When it comes to local climate action planning work, we want “equitable” to be more than just a buzzword. As one of KLA’s core values, we make it central to our approach from start to finish both for how our company operates and the products and services we deliver to our local government clients. 

Why? Because a truly resilient, sustainable future means all members of the community are able to share in the prosperity and benefits it brings. To us, equity is non-negotiable.

In this post, we’re breaking down the value of equity in our line of work and how KLA centers it in our climate action planning.  

Four of our Climate Ambassadors on the Clark County engagement team. 

To kick off the new year, we’ve reignited the KLA Sustainability Action Series podcast with rock star guest Dallase Scott to discuss why facilitation is such an undervalued skill and how to run more effective and inclusive meetings.   

Have you planned your communications content for today? For next week? Q1? How about 2023?

If you don’t have your plan quite ready, we’ve got you covered. Planning communications content can seem daunting, but consistent content is key to keeping communities engaged in action throughout the year.

The revamped KLA 2023 Editorial Calendarprovides a detailed community, sustainability, and climate-related dates and holidays; monthly themes for community climate engagement; as well as tips and tricks for communications best practice.

2022 was a big year for climate action.

On a global level, COP27 continued international discussions surrounding lowering carbon emissions and protecting natural resources. In the United States, the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act provided landmark investments into fighting climate change and bolstering a clean energy economy. Here at KLA, we were lucky to work with dozens of local governments and partners across the country to develop ambitious climate action plans rooted in equitable engagement and to activate sustainability storytelling through our community dashboards. 

2023 brings new opportunities to fight climate change at every level, including opportunities for individual action. As we look forward to another year of working with communities on their action plans, our team has been discussing our own green resolutions for the new year — after all, this isn’t just our work, it’s our passion. Our team lives and breathes sustainability on and off the clock. We’re excited to share our plans to continue learning and growing our personal sustainability plans for 2023:

The KLA Team has been so grateful to work with dozens of clients and partners this year to develop ambitious climate action plans rooted in equitable engagement and to activate sustainability storytelling through our community dashboards. Thanks to all of you, we're one year closer to an innovative, equitable, and sustainable future.

KLA clients lead the way with innovative, scalable, replicable climate solutions at the local level.
Each month in 2022 we will shine a spotlight on their bright ideas.

Guest post by Mike Steinhoff, KLA’s Director of Climate Analysis 

Local governments need access to consistent, high-quality data to develop and track progress on implementation of climate action plans. Massachusetts and other states are working to level the data playing field for more ambitious targets and results. In Massachusetts this has historically happened in fits and starts, but as they formalize more of these processes, we hope to see more agencies providing actionable information from the start. 

We have a strong focus at KLA on the importance of data in the battle against climate change. But not all data is created equal. And the good stuff isn’t always easy to find or possible to access.  

Ask any local government sustainability or climate staff if they’ve ever been stymied or frustrated by their search for data like “How many EVs are in my community?” or “How much energy did we use this year compared to last?”, and you’ll be flooded with examples. And on the other end, utilities and the like are hit with one-off requests at random from each city, town, county. Thus, they provide one-off responses with no guarantee of consistency.  

States cannot meet ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals without local governments. It stands to reason that you don’t want them all trying to innovate independently or recreate the wheel. They would be wise to follow the lead of Massachusetts which has given its local governments and therefore itself a leg up in this arena by providing the funding, data and tools to align and achieve goals.  

KLA clients lead the way with innovative, scalable, replicable climate solutions at the local level.
Each month in 2022 we will shine a spotlight on their bright ideas.

Did you know that 95% of people are likely to remember a call to action after watching a video compared to just 10% who read information in text format?

It’s safe to say that these days you can’t effectively communicate with or engage people in your community without video. That includes climate action planning and implementation.

You can have ambitious emissions slashing opportunities, blockbuster partnership models, and interactive engagement plans, but those bells and whistles aren't enough. If you aren’t reaching people – if they are glossing over your text-heavy emails, scrolling past your standard social media posts, and never setting a virtual foot on your website – you won’t get very far.

That’s where video can be the bright idea that allows the rest of your bright ideas to see the light of day.

KLA clients lead the way with innovative, scalable, replicable climate solutions at the local level.
Each month in 2022 we will shine a spotlight on their bright ideas.

At KLA we’re gearing up for the National Adaptation Forum (NAF) in Baltimore at the end of the month, so we’re using our October Bright Ideas feature – a spot where we normally select a single KLA client project to highlight – to showcase our equity-centered approach to climate resilience work with multiple communities.

Cities, towns and counties seek KLA’s support on all aspects of climate work from mitigation to adaptation, resilience to sustainability. And while there are important distinctions among those, we are quick to note that the climate crisis is here now and requires urgent action. We simply don’t have the luxury of time, so our planning processes incorporate all aspects of addressing climate change. Whether you’re pursuing an electric vehicle fleet to reduce emissions or mapping urban heat islands to better respond to increased heat waves, you’re taking steps to foster a more resilient and sustainable community that can thrive in the short and long term.

KLA clients lead the way with innovative, scalable, replicable climate solutions at the local level.
Each month in 2022 we will shine a spotlight on their bright ideas.

To fight extreme heat and make the community more resilient to climate change, Columbia, MO, is using a Show Me the Heat community science project to collect heat index data and inform climate action planning and heat responses.  

But first, we created a short quiz for you to test your extreme heat knowledge. 

KLA clients lead the way with innovative, scalable, replicable climate solutions at the local level.
Each month in 2022 we will shine a spotlight on their bright ideas.

To ensure the All-In Sustainability and Climate Action Plan is implemented and has impact, Clark County takes a more proactive, inclusive and data-driven approach to community and stakeholder engagement.