The Race to Equitable and Inclusive Investment in Frontline Communities
Register here to Attend the Upcoming Collaborative Webinar with USDN and Justice40 Accelerator, EPN, and Anthropocene Alliance on March 2nd! Under the Biden-Harris Administration we are witnessing once-in-a-lifetime investment to improve America’s crumbling infrastructure, increase climate adaptation and resilience, and expand renewable energies, energy efficiency, and climate and environmental justice. This unprecedented funding is being…
Read MoreAchieving our vision for community-driven climate work in the Southeast
by Meg Jamison, Executive Director In 2017, when SSDN set out to equip local governments to execute on a new program focus, we could not have known the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic would impose on our work – nor could we have imagined the creative ways our grantees and partners would overcome those challenges.…
Read MoreEPA Awards SSDN with Multi-Environmental Media Environmental Finance Grant (EFC) for Region 4
SSDN to expand its Southeast Sustainable Recovery Center to serve local communities across the region with support for accessing federal funding. Reference: Press Release from Biden-Harris Administration Last week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the Environmental Protection Agency’s selection of Environmental Finance Centers around the country. Environmental Finance Centers provide technical assistance to communities to access…
Read MoreCommunity partnerships power the City of Durham’s successful energy efficiency and home repair program
On a hot and humid afternoon in the summer of 2019, a severe thunderstorm hit Durham, North Carolina. Heavy winds lashed the area, felling large trees that blocked roads and damaged homes. The storm dropped vast amounts of rain that left many residential yards looking more like swamps than places for kids to play and…
Read MoreLocal Government Leaders Weigh in with NC Utilities Commission on State Carbon Plan
Seven mayors and a County Commission Chairwoman representing local governments and communities across North Carolina submitted a letter to the N.C. Utilities Commission (NCUC), sharing comments and recommendations regarding the state’s Carbon Plan, which must be developed and approved by December 31, 2022. The Town of Boone, Town of Chapel Hill, Chatham County, City…
Read MoreEquipping vulnerable communities to navigate extreme weather, health disruptions, and other emergencies with Resilience Hubs
As the impacts of climate change mount, heightened weather and health disruptions are posed to local governments, organizations, and communities to navigate: heat waves, polar vortexes, storms… and pandemics, just to name a few. In 2019 and preceding years, Fulton County, Georgia, was dealing with several of these disruptions, and realized they needed to enhance…
Read MoreStrong partnerships with community organizations, local governments, key to Keep Safe Miami resilience program
Source: Twitter, @CityofMiami Resilience is a journey, and the sustainability staff at the City of Miami are determined to reach their destination. The ever-progressing impacts of climate change across south Florida don’t make the road easy, particularly for those living in the area’s affordable housing communities. But working alongside strong community partners like Enterprise Community…
Read MoreSSDN Communities Make Strides in Participatory Engagement, Supported by 2021 Community Collaboration Catalyst MicroGrant Award
With support from The Kresge Foundation, SSDN launched its new Community Collaboration Catalyst Micro Grant Program in 2021. This program provided small grants to local government and community partnerships for the purposes of supporting equity-centered community leadership and engagement in local climate and resilience planning and program development. Grantees tested innovative approaches to engagement for…
Read MoreA Look Back: SSDN 2022 Annual Meeting
“Best. Meeting. Ever!” “Incredible people! Love to meet my new colleagues.” “I’m happy to know that I’m not alone.” These words and more were shared in the aftermath of our phenomenal 2022 Annual Meeting in sunny Savannah, Georgia at the beginning of May. After three years of pent-up desire to once again enjoy what makes…
Read MoreCity of Little Rock Launches Green Restaurant Certificate Program
Last month, the City of Little Rock launched a new program to add sustainability practices to their local hospitality! Restaurants in the city will now be able to take part in a three tier program to help them learn how to implement changes like composting food waste, installing energy-saving equipment to lower energy consumption and…
Read MoreSSDN Speaks at Congress for New Urbanism’s 30th Congress, Represents at North Carolina Rural Summit
As the restraints of the pandemic wane, SSDN’s staff have stretched their legs and participated in two events that will allow the network to grow its connections, knowledge, and share its successes. SSDN’s Executive Director, Meg Jamison, presented in Oklahoma City on March 25, 2022 at the Congress for New Urbanism’s annual congress. This event,…
Read MoreWorkshop Helps SSDN Members Navigate Federal Funding for Environmental Justice
The Biden Administration has put Environmental Justice front and center to help support equitable distribution of federal investment. Local governments in the Southeast have a need for targeted investment to mitigate conditions that have left many communities to experience environmental justice conditions. Columbia University Master of Sustainability Program recently hosted a Capstone Workshop to help…
Read MoreKnoxville’s long term commitment to energy efficiency and developing equity partnerships pays dividends for struggling residents
As any local government official knows well, strong community partnerships aren’t developed overnight. Establishing ties that yield meaningful impacts takes time to cultivate and a commitment to shared goals. The City of Knoxville knows a thing or two about what it takes to form a solid partnership and, through their long term commitment to equity-centered…
Read MoreTown of Cary, NC Supports the Walnut Creek Watershed
In 2018, SSDN awarded the Town of Cary a grant through its Southeast Sustainable Communities Fund program, supported by Kresge Foundation and The Kendeda Fund. This award catalyzed the Town’s investment in watershed protection and restoration, and bolstered its leadership as the headwaters of Walnut Creek, the critical watershed in the Research/Triangle area of North…
Read MoreYear in Review: SSDN Members’ Best of 2021
Despite the obstacles brought to communities in Southeast during the second year of the pandemic, our members have continued to achieve innovative, collaborative, and equity-centered milestones in their sustainability and resilience goals. We are so proud to support the critical work our members pursue every day. In addition to stories shared on our last Green…
Read MoreSSDN Kicks Off Strategic Planning Refresh with Member Input Opportunities
SSDN underwent its first strategic planning process in 2018, and adopted its first strategic plan in 2019. This came at a critical step in the network, with staff transitions, membership growth, and new program development. This plan was meant to guide the network forward for 3-5 years. Because of the enormous changes and challenges that…
Read MoreSSDN Announces 2021 Community Collaboration Catalyst Micro Grant Award Winners
SSDN members believe that rooting sustainability work in equity is essential to seeing success in both solving the climate crisis and dismantling inequity. Our members are committed to addressing climate change by centering people and their experiences, and promote equal opportunity in the benefits from climate action. With support from The Kresge Foundation, SSDN launched…
Read MoreSSDN Celebrates New Growth in 2021
As we steadily navigate through the challenges brought our way in 2020, we want to share our deep gratitude for our members’ passion, expertise, and leadership in recovering our Southeast communities after COVID-19. Thank you to our 2020 Steering Committee for the invaluable guidance they have provided over the last year. In 2021, we continue…
Read MoreEnhancing Sustainability in Small Southern Communities
Every day, we have the opportunity to hear about our members’ innovative projects, recent successes, and exciting ambitions for building and implementing sustainability in their communities. Through our Workgroups, committees, surveys, trainings, and more, we also have the pleasure of receiving valuable feedback from our members about how their participation at SSDN continues to broaden…
Read MoreSSDN Launches the Southeast Sustainable Recovery Center
In August 2021, SSDN launched the Southeast Sustainable Recovery Center (SSRC) program. This collaborative effort between SSDN and its many valued partners strives to provide more education and direct guidance to SSDN’s local government members related to federal funding opportunities that support climate action. SSDN believes that local governments in the Southeast, who have been…
Read MoreNashville’s Partnership with Goodwill Industries Leads to Green Jobs for the City
Resilience is the result of sustainability being the driving force of a community’s growth. With this in mind, SSDN’s Southeast Sustainable Communities Fund (SSCF) provides governments in the Southeast with the financial capacity to foster tangible, resilient growth in their communities. Equipped with a $300,000 grant from SSDN, Tennessee homeowners are now able to rely…
Read MoreLocal governments take active role in reducing North Carolina carbon emissions, setting own goals, weighing in on Duke Energy’s long range power plans
North Carolina is on the front lines of climate change, managing through hurricane seasons with increasingly frequent and intense storms and battling health and economic impacts from other extreme weather events – intense heat, drought and heavy rainfall. In the last few years, local governments across the state have taken on the task of reducing…
Read MoreVolusia County, FL: An All Ages Approach to Community Resiliency
If you hear the words “flooding” and “Florida” in the same sentence, you would not be alone in thinking of a beachfront community. However, inland areas in Florida can be just as, if not more, susceptible to flooding than their coastal neighbors Spring Hill, a neighborhood in DeLand, Florida, has experienced repeated flooding for years.…
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