Inspiration to Anticipation: SSDN’s 2025 Annual Meeting
“Feeling gratitude for SSDN bringing together such a thoughtful and driven community committed to local climate action and collective impact.”- Alannah Irwin, Boynton Beach, FL Dear SSDN Community, As the energy from our recent gathering in Richmond begins to settle, we find ourselves reflecting on connections made, inspiration found, and knowledge gained and shared. For…
Read MoreWhen Solutions Are Local
By Anita Tillman, AMCorp International Across the Southeast, communities are rewriting the blueprint for prosperity—not by waiting for rescue, but by reimagining what growth could look like when it is rooted in resilience, opportunity, and independence. The Cost of Staying In Place The cost of outdated housing, pollution, high energy, and healthcare has quietly chipped…
Read MoreWelcome to the team Amanda
Welcome Amanda! 👋 A big shout out 🎉 to our first ever communications manager, Amanda Nalley. Amanda has a 20+ year career in environmental communications, starting as a camp kid turned camp counselor on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. She has two undergraduate degrees from Loyola University New Orleans. She taught environmental education, was a newspaper…
Read MoreTogether Louisiana’s Bold Vision Empowers Communities with Clean Energy
In the wake of Hurricane Ida, Louisiana residents were left without power for weeks, exposing the deep vulnerabilities of the state’s energy infrastructure. But instead of waiting for solutions from the top down, a coalition of churches, nonprofits, labor unions, and community organizations took matters into their own hands. Together Louisiana launched a groundbreaking initiative…
Read MoreSSDN Announces Leadership Transition and New Beginnings
Dear SSDN members, partners and community, It has been an incredible honor to serve as SSDN’s first Executive Director and work with SSDN for nearly 10 years. I am pleased and honored that I have had the chance to lead such an impactful organization, and I commend my team and our members for the incredible…
Read MoreSSDN Urges the Tennessee Valley Authority to Strengthen Its Commitment to Resilient Energy
December 6, 2024 – The Southeast Sustainability Directors Network (SSDN), representing more than 125 local governments dedicated to advancing sustainability across the southeastern United States, submitted comments yesterday to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) regarding its 2025 Draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). SSDN’s recommendations focus on driving a stronger commitment to sustainability, transparency, and equity…
Read More“Energy For All Y’All” shares inspiring stories of how the South is benefiting from clean energy
Asheville, NC — From training local workers as solar installers to test-driving electric vehicles, renewable energy is alive and well in the Southeast. These kinds of stories need to be told if people are to see the value of clean energy in their everyday lives. That’s the impetus behind “Energy For All Y’all,” a collaboration from…
Read MoreTransportation Grants Pave the Way for Community Reconnection and Resilience
By Anita Tillman, AMCorp International The elevated Interstate 10 looms in the distance along the North Claiborne Avenue corridor in New Orleans — a stark concrete barrier bisecting the historic Tremé neighborhood, where 1960s urban renewal projects have had detrimental impacts on a once-economically thriving community. NEW ORLEANS — In an era where infrastructure often…
Read MoreHurricane Recovery Resources and How to Help
The aftermath of any storm is life altering for those in its midst as well as for those of us out of the path watching what is happening in neighborhoods just like ours. Our hearts are with every community dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and our prayers are with those in the path…
Read MoreA Season of Change: Farewell and Thank You to Riyza Jose Morales
by Meg Jamison, Executive Director As we prepare to bid farewell to our wonderful Riyza, we want to take a moment to reflect on and celebrate her remarkable journey with us. After three years of dedication to our organization and to our members, Riyza is embarking on a new chapter, and while we are sad…
Read MoreCelebrating Two Years of the Inflation Reduction Act
Today we celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act! On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), providing billions of dollars for communities in the Southeast to advance sustainability via opportunities including the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant, DOT’s Reconnecting Neighborhood’s program, and the Solar for All program…
Read MoreCelebrating New Heights in the Queen City: SSDN’s 2024 Annual Meeting
In the spring, SSDN celebrated another impactful Annual Meeting in the midst of new heights and growth experienced by our network. The 2024 SSDN Annual Meeting was held April 30th to May 3rd in Charlotte, North Carolina. This year’s festivities welcomed 130 staff from 80 local governments, with representatives from all 10 states in our…
Read MoreCommunity First: EPA’s $2 Billion Grants Program Targets Community-Based Organizations
By Anita Tillman, AMCorp International For too long, communities across America have suffered from pollution, extreme weather, unaffordable energy costs, and disinvestment that erodes quality of life and locks in decline. Rising waters endanger aging homes, and toxic sites sit neglected. What could your hometown become if seniors in aging homes no longer had to…
Read MoreGratitude for SSDN’s Growth & Planning Ahead for 2024
by Meg Jamison, Executive Director I started working with SSDN as a consultant in 2015 with one of SSDN’s founding members, Maggie Ullman. I helped organize our Annual Meeting in Atlanta where we gathered about 35 local government practitioners in Atlanta. At that point, SSDN had no network staff… only two consultants trying to build…
Read MoreSSDN Celebrates the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Second Anniversary
On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, now more commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This legislation, at the time, represented the largest investment in climate and clean energy via infrastructure projects. As you all know, less than a year later we saw the Inflation Reduction Act double…
Read MoreRefuse to Surrender: How an Underdog City Applied for a $10 Million Federal Grant
By Anita Tillman, AMCorp International Across the southeast, from Texas to Virginia, cities and towns overflow with ideas, hopes, needs, and dreams. Unfortunately, most find themselves wrestling with the realities of fragile infrastructure, an affordable housing crisis, population fluctuations, and little capacity to access the pots of federal funding at the end of the rainbow…
Read MoreStart Where Communities Are: How Local Infrastructure Hub Cohorts Build Local Capacity to Access Federal Funding
by Anita M. Tillman, AMCorp International Navigating the complex landscape of infrastructure needs and federal funding opportunities can often feel like you’re lost in an intricate maze without a map. You understand the corners and contours of your community, you’re attuned to its challenges and potential, and yet, transforming those needs into actionable projects feels…
Read MoreCelebrating Growth and Progress: A Rundown of SSDN’s Federal Funding Programs
We are excited to continue strengthening our capacity to support for local communities in accessing federal resources! Two years ago, SSDN launched the Southeast Sustainable Recovery Center (SSRC), a member-focused support program for local governments with the goal of increasing access to federal funding and resources to advance sustainability and equity. Building on SSDN’s peer-to-peer…
Read MoreSSDN Launches Local Infrastructure Hub Cohorts Program to Deepen Support for Southeast Communities’ Access to Federal Funding
The Southeast Sustainability Directors Network has officially launched a new program as part of a broader effort to provide deeper support to communities who need additional capacity to access federal funding. The Local Infrastructure Hub (LIH) Regional Cohorts program provides direct support and technical assistance (TA) to local governments and their partners in the Midwest…
Read MoreLittle Rock, Arkansas: Our First Annual Meeting West of the Mississippi!
SSDN has made a commitment to support the City of Little Rock’s recovery efforts in light of the devastating tornado that hit the city on March 31, 2023. Please consider donating here to the Little Rock Cares tornado relief fund. “So many contacts, so many ideas, so many good vibes.” “SSDN is the best…
Read MoreThe 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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