years. But the great thing is we've identified major pathways to get there and it's really exciting to be a player in that. What is one book you would recommend sustainability professionals read? I'll throw two at you here. So one of them is called The One Straw Revolution. It's a great book because the concept is that there's limits to the human knowledge, but it's using natural systems aligned with your goal. It's the exact same concept we're going with some of the regenerative agriculture pieces in that we just want to help kind of steer in the right direction and make sure we're not doing harm, and it's impressive how the natural environment can help increase that. The other interesting book that I really suggest is 10 Percent happier by Dan Harris. You can get very depressed by seeing all of the horrible things going on and you need to balance yourself out. So 10 Percent Happier by Dan Harris is a great book because it talks about meditation. Just kind of keeping your head on your shoulders. It gives you some really easy techniques to keep yourself balanced. Because I think in this role you're under constant attack. I think we'd all be okay with being 10 percent happier. That sounds great. What are some of your favorite resources or tools that really help you in the work that you do? One of the tools, and you mentioned it for other communities that are interested in this world, even if you don't have a fully dedicated sustainability person, which I would heavily push any community to have because like I said, they can problem solve for your folks. They can help find savings. There something called the Urban Sustainability Directors Network and it's open to sustainability professionals in municipalities and it is a great resource. I know you've interviewed like Gil and a couple of their folks too. It's an awesome community to say, "Hey, who's tried a community composting program?" And you can dive in. "Who's written an RFP for solar on a library?" It's an awesome resource. The other part for my end that's interesting read, there's a great website out there called Utility Dive. It wraps up what's going on in the utility sphere, because there are some pro-coal pieces going on and there's nuclear subsidies or something like that. This gets a little bit more technical and it's great for me to help understand the broad swaths of what's going on in the regulatory market and also what's happening with the energy sphere overall in North America. And finally, where can our listeners go to learn more about you and the work that you're leading at Park City? So we have the city website, parkcity.org. We're actually underway right now to launch another website that'll sum up all of these pieces. So stay tuned for that. Easy way to track me down, just find me through the parkcity.org website or through LinkedIn.

Chris is currently the Director of Sustainability and Co-chair of the Smart Cities initiative for Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and the City of Orlando. In his role at the City, he works to develop cross-sector partnerships, policies, and programs that support the sustainability, energy, and climate-related goals of the “Green Works Orlando” initiative. Over the last 10 years, Chris has consulted for governments, academia, business chambers, companies, nonprofits and communities to implement sustainability projects that include a wide variety of topics, specifically smart cities, solar energy development, building efficiency, electric vehicles, local food systems, water quality, ecological restorations and more. Chris Joins Sustainable Nation to Discuss: Sustainable food systems PACE Financing and its success in Orlando Meeting GHG reductions through energy management Advice and recommendations for sustainability leaders Chris Castro's Final Five Responses: What is one piece of advice you would give other sustainability professionals that might help them in their careers? First and foremost, I'd say build a network and be a part of the growing network of sustainability professionals. So specifically for local governments, there's a group called the Urban Sustainability Directors Network or USDN for short. And this has been an invaluable resource for me as a director of sustainability in the city to better learn and share best practices among some of the largest cities, including Las Vegas, Boston, Austin, Boulder, Chicago, DC, New York, you name it. Each one of these major cities are collaborating together through the USDN or sharing policy and program resources. We're at the end of the day making not only our cities, our regions, but the entire country and the world, a more sustainable place. So I'd say get connected with these networks. It's going to be extremely valuable. As you look to implement your solutions. What are you most excited about right now in the world of sustainability? It's hard not to be excited about a lot of things that are going on. I think that there's a growing interest in the private sector and in governments around the world that are really prioritizing these issues and they're advancing sustainability because they realize that it's directly tied to quality of life, to public health and to long-term sustainable economic growth. And the more that we see that type of momentum, you see corporations that are moving to a hundred percent renewables for their operations, Google and Apple and Microsoft, large banks like JP Morgan Chase that are making commitments to move their entire operations to carbon neutrality and to renewable energy. This is an amazing time to be alive and to be in this field. And no matter what focus area you're in, whether it's food systems, whether it's livability, water, energy, transportation, each one of them has essentially come to an interesting point where technology has become economically feasible. And at the same time, it's making significant impacts. So it's probably the most exciting time to be in the field of sustainability than ever before. What is the one book you would recommend sustainability professionals read? Wow. There's a number of them that I use as guidance. And I'll tell you, the most recent one that's been impactful for me is Paul Hawkins Drawdown, the recent study that he pulled together with over a hundred different scientists and researchers around the world to truly identify the top 100 strategies to address the climate crisis and to advance sustainability. It's phenomenal because it's not only economically sound, but it's scientifically sound. It's very much founded in hard science and facts. And it really is a fantastic guidebook and roadmap for cities and corporations and communities to follow, to lower their environmental footprint and to create a more regenerative future for all of us. So Drawdown, I'll have to say, is one of the top ones in my book right now. What are some of your favorite resources or tools that really help you in the work that you do? Yeah, that's an interesting question. I go back to use USDN. That's one of my favorite resources out there. It's again a kind of an intranet repository of different policies and programs that other cities have implemented. It has a forum that allows for sustainability professionals to share these resources and to answer each other's questions and so that resource is valuable, I highly recommend it, especially for people working in cities. And then, depending on the actual initiative you're working on, there's a series of different tools for those working on energy, water and waste within buildings, one of my favorite tools is the Energy Star Portfolio Manager tool. This is a free web based tool that's offered to specifically track and monitor energy and water consumption as well as waste consumption within buildings. And it helps to quantify what the economic, social and environmental impacts are from that consumption. So it's using real world data. It's normalizing that data to your facility and it's helping you get a better understanding of how you compare to other facilities, the same size, of the same year that was built and the same climate region. And so Energy Star does a fantastic job of providing that kind of portfolio manager tool for buildings. Buildings, in my opinion, are one of the most important and greatest opportunities we have to improve. In Orlando, they are 72 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions. In most cities buildings contribute to the greatest environmental impact. So if we can start to drive energy efficiency within our buildings, if we can drive a better operations and even onsite renewable energy generation, we can significantly impact the environment in a positive way. We can drive jobs, we can lower costs. At the end of the day we can be a more efficient and resilient city. And finally working our listeners go to learn more about you and the work that you're leading with the city of Orlando. I'm quite active on social media, so find me on Linkedin, find me on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Those are the main outlets that I use and really encourage you to also look up the city of Orlando's website. It's just greenworksOrlando.com, that will route you directly to the webpage on the city's website and you can dive into each one of the focused areas I've been talking about. You can look at our goals or targets. You can download our action plans. I really encourage you, if you do have any questions or comments, to reach out to me directly and share what your thoughts are and how we can continue to really make Orlando a showcase leader in the movement towards a better, more healthier, sustainable future.  

Jackie is the Chief Sustainability Officer for city of Fort Collins where she oversees the departments of environmental services, economic health, and social sustainability. Fort Collins has some of the most ambitious climate action goals in the world, including carbon neutrality by 2050. Formerly, Jackie worked as the Governor’s State Sustainability Coordinator for Hawaii, where she led the launch of the Aloha+ Challenge with the public-private partnership Hawaii Green Growth. Jackie joins Sustainable Nation to discuss: Leading sustainability programs in local government. Lessons learned from managing sustainability efforts on an island community. Developing and implementing Climate Action Plans. Advice and recommendations for sustainability professionals. Jackie's Final Five Responses: What is one piece of advice you would give other sustainability professionals that might help them in their careers? Besides kind of the being both data driven and value based, the other one I would give is being authentic, because so much of what we need to do to be successful is in forging strong partnerships because we are looking at transforming systems. And so I think bringing authentic servant leadership is going to be critical for us to be successful at that. I think that's what I would really recommend to folks. And also, to just recognize we can't know it all, right? And so we're looking at transforming systems to recognize the assets and strength of being a generalist who can help to connect dots and engage experts or sectors that will help you to accomplish things and not necessarily thinking that you need to be an expert in everything. So that's not possible. And also we miss a lot because we don't engage others expertise. Jackie, what are you most excited about right now in the world of sustainability and regenerative development? I think what is exciting for me, Josh, I think about Paul Hawkins Blessed Unrest and he talked about if you brought the indigenous peoples movement and the environmental sustainability movement and the social justice movements together, just the power of that. And I think what I'm excited about is just that there's so much more conversation about equity and affordability in sustainability than there ever was before. And I think just about the new sector allies. I mean, I just was meeting someone from the health sector today, and not only how excited I am about those partnerships, but the lenses and the expertise and the community engagements that the social sector will bring to sustainability is really exciting to me. What is one book you would recommend sustainability professionals read? I know that's a super geeky, but I my did my master's thesis on implementing sustainability plans and policies. Because my question was, why did bad things happen to good plans? And how do we actually honor the planning process by making it happen. And so I've found so much great literature actually from the public administration field actually for local governments for sustainability that are really great. It's not a book, it's more of like a handbook, but I think for sustainability professionals it just is so helpful because it has case studies and also talks to you about what you need to have in place in terms of metrics and goals and partnerships to really execute on the goals you've set. think it’s something like Implementing Sustainability Plans.  But it's been a great tool for me. What are some of your favorite resources or tools that really help you in the work that you do? This could be websites, technologies, software programs, guide books, any type of resources or tools that help you out that you'd recommend. I worked at a state level for the governor of Hawaii and now I'm in a local level and I'm so excited to be part of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. Being part of that network if you're working at a local level with cities is there's a treasure trove of resources that we share as peers. I can't say enough about that and the whole team here at Fort Collins also, we just joined the government alliance on racial equity. So again, for local governments that are looking at building capacity in terms of supporting equity and inclusion in their communities, the government alliance on racial equity is an incredible resource. So those, you know, in terms of public sector have been just so helpful to me. Finally, where can our listeners go to learn more about you and the work that you're doing to Fort Collins? https://www.fcgov.com/ There's lots to explore there in terms of the sustainability work, the climate work that we're doing on that page and all the related pages.

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Julia Parzen, speaking on Sustainability: A Framework for Solving Complex Urban Problems. Julia Parzen is a social entrepreneur who cofounded Working Assets, one of the first socially responsible mutual funds; the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, a renowned network of 130 North American local government sustainability leaders; and Partners for Places a grant fund that has helped local government and foundation partners to attract $4 million for sustainability projects. Julia’s career in public service and sustainability has spanned public, private, publishing and non-profit sectors, including a strong mix of strategy development and implementation. Most recently, she co-authored The Guide to Greening Cities (Island Press, 2013). Wednesday Lunch is a Divinity School tradition started many decades ago. At noon on Wednesdays when the quarter is in session a delicious vegetarian meal is made in the Swift Hall kitchen by our student chefs and lunch crew. Once the three-course meal has reached dessert each week there is a talk by a faculty member or student from throughout the University, a community member from the greater Chicago area, or a guest from a wider distance.

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Julia Parzen, speaking on Sustainability: A Framework for Solving Complex Urban Problems. Julia Parzen is a social entrepreneur who cofounded Working Assets, one of the first socially responsible mutual funds; the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, a renowned network of 130 North American local government sustainability leaders; and Partners for Places a grant fund that has helped local government and foundation partners to attract $4 million for sustainability projects. Julia’s career in public service and sustainability has spanned public, private, publishing and non-profit sectors, including a strong mix of strategy development and implementation. Most recently, she co-authored The Guide to Greening Cities (Island Press, 2013). Wednesday Lunch is a Divinity School tradition started many decades ago. At noon on Wednesdays when the quarter is in session a delicious vegetarian meal is made in the Swift Hall kitchen by our student chefs and lunch crew. Once the three-course meal has reached dessert each week there is a talk by a faculty member or student from throughout the University, a community member from the greater Chicago area, or a guest from a wider distance.