Outreach and engagement

The Unsettling Attacks on Green Cities and Counties

Back in 2010, when Colorado gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes accused Denver’s bicycle sharing program of being part of an insidious United Nations conspiracy to take over America’s communities, a nation chuckled at the absurdity. "Cities Engage in Vast Biking Conspiracy (Shh!)" read a New York Times headline.

More than a year later, the same bizarre conspiracy theory is no laughing matter for anyone who cares about their community’s future. Across the country, a loud minority of protestors, many aligned with the Tea Party, have made it their mission to derail not only the green programs of cities, towns, and counties, but the broader planning efforts of local governments to improve local transportation, safeguard public health, and increase economic competitiveness. Last week the success of their efforts landed them back in the Times, only now on the front page.

Bellevue Carries a Tune About Green Business

Click this image to visit the YouTube page with Bellevue's video.

The City of Bellevue, WA, is going the extra mile to make a splash with its newly launched Eastside Green Business Challenge program. The City recruited a local band, Million Dollar Nile, to pen a song pro bono about the Challenge competition. Check out the hummable tune and accompanying YouTube video -- a creative way to spread the word about the program and convey what it's all about. A song that sticks in your head is brilliant branding for a competition that aims to be fun and friendly, in which participants compete to save the most energy, money, and natural resources.

Two weeks ago, the City launched the program at a ceremony headlined by Hunter Lovins, an author and renowned "green business icon." Read more about it here.

Bellevue is the latest local government to launch a version of ICLEI's Green Business Challenge Program, and we are proud to have helped them get their program off the ground.

Climate Communication for Local Governments: Five New Guidelines

Photo credit: FEMA

Five guidelines to help city and county staff and elected officials message climate solutions, science, and local impacts

There’s a time and a place to talk about climate change. The place probably isn’t the Thanksgiving table with your uncles and in-laws, or anywhere that discussion could devolve into unfriendly debate. Let’s face it: As a topic, climate change is unpopular, polarizing, complex—and an unavoidable part of the national conversation.

The local one, too. Without constructive climate communication, local governments’ plans and initiatives would never get off the ground. And since we’ve got so much ground to cover, now is the time to take stock of the most effective communications approaches. What can we learn from the latest psychological and communications research, and the on-the-ground experience of municipal staff? A heck of a lot.

Good Communication Builds Relationships

“For local governments, climate communication should be thought of as a way to build relationships, not to win a debate or convince people to think the same way,” says Brian Holland, ICLEI USA’s Climate Programs Director. “You build relationships when you understand your audience and speak to their values and priorities.”

Houston and Chicago Enlist Hundreds of Business Owners in Green Business Challenge

Imagine 1,923 American football fields lined up in a row. If you were to ride your bike past them, your trek would be 131 miles. That’s quite a ride!

Consider that the square footage of those same football fields is equal to the square footage of participants in the Chicago Green Office Challenge and registered participants in the Houston Green Office Challenge – representing approximately 110 million square feet of commercial space with a commitment to a reduced environmental footprint.

To reach climate goals, local governments often use outreach and engagement programs to their advantage. ICLEI’s Green Business Challenge can be a primary means to engage the business community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainability while help you reach your community’s climate and energy goals at the same time.

American Climate Attitudes, and How They Shape Your Messaging

Now that the subject of climate change has become more politicized and distorted with misinformation, climate communication isn't as straightforward as it once was. "American Climate Attitudes," a report released last week by the Social Capital Project, analyzes the state of Americans' beliefs about climate change, and offers suggestions for how climate messaging can respond more effectively to these beliefs.

If you're reading this blog, it's likely that you understand the mounting evidence for climate change and the urgency of climate action. Yet 2010 marked the first time that there were more Americans, according to Gallup, who worry “not at all” about global warming than those who worry “a great deal” about the issue. If that's the case in your local community, then it might make sense to peruse this report to see if your local government's messaging about the need for local climate action is on point.

New York City to Blaze Digital Trail

New York City nighttime skyline (photo: Ludovic Bertron via Creative Commons)

As ICLEI's PlaNYC case study and Sustainability Planning Toolkit make clear, the City of New York took community outreach and engagement to new levels in the creation of its sustainability plan. An amazing diversity of stakeholders gave input for the plan or took part in its development.

Now, Mayor Bloomberg has raised the bar once again by unveiling the Road Map for the Digital City: Achieving New York City's Digital Future, which takes community engagement to a whole new level. Released in mid-May, the groundbreaking 65-page Road Map identifies how New York will leverage new technology to further increase transparency and community engagement, and connect citizens to their government. The report describes "open government" and the creation of a "citizen-centric digital experience" as cornerstones of the plan.

The Distance Between Antarctica and Your Community

Guest Blogger: Martin Chávez, ICLEI USA Executive Director

Earth Day is a time to appreciate and celebrate the natural wonders of our planet—and a moment to rally ourselves to do the work necessary to save it. Several weeks ago, I was given an opportunity to experience this appreciation and motivation in an entirely new way. I was invited on a trip to Antarctica, one of the most extraordinary places on Earth, and one of the most threatened. My trip put the work of local governments, and the urgency for action at all levels of government, in a new perspective.

Green Business Challenge Expanding Again, With Help From Office Depot

Yalmaz Siddiqui, center with gavel, Director of Environmental Strategy for Office Depot, and Martin J. Chavez, center right, Executive Director of ICLEI USA, together with elected officials from City of Austin, TX; City of Bellevue, WA; City of Chula Vista, CA; and Triangle J Council of Governments, NC, ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange to launch the 2011 Green Business Challenge. (Photo credit: Diane Bondareff for Office Depot)

Today at the New York Stock Exchange, ICLEI USA and Office Depot shared the honor of ringing the closing bell and striking the gavel to end the day of trading and announce a new expansion of the Green Business Challenge program. ICLEI USA's Martin Chavez and Yalmaz Siddiqui, Director of Environmental Strategy for Office Depot, announced that four new communities will implement the Challenge and receive $15,000 in resources and technical support to get started. Office Depot, our generous sponsor, is providing core funding for the national rollout of the program, in addition to the $15,000 Green Business Challenge Implementation Packs.

The four winners, whose elected officials and staff shared the NYSE stage, include the cities of Austin, TX, Bellevue, WA, and Chula Vista, CA, as well as the Triangle J Council of Governments – made up of Chatham, Durham, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Orange and Wake counties in North Carolina.

>> View a video of the closing bell ceremony

How Are Local Governments Leveraging Earth Day?

Celebrated a thousand different ways, Earth Day always boils down to optimism and opportunity. It’s a day when people collectively say, “we can fix this”—whether the problem is as global as climate change or as local as a trash-strewn parking lot. It’s a day to tout environmental accomplishments, and an opportunity to educate people and engage them in solutions.

For years, local governments have leveraged the optimism and opportunity of Earth Day. For example, in 2007, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg famously released the City’s groundbreaking sustainability plan, PlaNYC, on Earth Day, and on each successive Earth Day the Mayor releases a PlaNYC progress report, using the green spotlight to draw attention to the City’s sustainability progress and success stories. In 2009, ICLEI organized the National Conversation on Climate Action, a chance for dozens of local governments around the country to engage community members in meaningful dialogues about climate change.

What about this year? In 2011, Earth Day events are as diverse as ever among local governments: service projects, festivals, educational seminars, and promotions to save energy and money, to name a few. In many cases, cities and counties structure Earth Day events to further progress on community sustainability goals and increase awareness of those goals. Browse a sampling of events—they might inspire ideas for your 2012 Earth Day plans.

Share Your Earth Day Plans

Share your Earth Day event details with ICLEI! We're writing a blog post on the most noteworthy and innovative local government events around the country. Get additional recognition for your event with help from ICLEI. Click the link to send us a flyer, website link, or brief description.

Tell Us Your Plans