2018 is here, and the KLA team is excited. Last year we laid a solid foundation implementing our Community Dashboard for our clients’ sustainability, resilience and climate action initiatives. It was a rewarding year but one that also underscored the imperative of our work at the local level given the political atmosphere at the federal level.
So what tops our list as we dive head-first into the [chilly] waters of 2018?
- So much to talk about! We’ll continue pumping out regular podcasts and blog
posts and a monthly e-newsletter. Make sure you’re following us on Twitter, connected with us on LinkedIn and receiving our monhtly e-newsletters. We’re lining up guests for our 2018 podcasts. If you’re with a local government, let us know if you want to join us as a podcast guest.
- Racking up the airline miles. 2017 was packed with travel to conferences big and small around the country. It’s a great way to showcase KLA’s services and our clients' work, network with other leaders in the field, and keep up to speed with the amazing, always-evolving work on the ground. We look forward to returning to many of those events in 2018, including the national conferences of the American Planning Association and the American Public Works Association as well as the New Partners for Smart Growth conference and the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit (and we'll buy carbon offsets once again to cover all that travel!). Hope to see you in person in 2018!
- Old (and new!) clients crushing it. The highlight of this job is working with
all of our clients, which represent local governments from Encinitas, CA, to Cambridge, MA. 2018 brings new work with San Antonio, TX (a repeat client); Columbia, MO; and Indianapolis, IN. We’ll be documenting the entire process as we work with Indy to develop their Sustainability and Resilience Action Plan, and we’ll have results from the focus group model we have launched with Nashua, NH, to gauge the impact of their community engagement efforts.
- Innovation on tap. We are busy developing version 2.0 of our Community Dashboard. Features include an enhanced storytelling layout, improved HD-quality graphics, and user-friendly backend wizard to make management easy. Sign up for a free online demo now, and we’ll talk with you about what parts of the tool will stay the same and what new opportunities there will be.
- Keeping our finger on the pulse. Some themes we’re seeing emerge with our clients and local governments in general are: merging climate mitigation and resilience efforts into a single planning process, a move we wholeheartedly encourage; emphasizing the importance of social equity and engaging non-traditional partners in planning and outreach; and the ongoing synergy between open data/transparency and storytelling.
Bonus! We also anticipate getting our official WBE (women-owned business) and B Corps certifications.
Most of all, the KLA team is thankful that we work on the ground with local governments on the climate action and sustainability solutions that will make our communities, our country and our Planet safer and healthier. It allows us to look beyond the negative headlines and to focus on having a true, meaningful impact with and for our clients.
