Video  |  October 18, 2023

Community power drives climate solutions

by Drawdown Stories

Press Contacts

If you are a journalist and would like to republish Project Drawdown content, please contact press@drawdown.org.

What happens when communities get serious about climate change? 

Project Drawdown’s Director of Storytelling and Engagement Matt Scott recently hosted a conversation to answer that question as part of the Drawdown Ecochallenge and a three-part dialogue centering communities, schools, and businesses. Joining this conversation on community power were Elizabeth Ellman, Sustainability Programs Coordinator at the City of Bexley, as well as Drawdown’s Neighborhood climate heroes Veni Mittal, Energy and Sustainability Analyst at JLL and Board of Directors member at the Etna Community Organization; Whitney Terrill, Environmental Justice Organizer at Sierra Club; and Tinice Williams, Executive Director at Feed the Secondline.

The webinar, titled "Community Power: Working Together for Climate Solutions", and the audience in attendance signify the importance of community engagement in implementing climate solutions. The below insights shared by our panelists emphasize how intertwined our community lives are with the health of our planet.

Top Takeaways:

  1. Climate solutions are rooted in community engagement. By harnessing local knowledge and creating opportunities for people to get involved, we can encourage collective action. The key is to make the journey meaningful and collaborative. Youth are among those leading the way with their enthusiasm and willingness to make a difference.
  2. Communities bearing the brunt of climate change – including Black communities, Indigenous communities, and communities of color – are vital in crafting solutions. By providing essential resources and information, we empower our communities to tackle climate challenges head-on. Collaborative action is the roadmap to a brighter future.
  3. At the grassroots level, community power shines brightest. Spaces like libraries can be hubs for shared learning and community-driven initiatives, ensuring climate change solutions are equitable and inclusive.
  4. Communities are the narrators of the climate change story. The approach to sustainability should be intersectional, tying it to daily concerns like economic development, safety, and transportation. Consistent engagement with youth and framing solutions in a culturally-informed, inclusive manner is essential.
  5. Effective change necessitates diverse perspectives. By meeting people where they are, understanding their priorities, and linking them with climate concerns, we create holistic, impactful solutions.

If you missed the session or wish to revisit it, you can watch the recording here. While there, be sure to subscribe to the Project Drawdown YouTube channel. Share these key takeaways with your friends, family, and colleagues, and inspire them to be part of the change.

Three Things You Can Do NOW:

  1. Share the webinar recording with others and broaden the conversation on community-powered climate solutions.
  2. Engage in local initiatives and projects that foster community-driven sustainability. 
  3. Use the below to reach out to our panelists, connect with them, and get involved in their projects.

Thank you for your continued engagement. Together through community power we can forge a sustainable path for generations to come.

This post is part of a conversation series hosted alongside the Drawdown Ecochallenge, a collaboration between Project Drawdown and Ecochallenge. To learn more and register for Drawdown Ecochallenge, visit drawdown.ecochallenge.org.

Press Contacts

If you are a journalist and would like to republish Project Drawdown content, please contact press@drawdown.org.

More Insights

News  |  November 16, 2023
Charred wood pellets
New report: Reducing black carbon
Key Report Takeaways:  Black carbon is a powerful climate pollutant which stems from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass Black carbon has unparalleled impacts on human well-being, the environment, and climate change   Black carbon has a short-term warming potential up to 1,500 times greater than carbon dioxide and is responsible for millions of premature deaths annually worldwide Black carbon emissions are highest in low- and middle-income countries with half of all emissions coming from just five countries Around 48% of all black carbon emissions are attributable to the residential sector, particularly from the use of dirty cooking fuels Targeted solutions across the residential, transportation, and industrial sectors in high-emitting regions would dramatically reduce black carbon emissions while preventing millions of premature deaths and saving trillions of dollars per year  In a report published today, scientists from Project Drawdown, the world’s leading resource for climate solutions, provide the most comprehensive look yet at how addressing black carbon – more commonly known as soot – would reduce global warming while preventing millions of premature deaths and saving trillions of dollars annually worldwide.  Black carbon, which largely results from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and organic matter used for cooking, transportation, industrial production, and more, is a major pollutant and greenhouse gas with a short-term warming potential up to 1,500 times greater than carbon dioxide.  Worldwide, black carbon is responsible for millions of premature deaths annually, increasing the risk of cardiovascular, respiratory, and other diseases. This results in the loss of trillions of US dollars globally in economic productivity each year. These impacts are felt most acutely in low- and middle-income countries, which still rely heavily on unclean fuels, such as wood, for heating, cooking, and energy production.  In the groundbreaking report, Project Drawdown researchers highlight global hotspots and sources of black carbon across geographies providing policymakers and funders with the best insight yet into what solutions, deployed where, will result in the greatest emissions reductions.
Read more
News  |  November 15, 2023
A graphic for Drawdown's Neighborhood: Tri-State featuring skylines of New York City, Newark, and New Haven
Drawdown’s Neighborhood video series takes on the Tri-State area
by Drawdown Stories
Drawdown’s Neighborhood, presented by Project Drawdown, is a series of short documentaries featuring the stories of climate solutions heroes, city by city across America. For its fifth edition, the series heads to the northeast in Drawdown’s Neighborhood: Tri-State – now available online! Spanning New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, the Tri-State area is one of the largest and most populous metropolitan areas in the world. As such, it both strongly impacts and is heavily impacted by climate change. From record-breaking heat waves to supercharged hurricanes, the Tri-State is all too familiar with the increasing threats wrought by climate change as well as the inequities exacerbated by such disasters.  Fortunately, the region is also brimming with bold creators, innovative leaders, and energized environmentalists working at the forefront of climate solutions to help their home – and the world – become a greener, healthier, and more equitable place. Drawdown’s Neighborhood: Tri-State passes the mic to eleven of these climate heroes whose voices too often go unheard.  Voices of the Tri-State Join Drawdown’s Neighborhood host and Project Drawdown Director of Storytelling and Engagement, Matt Scott, as he introduces us to: Amanda Appelson, Plantega (Bronx, NY) Hailey Miranda, We Stay / Nos Quedamos (Bronx, NY) Jennifer Seda, Bronx River Alliance (Bronx, NY) Anthony Diaz, Newark Water Coalition (Newark, NJ) Bilal Walker, Al-Munir LLC (Newark, NJ) Christian Rodriguez, Ironbound Community Corporation (Newark, NJ) Nathaly Agosto Filión, Newark Green Team (Newark, NJ) Alex Rodriguez, Save the Sound (New Haven, CT) Doreen Abubakar, Community Place-Making Engagement Network (New Haven, CT) Schandra Madha, New Haven Ecology Project / Common Ground (New Haven, CT) Xóchitl Garcia, Environmental Justice Community Organizer (New Haven, CT) Share These Stories Help us amplify the work of these Tri-State climate heroes by sharing their stories with others in your network and across social media. Please feel free to copy and paste the posts below: Sample post 1: Let’s hear it for climate heroes! Check out #DrawdownsNeighborhood: #TriState, presented by @ProjectDrawdown — a short doc series that tells the stories of 11 changemakers bringing climate solutions to their communities. www.drawdown.org/neighborhood Sample post 2: Join @ProjectDrawdown on a journey to #PassTheMic to climate heroes whose stories too often go unheard. We’re taking you to the #TriState area to show you how 11 local changemakers are creating a healthier, more livable future for all. www.drawdown.org/neighborhood Sample post 3: Need inspiration for #climateaction in your own community? #DrawdownsNeighborhood: #TriState features 11 stories from unsung heroes who are using climate solutions to usher in a better, greener future. www.drawdown.org/neighborhood Additional, shareable assets include: Drawdown’s Neighborhood landing page Drawdown’s Neighborhood: Tri-State trailer Drawdown’s Neighborhood: Tri-State promotional graphic (also below) 
Read more
Video  |  November 1, 2023
Triple Win: climate change, poverty, and biodiversity
Halting climate change, alleviating poverty, and stemming the loss of biodiversity are some of the most critical challenges humanity faces today. With finite resources to invest in addressing them, how do we decide where to focus our efforts? Good news: We don’t have to pick one or another! Project Drawdown has identified a set of specific technologies and practices that address multiple challenges simultaneously and synergistically, creating an exciting opportunity for funders and development agencies to dramatically amplify impact while working to address the world’s most pressing needs. In this latest Drawdown Ignite webinar, climate-poverty solutions scientist Yusuf Jameel and policy advisor Dan Jasper introduce these “triple-win” solutions and explore how strategic deployment in low- and middle-income countries can bring new hope for a better world within our lifetimes. Top Takeaways Solutions to three massive threats humanity faces today – climate change, poverty, and biodiversity loss – overlap, and numerous actions can address all three at the same time. Efforts to alleviate poverty can increase or decrease demand for fossil fuels. As development proceeds, it’s critical to avoid “carbon lock-in” by favoring renewable over carbon dioxide–producing technologies. Climate change and biodiversity loss are intricately intertwined. Climate change exacerbates biodiversity loss, and biodiversity loss exacerbates climate change. Thus, efforts to alleviate both simultaneously can have synergistic effects. For greatest impacts, funding and action should focus on solutions that address multiple challenges at the same time. For example, shifting agricultural practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can also enhance food supply, improve gender equality, and protect habitat. The ability to do so is unfortunately limited by inadequate funding, inappropriate use of available funding, and inequitable distribution of available funding. Solutions include increasing funding for projects that address multiple challenges simultaneously, living up to funding pledges, increasing accountability to ensure funds are appropriately distributed, basing funding decisions on sound science, pursuing the greatest good rather than the greatest profit, and canceling debts owed by low and middle-income countries.  Anyone can help by sharing this message with policymakers and joining advocacy organizations that recognize the importance of and promote intersectional action. Useful Resources Climate–Poverty Connections: Opportunities for Synergistic Solutions at the Intersection of Planetary and Human Well-Being Desperate for hope? Linking human well-being and climate solutions is a way forward The win-wins of climate and biodiversity solutions Reflections from Bonn: Climate negotiations must face reality and rebuild credibility A rescue plan for people and the planet New IPCC report highlights urgent need to advance climate solutions and development simultaneously Key takeaways from Drawdown Lift’s Climate–Poverty Connections webinar series This webinar is part of Project Drawdown’s monthly Drawdown Ignite webinar series. Drawdown Ignite provides information and inspiration to guide your climate solutions journey. View past Drawdown Ignite webinars on YouTube, and visit our Events page for updates on future webinars.
Read more
See All Insights