Search Results
Resource
Seattle Public Utilities - Utility Discount Program
2020
In recent years, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), which is the city’s water utility and provides drinking water and wastewater treatment, has strongly emphasized community engagement and equity issues through the creation of a variety of organizations and programs. One organization, Connect Capital, which is comprised of SPU staff and members of a community foundation and a community organization, advises SPU on how to ensure that the benefits of future investments are equitable and address climate threats to those at risk of displacement. One result of Connect Capital’s encouragement is SPU’s investment in infrastructure in frontline communities, such as the South Park Neighborhood. Another equitable initiative under SPU is the Utility Discount Program, under which seniors, persons with disabilities, and low-income customers receive a reduction in their water and electricity bills. Households with incomes at or below 70% of state median income pay only 50% of their SPU bill. Further still, SPU’s Environmental Justice and Service Equity Division aims to promote inclusive community engagement and collaboration.
Resource Category: Solutions
See Resource Login to Add to My Resource List
Resource
Equitable Adaptation Legal and Policy Toolkit - Georgetown Climate Center
July 29, 2020
The impacts of climate change disproportionately affect overburdened and low-income individuals and communities of color that already face significant economic and social challenges. The cumulative impacts of pollution, racism, and political and economic disenfranchisement make it difficult for these communities to withstand and recover from extreme heat, flooding, and other climate impacts. To help communities address the challenges of climate resilience and social inequality, the Georgetown Climate Center (GCC) partnered with leading experts and practitioners to develop the Equitable Adaptation Legal & Policy Toolkit, a comprehensive online resource to help state and local governments work with communities on climate adaptation solutions that put frontline communities first.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Georgetown Climate Center, Tiffany Ganthier, Lisa Hamilton, Annie Bennett, Katherine McCormick, Anne Perrault, Sara Hoverter, Sara Hoverter, Jennifer Li, Joel B. Smith, Joel B. Smith
Resource Category: Solutions
See Resource Login to Add to My Resource List
Resource
Case Study: Homestead Community Land Trust - King County, Washington
July 26, 2020
In Seattle and King County, Washington, the Homestead Community Land Trust (Homestead CLT) is helping to preserve existing and build new affordable housing that incorporates green design features. The CLT currently stewards 13 acres of land with more than 200 homes for low- and middle-income homeowners earning 80 percent or less of area median income (AMI). Recent projects have incorporated green design features to increase the sustainability of land trust homes. The CLT is currently building twelve “net-zero” energy townhomes in area Renton, WA near transit, which will reduce both energy and transit costs for homeowners and help the region meet greenhouse gas reduction goals.
Author or Affiliated User: Jessica Grannis
Resource Category: Solutions
See Resource Login to Add to My Resource List
Resource
Case Study: Irvine Community Land Trust - Irvine, California
July 26, 2020
The Irvine Community Land Trust (Irvine CLT) presents an example of a city-established CLT designed to support infill development of sustainable, permanently affordable housing. The CLT’s developments meet the City’s green housing standards by incorporating green design features (like energy and water saving utilities, low-energy lighting, renewable energy power). Housing developments also incorporate other community amenities like parks, community space, and community gardens. Additionally, Irvine CLT is building housing to provide services to residents with special needs; for example, its Doria housing project reserved 10 percent of homes for people with a history of homelessness, including veterans and people with mental illnesses.
Author or Affiliated User: Jessica Grannis
Resource Category: Solutions
See Resource Login to Add to My Resource List
Resource
Case Study: Oakland Community Land Trust - Oakland, California
July 26, 2020
The Oakland Community Land Trust (OakCLT), in Oakland, California, presents an example of how land trusts can help to reduce displacement pressures in gentrifying cities. It was created in 2009 to stabilize housing threatened with foreclosure as a result of the recession and mortgage crisis. Through mobilization of residents and a local community organization, Urban Strategies Council, the Oakland CLT was formed to acquire and rehabilitate properties in foreclosure. Since it was established, OakCLT has acquired and preserved approximately 50 units of housing and stewards multi-use and commercial properties that provide affordable rents for culturally important businesses and grassroots organizations.
Author or Affiliated User: Jessica Grannis
Resource Category: Solutions
See Resource Login to Add to My Resource List
Resource
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: National Coastal Resilience Fund 2022 Request for Proposals
March 21, 2022
On March 21, 2022, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced the 2022 National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) Request for Proposals (RFP). The NFWF will provide approximately $140 million in grants to protect communities from current and future coastal threats and improve habitats for fish and wildlife species. Natural habitats, such as coastal wetlands, marshes, and dunes can protect communities from the impacts of sea-level rise, new flood patterns, and more frequent and intense storms. As such, NFWF seeks to fund projects that use natural resource restoration to enhance coastal resilience and wildlife habitats.
Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, educational institutions, and commercial organizations. Pre-proposals are due Thursday, April 21, 2022, by 11:59 P.M. ET and final proposals are due Thursday, June 30, 2022, by 11:59 P.M. ET. The NCRF is a public-private partnership between NFWF, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Occidental, Shell USA, Inc., TransRE, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Bezos Earth Fund.
Resource Category: Funding
See Resource Login to Add to My Resource List
Resource
Louisiana Climate Action Plan
February 1, 2022
On February 1, 2022, Louisiana’s Climate Initiatives Task Force released the state’s first Climate Action Plan. In the plan, the task force notes that “Louisiana is among the most vulnerable states in the United States to the impacts of climate change” and poor air quality, repetitive flooding events, and extreme heat are impacting the state’s ability to be resilient. Although the Climate Action Plan is primarily intended to guide climate mitigation efforts in Louisiana, the task force recommends 28 strategies and 84 actions the state can take to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience to the impacts of climate change.
Resource Category: Planning
See Resource Login to Add to My Resource List
Resource
North Carolina Executive Order No. 246: North Carolina’s Transformation to a Clean, Equitable Economy
January 7, 2022
On January 7, 2022, North Carolina's Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order (EO) No. 246 entitled, "North Carolina’s Transformation to a Clean, Equitable Economy. " EO 246 calls for the state to take several actions related to climate change to improve the health and well-being of North Carolina's residents, prioritize and advance environmental justice and equity, engage with stakeholders and incorporate public input into decisionmaking processes, increase awareness about the health impacts of climate change including the disproportionate effects on underserved communities, and build a diverse workforce that is prepared to address climate change.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
See Resource Login to Add to My Resource List
Resource
Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan: Phase One
December 7, 2021
In December 2021, the Commonwealth of Virginia published Phase One of the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan, which presents the Commonwealth's strategy for implementing coastal protection and adaptation measures to increase the flood resilience of coastal communities and economies. The Plan builds on the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Planning Framework, which was released in October 2020 and outlined the core principles of the Commonwealth's approach to coastal adaptation and protection.
Resource Category: Planning
See Resource Login to Add to My Resource List
Resource
Case Study: Sawmill Community Land Trust - Albuquerque, New Mexico
July 25, 2020
The Sawmill Community Land Trust (Sawmill CLT) in Albuquerque, NM provides an example of how CLTs can support community redevelopment and reduce displacement of existing residents. The Sawmill CLT was formed out of a community-driven planning process to redevelop the Sawmill-Wells Park neighborhood (between Old Town and downtown Albuquerque). The neighborhood had become blighted due to underinvestment and pollution from industrial facilities. The CLT’s first project, called Arbolera de Vida (Orchard of Life), was developed on a 27-acre formerly contaminated industrial property that it acquired from the city and facilitated clean up and redevelopment to include permanently affordable housing and other community amenities.
Resource Category: Solutions
