If you’re in local government, you’re going to be facilitating meetings, from smaller stakeholder sessions to big community events. This week, Kim sits down with Dallase Scott — expert in facilitation, organizational design, and change management — to discuss why facilitation is such an undervalued skillset and how to run more effective and inclusive meetings. Listen to more SAS Talk episodes here: https://soundcloud.com/sastalk/ Check out Dallase's new Growing Trust Series for digital...

An icon and pioneer in local government climate action planning, Cambridge MA's John Bolduc is winding down at the City and reflecting with Kim on his decades on the cutting edge of climate solutions.

If your community has (or needs) waste reduction or Zero Waste goals, listen up as we talk with the head of the Devens Eco-Efficiency Center in MA. They bring the adage “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure" to life with The Great Exchange, which keeps about 50 tons of material out of the landfill every year while supporting local businesses, nonprofits and schools.

Could the age old art of storytelling be the key to effective, equitable community engagement? Denver's Chief Storyteller Rowena Alegria talks with Kim about their approach to capturing and sharing stories and how it can open up meaningful two-way conversations between the local government and community members.

Equity is a nut many cities are trying to crack, often creating new staff positions to get to the root of the problem. That includes Charlottesville, Virginia’s Youth Opportunity Coordinator, charged with outreach primarily to young African American men, who joined us for a recent episode of our Sustainability Action Series podcast.

The cities of Portland and South Portland, ME, are breaking the mold with a joint climate action and adaptation plan. Kim talks with Troy Moon, Porltand's Sustainability Coordinator, and Julie Rosenbach, South Portland's Sustainability Director, about how the One Climate Future initiative came to be, the mechanics of the partnership and where they are headed together.

"You can't manage what you don't measure." We've all heard that before. Kim dives into that with ICLEI-USA's Program Manager for Tools & Innovation. We talk greenhouse gas emissions inventories, how our measurement and analysis tools have evolved, and opportunities now and in the future for them to be a springboard for meaningful climate action.

"Resilience Hubs" have emerged as an effective way to strengthen resilience in an equitable manner and enhance community development. They serve as important neighborhood center before, during and after natural disasters. Kristin talks with us about the concept, value and logistics of resilience hubs.

Our recycling and overall waste disposal habits are in the headlines with China's new ban on importing many recyclables and the campaigns against plastic straws. We chat with Selene Castillo of Austin Resource Recovery down in Texas about their pursuit of Zero Waste and ways they are working to educate and engage residents, businesses and students.

The Kresge Foundation's new report on the state of climate adaptation in the US, "Rising to the Challenge Together," breaks down some of what's working along with some specific recommendations. Joyce co-authored the report and walks us through their research process, findings and her observations.

Local governments and community groups are abuzz about the potential of open data policies to make government more transparent, accountable and efficient. We talk with the Sunlight Foundation's Open Cities Storyteller about trends in open data, how it can more communities more effective and equitable, their Tactical Data Engagement approach and the importance of going beyond "raw data" to storytelling.

We talk some branding and outreach basics with marketing guru Robin Samora. When a city embarks on a planning process or new initiative, there is often the need for new logo and campaign brand -- but not necessarily the resources to develop them with outside, professional help. Robin shares some tips to get you started.

Local governments have goals and mandates that include community engagement and transparency, especially in the budgeting process. Participatory Budgeting is gaining momentum in the US as an effective tool through which community members decide how to spend part of a public budget. It has been lauded as a way of creating a bottom-up conversation that illuminates a community’s needs, making local leaders more responsive, and expanding civic engagement. We talk with Jennifer Godzeno, Deputy...

We all want "smart cities," but how do we get there? Orlando's Sustainability Director Chris Castro is a leader in this field, and he talks about what he sees as the "nexus between sustainability and technology." He shares examples of what's working in Orlando, challenges cities face on this path, and what he sees as the next big thing. In Part 2 we'll look at the issues of equity and access to new technologies, the importance of strong leadership, opportunities with public-private and...

We all want "smart cities," but how do we get there? Orlando's Sustainability Director Chris Castro is a leader in this field, and he talks about what he sees as the "nexus between sustainability and technology." He shares examples of what's working in Orlando, challenges cities face on this path, and what he sees as the next big thing. In Part 1 we talk about how smart cities integrate with what's already happening with sustainability and the challenges that local governments face in this...

Pittsburgh's story is one of transformation from an industrial town struggling with pollution and unemployment to a booming technology hub with a string of sustainability accomplishments. We talk with the city's Chief Resilience Officer about those changes and Pittsburgh's (and Mayor Bill Peduto's) prominent place on the international stage when it comes to action on climate change.

Norfolk, Virginia, has made headlines for tackling sea level rise and coastal flooding head-on. We talk with the city's Chief Resilience Officer and Planning Director about their collaboration, the goals of their Resilience Strategy and innovative ways of thinking and doing they are testing on the ground.

Houston, Texas, makes headlines for flooding on a regular basis. And like other communities, that will only get worse with climate change-induced sea level rise and severe storms. Kim talks with local flooding expert (and Rice University professor) Jim Blackburn about what factors created this dangerous situation in Houston and what solutions (not just regulations!) could help the community and save lives.

With Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power" hitting theaters, we talk with long time Climate Reality Project volunteer and Massachusetts municipal manager Keith Bergman about the film and how the Climate Reality Leadership Corps has helped him define his public service role -- and how it can inspire and empower more local activism on climate change.

San Antonio recently combined 3 planning processes: master, transportation and sustainability. SATomorrow was a feat of coordination, which has also been a theme in their first stages of implementation. Kim catches up with their Chief Sustainability Officer about putting the plan into action.

The City of Richmond, Virginia, won an award for their groundbreaking RVAGreen Sustainability Plan. We check in with them on their progress over the first five years, the challenges they've encountered, and what's on the horizon now that the new mayor has announced an ambitious climate action goal.

Local governments and community organizations often struggle with how to design, promote and pull off events that actually engage your community in a meaningful, comprehensive way. I've worked with Emie Michaud Weinstock of Reveled Up to try to crack this nut, and in this chat she walks through some key recommendations and workshop format options.

A team of folks recently completed a comprehensive assessment of the physical, environmental and social impacts of street tree planting in Lawrence, Massachusetts. I talk with several team members -- Angela Vincent (Merrimack Valley Planning Commission and American Planning Association Sustainable Communities Division volunteer), Brad Buschur(Project Director with Groundwork Lawrence) and Neil Angus (Devens Enterprise Commission and APA-SCD volunteer) -- about this health impact assessment of...