ICLEI USA

Welcoming New Leaders to ICLEI USA’s Board of Directors! ICLEI USA is proud to welcome six new members to our Board of Directors, each bringing deep experience in climate action, sustainability, and resilience: ✅ Mayor Alix Desulme – North Miami, FL ✅ Mayor Jeni Arndt – Fort Collins, CO ✅ Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen – Coral Springs, FL ✅ Mayor Nicola Armacost – Hastings-on-Hudson, NY ✅ Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson – Riverside, CA ✅ Victoria Salinas – Former Deputy Administrator for Resilience, FEMA They join a dedicated group of local and national leaders shaping ICLEI USA’s work, including: 🔹 Brigid Shea – Board Chair, Commissioner, Travis County, TX 🔹 Pam O’Connor – Board Vice-Chair, Former Mayor, Santa Monica, CA 🔹 Matthew Appelbaum – Board Treasurer, Former Mayor, Boulder, CO 🔹 David Driskell – Principal, Baird + Driskell Planning 🔹 Dan Stiles – Founding Partner, Stiles.Legal; Senior Strategic Advisor & General Counsel to former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and The Climate Reality Project 🔹 Frank Cownie – Former Mayor, Des Moines, IA 🔹 Kelly Takaya King – Former Maui County Councilmember, HI 🔹 Meghna Tare – Chief Sustainability Officer, University of Texas Arlington 🔹 Ravi Bhalla – Mayor, Hoboken, NJ With their leadership, ICLEI USA will continue supporting cities, towns, counties, Tribal nations, and regions with the tools and resources they need to lead on climate, sustainability, and resilience. Please join us in welcoming them! Alix Desulme, Jeni James Arndt, Nancy Metayer Bowen, MHS, Niki Armacost, Patricia Lock Dawson, M.S., MBA, Victoria Salinas, Brigid Shea, Pam O'Connor, David Driskell, Dan Stiles, Frank Cownie, Kelly King, Meghna Tare, Ravi Bhalla #Sustainability #ClimateAction #ResilientCommunities #LocalLeadership #ICLEIUSA

It’s Member News Monday! This week, we’re highlighting members making strides in conservation, infrastructure, and sustainability. Forest Preserves of Cook County is advancing flood relief and restoration, Larimer County is expanding conserved lands, Lafayette is upgrading water treatment for efficiency, and Miami-Dade County is transforming a former landfill into green space. Local governments continue to drive innovation for climate resilience and community well-being! 1️⃣ Forest Preserves of Cook County Partner on Flood Relief & Restoration – https://lnkd.in/gGKb4343 2️⃣ Larimer County Expands Conserved Lands by 5,052 Acres – https://lnkd.in/gknXZ9Ef 3️⃣ Lafayette, CO Upgrades Water Treatment – https://lnkd.in/eeRSXspw 4️⃣ Miami-Dade County Celebrates Landfill Transformation – https://lnkd.in/ghzumzNs County Cook County Government, Larimer County, City of Lafayette, Colorado, Miami-Dade County #MemberNews #ICLEIUSA #ClimateAction #Sustainability #Resilience #LocalLeadership

ICLEI USA invites members to join the Sustainable and Circular Public Procurement Cohort! This cohort is designed to help your community develop policies that advance climate, social, and economic goals. Learn best practices and circular economy principles for purchasing goods and services from buildings and transportation to food and packaging. Cohort participants get peer learning, hands-on support, and access to ICLEI’s upcoming Sustainable Procurement Toolkit. 📅 Cohort runs June - October, 2025 📝 Members, register by April 18, 2025 Learn more and sign up: https://lnkd.in/g7sWb_uQ #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #ClimateAction #PublicProcurement #LocalGovernment #ICLEIUSA

ICLEI USA invites members to join the Creating an Implementable Sustainability Plan Cohort! This cohort helps your community build a strong, actionable sustainability plan that unites stakeholders under a common vision with goals and metrics. Participants gain structured technical assistance, peer learning, and best practices for creating a plan that integrates environmental, social, and economic priorities—plus guidance on including greenhouse gas mitigation strategies. ICLEI USA provides live expert sessions, peer exchange, planning toolkits, and office hours to support your work every step of the way. 📅 Cohort runs May - October, 2025 📝 Members, register by April 18, 2025 Learn more and sign up: https://lnkd.in/gyrmG2Jg #Sustainability #ClimateAction #LocalGovernment #ICLEIUSA #SustainabilityPlanning

Our Director of Membership & Local Diplomacy, Kale Roberts will speak on the vital role of local diplomacy and the unique contributions of city networks in addressing complex climate challenges. Kale will join 1st Whitehouse National Climate Advisor & Co-Chair of America Is All In, Gina McCarthy and Executive Director of Climate Mayors, Kate Wright, for a panel that will explore how local governments are leading the way in climate action and resilience, and how collaborative city networks play a key role in tackling global climate issues. This Friday, March 28, 2025 Harvard Kennedy School Check it out and learn more: https://lnkd.in/e7UZygKr #AmericaIsAllIn #ClimateCommunications #LocalLeadership

How does your community tackle water challenges? Show us in photos! 📸 ICLEI USA is excited to share a global photography competition from our network: the CitiesWithWater International Photography Competition, hosted by ICLEI and the World Water Council. From drought to flooding to pollution, cities everywhere face three big water challenges: too little, too much, or too dirty. This competition is all about capturing local stories of resilience and innovation through powerful images. Categories: Too Little- Water scarcity & limited access Too Much- Floods & hydrological disasters Too Dirty- Pollution & degraded ecosystems Deadline: June 30, 2025 Submit your photos and check out the webinar series here: https://lnkd.in/eQTH4XgM We’d love to see U.S. communities represented! #CitiesWithWater #WorldWaterDay #PhotographyCompetition #WaterStories #UrbanResilience

June 2 is Global Heat Action Day! As we head into the hotter months, cities and local leaders around the world are coming together to raise awareness about extreme heat — one of the deadliest climate risks we face. This year’s focus is simple but critical: Know the signs. Know how to help. We’re proud to support Heat Action Day and the communities working to protect residents from rising heat risks. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gM66EyBu View more climate change maps here: https://lnkd.in/dSrkC5vQ International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - IFRC Climate Central, Inc. #HeatActionDay2025 #ClimateResilience #ExtremeHeat #LocalLeadership #PublicHealth #ICLEIUSA

It’s Member News Monday! This week, we’re highlighting members taking action — Maui County approved its first Climate Action and Resiliency Plan, Hastings-on-Hudson is supporting youth-led climate projects, Los Angeles is tapping into the climate benefits of its urban trees, and Takoma Park earned recognition as a 2024 Sustainability Champion. Local governments continue to lead the way on climate, resilience, and community-driven solutions. 1️⃣Maui County Approves First Climate Action and Resiliency Plan- https://lnkd.in/g2q9As3i 2️⃣Congratulations, Hastings-on-Hudson, on Empowering Youth Climate Action- https://lnkd.in/gPCF-bZ7. 3️⃣Los Angeles, CA Urban Trees Are a Surprising Climate Ally- https://lnkd.in/gQ8PRgmQ 4️⃣Takoma Park, MD Named 2024 "Sustainability Champion"- https://lnkd.in/g-5aKyVd County of Maui, Village of Hastings-on-Hudson, City of Los Angeles, City of Takoma Park #MemberNews #ICLEIUSA #ClimateNews #Resilience #Sustainability

Local governments are crucial to driving climate action but often face significant challenges with limited resources. ClearPath 2.0, developed by ClimateView and provided by ICLEI USA, is here to help change that. ClearPath 2.0 is a powerful platform designed to streamline the climate action process for local governments. By combining smarter data, dynamic emissions, and economic modeling, and promoting cross-departmental collaboration, ClearPath 2.0 empowers cities and regions to turn their climate plans into measurable, impactful actions. New capabilities in ClearPath 2.0 include: 📊 Data-driven insights to visualize climate actions and publish results on a public dashboard 🔄 Progress tracking to course-correct in real time 💸 Economic decision-making to optimize limited resources for the greatest impact 🌐 Connection to a U.S. network of local leaders facing similar challenges Our webpage provides everything you need to get started, including: 🔍 Platform overview and features 🧩 Understanding the Transition Element Framework 🛠️ Tech support and FAQs 📝 How to enroll Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gFQtxymC  #ClimateAction #ClearPath #ICLEIUSA #LocalGov #ClimatePlanning

We’re excited to announce ICLEI USA’s 2025 Capacity-Building Cohorts! These cohorts are designed for ICLEI USA members as practical, hands-on learning opportunities—with dedicated space to connect, collaborate, and advance local climate and sustainability goals alongside peers across the country. This year’s topics include: ✅ Creating an Implementable Sustainability Plan- https://lnkd.in/gyrmG2Jg ✅ Sustainable and Circular Public Procurement- https://lnkd.in/g7sWb_uQ ✅ Integrating Nature into Climate Planning- https://lnkd.in/gYmsfWDQ ✅ Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment- https://lnkd.in/gpBu37Gc ✅ Addressing Climate-Induced Relocation- https://lnkd.in/giraemj6 ✅ Climate and Sustainability Communications- https://lnkd.in/gsZhdfvJ Each cohort provides resources, expert guidance, and peer support to help local governments move from planning to action. Not an ICLEI USA member yet? Join us to access these cohorts and a full suite of support for your community’s climate and sustainability work: https://lnkd.in/gbsFQJGh #LocalGovernment #Sustainability #ClimateAction #CircularEconomy #ClimateResilience #NatureBasedSolutions #ClimateCommunications #ICLEIUSA #CapacityBuilding #PeerLearning #ClimateLeadership