Environmental Sustainability and Local Climate Action

The climate crisis poses an existential threat to life on earth. We cannot keep treating it like it’s a fringe issue. While people in power give lip service to sustainability, it’s the first thing on the chopping block when negotiating the details of policies and plans. We need people in power who won’t let that happen anymore.

Sustainability + Equity + Community

We need decision makers who truly value not just environmental sustainability but also equity and community. Because how we treat the most vulnerable people in our community and how we treat our environment are connected.

The health of our environment impacts ALL of us, but it impacts the most vulnerable the hardest. And how we treat our most vulnerable people is a direct parallel to how we treat our environment. We must change our civilizational paradigm of consume and discard.

Local Climate Action

In the absence of adequate climate action at the federal or state levels, local governments must step in and drive change from the ground up. This can help signal to higher levels of government that there is a groundswell of support for an aggressive climate response.

But localities also have an advantage that larger-scale programs don’t: we can be more innovative, and we can be more nimble when we need to make adjustments to our plans — and because of the unpredictability of how climate change is progressing and unfolding, we will be continually making adjustments to our plans.

But climate action is more than trying to mitigate the severity of climate change. It’s also about adaptation, and how we adapt will vary widely by regions and even localities. We need our local experts to provide informed predictions of what we can expect here and then create plans to prepare for what’s coming. Around the Great Lakes, where we are, whether it’s increasing precipitation, changing seasonal patterns, disrupted food supply systems, incoming climate refugees — we need to anticipate what we’re going to face and then get ready for it.

A Sustainability Committee

First, and at minimum, local governments need to create permanent Sustainability Committees filled with local experts in issues relating to sustainability. Our knowledgeable residents should have a voice and help advise their local decision makers in creating plans that increase environmental sustainability, regeneration, and climate change responsiveness.

So, what are just some of the things a Sustainability Committee can accomplish?

• Renewable Energy. Municipalities need to begin transitioning electrical energy to renewable energy. This includes developing and expanding programs to install renewable energy technologies on homes and other buildings as well as ensuring that the electricity that comes from the power grid is sourced from renewables.
• Energy Efficiency. We also need to use less energy. So local governments need to be constantly working to make our public buildings more energy efficient, as well as change their building codes and regulations to ensure that all future builds, renovations, and upgrades are done to meet high energy-efficiency standards.
• Biodiversity. The climate crisis is being caused not just by greenhouse gases being pumped into our atmosphere but also the rapid and widespread destruction of our biodiversity. So local governments need to also focus on regeneration — building back up local native biodiversity, maintaining the green spaces they have and working with them to increase needed biodiversity within them, and regreening wherever possible.
• Food Supply. As global food supply chains destabilize and agricultural regions shift, local governments will need to develop more local food systems. They need to help organize and grow a local network of food producers to ensure that everyone in our community has the healthy food they need.
• Water. Water is going to become an increasingly sought-after resource. Local governments need to not only streamline their codes and regulations to help residents create systems for water capture but also work across their community to develop more green infrastructure for storm water storage and flow needed for the local natural environment.
• Reduced Waste. Local governments can create Zero Waste and Zero Plastic plans, with the goal of reducing their contribution to landfills by 90% and eliminating any new plastics from entering their cities — all by 2040. In addition, they can create programs to reduce litter through the installation of public trash and recycling receptacles throughout the city as well as citizen volunteer programs for picking up trash and creating a culture of care for our lived environment.
• Transportation. Almost all of America is car-centric when it comes to transportation. Local governments should develop a multi-pronged plan to change that. They must diversify their transportation options, create streets and roads that accommodate all kinds of travelers, and advocate at the regional level for clean, accessible, expanded, and affordable public transportation.
• Education and Culture Change. But all of this hinges on communities coming together to make it happen. It cannot be done only from the top-down. And this is why the most crucial thing that a Sustainability Committee will need to do is lead community-wide education and culture change about sustainability, regeneration, and adaptation. ALL OF US need to together toward this critical collective goal.

A Sustainability Director

It’s important to understand that the reason we are at this point of crisis is because everything we do is unsustainable. Unsustainability is systemic. So, to become sustainable, this work cannot be treated as a side project. It must be incorporated into everything we do.

This is why every local government needs a Sustainability Director — someone who works across departments at City Hall to incorporate sustainable practices in every facet of our public work. ALL government functions have a role to play to help their community and city become sustainable. And that’s what a Sustainability Director can make happen.

Social Justice

And, finally, sustainability must always be done with a commitment to social justice and equity. Local governments must proceed at every step to ensure that vulnerable and marginalized communities are a key part of our work. When we prioritize their voices, challenges, knowledge, and needs, our overall work will be more effective. We need all of us, and this means that no one can be left behind.