Lloyd EcoDistrict | The Lloyd EcoDistrict provides weatherization workshops to help keep citizens’ homes cooler and safer during times of extreme heat as well as providing air quality monitoring and training resources to prepare for the dangers of wildfire smoke.

Climate Solutions Accelerator | Climate Solutions Accelerator’s Color Your Community Green program identifies local high-impact climate solutions and ways to accelerate them in a just and equitable manner.

WE ACT for Environmental Justice | At the frontlines of climate justice, WE ACT worked with local New Yorkers to build the Northern Manhattan Climate Action Plan to address unequal pollution burdens, heat-related deaths, and other public health concerns due to climate change.

In addition to public support, we need policy changes to promote community wellbeing, increase the transition to clean energy, invest in green spaces, and address climate change head-on. The following are existing or proposed laws and policies that can help:

• The Dig Once policy. Encourages the alignment of major construction projects between departments at local, state, and national levels. For example, installing broadband and upgrading sewer systems during major infrastructure projects—like highway repairs—to prevent redundancies and make the most of human and natural resources.¹“Policy Brief,” October 2013, Federal Highway Administration ≫
• Community Disaster Resilience Zones. Created by FEMA as a result of the 2022 Community Disaster Resilience Act, these zones indicate which U.S. regions are most at risk for natural disasters and other climate-related hazards. This information supports community planning and highlights where public and government assistance is needed first.²“Community Disaster Resilience Zones,” FEMA ≫

Education is the first step toward building resilient and sustainable communities. After all, how can we promote resilient communities if we don’t know what they are to begin with? More education is needed to get the general public on board with sustainability strategies in local areas.

Greater shared knowledge about resilient communities can also lead to better, more informed legislation. Legislators—those with the power to make legal advances—need a firm understanding of these basic concepts as well as awareness of the public push for change.

Resilient community programming, especially by grassroots organizations like Lloyd EcoDistrict and others who are working in our communities every day to create change, desperately needs funding. These organizations are creating new and innovative solutions that need to be prioritized at local and national levels.

To build resilient communities in a way that’s equitable and time-sensitive requires greater capacity and funding than what we have now. It’s going to need buy-in from the general public as well as corporate and governmental support. If we want our communities to survive, thrive, and adapt to future changes without leaving community members behind, financial support will be needed at all levels.

The more familiar the public is with resilience-building, the more support these efforts will have in our communities. This is especially important when we acknowledge how changes to the environment and climate impact every single person on this planet.

Resilient community development needs advocates and representation in the government, in pop culture, and—most importantly—in our local communities where real change is happening and having the most impact every day.

Voting stands as a vital resource in fostering environmental resilience and justice within our communities. The advancement of sustainable initiatives significantly relies on the active engagement of individuals in electing representatives and endorsing legislative measures that shape public policy.

Your vote holds immense significance in this pursuit. Take the initiative to familiarize yourself with the environmental propositions featured on your ballot and thoroughly evaluate the ecological stances of prospective candidates. By exercising your voting rights with awareness and mindfulness, you contribute to the promotion of community justice and the preservation of our environment for future generations.

The impact humans have on our planet is frequently misunderstood or, even worse, entirely ignored. Knowledge is power. Educate yourself about the importance of resilient communities. (You’re doing it right now! That’s one huge step forward.) The more you know about the role sustainability plays—or can play—in our communities, the more you can help those around you learn as well.

How is this important? The more people know the truth, the more misinformation can be avoided and the faster we’ll be able to set change into motion, not only making our communities more resilient, but making them more livable for everyone.

Connect with local and national nonprofits working to promote sustainable, resilient community solutions where you live. If you like what they do, please consider donating! Your monetary support is essential.

The truth is environmental organizations receive less than 3% of all philanthropy in the United States. This number is particularly alarming when you realize that our environments directly impact everyone’s health.

Share your knowledge, share your time, and share your passion. The world needs you. Our environment needs your support. Consider lending your time and expertise to local nonprofits or nonprofit chapters near you who are specializing in developing sustainable and resilient communities.

When you volunteer, whether you’re lending your time or personal expertise, you’re help a nonprofit’s capacity to grow and do even more good.

The ways in which we can sustainably shape our communities to develop greater resilience to our changing climate are numerous. We’ve included additional examples here to give you an idea of even more ways we can begin to implement positive changes in both urban and rural settings.

• Public transportation
• Public green (land) and blue (water) spaces
• Tree canopies⁴“Urban Tree Canopy Assessment,” U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service ≫
• New/renovated building standards
• Green infrastructure and infrastructure improvements
• Land use policies⁵“Planning and Land Use,” U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit ≫
• Emergency preparedness
• Public education on climate and health
• Living shorelines⁶“Understanding Living Shorelines,” NOAA Fisheries ≫
• Food security
• New green career development
• Equitable access to clean utilities (e.g., energy)⁷“How cities can create demand for large-scale clean energy generation,” C40 Knowledge Hub ≫

More than one billion people worldwide live in some form of urban slum or in slum-like conditions. Over the next 30 years, experts anticipate this number will double—particularly in developing countries.⁸“SDG 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable,” United Nations ≫

In the United States, substandard housing definitions can vary based on city or state law and ordinances, but most commonly, substandard housing is defined as a housing unit or dwelling that meets one or more of the following conditions:⁹“Substandard housing definition,” Law Insider ≫

A Just Community is one that pairs sustainability with environmental justice and reimagines how communities grow on a local, national, and global scale.

In particular, the Just Communities Framework focuses on areas where racial and environmental injustices have persisted in the past and where communities of color have been stunted as a result. By engaging with local leaders and community organizations, existing EcoDistricts can advance racially equitable as well as environmentally friendly and sustainable communities.¹⁰“About Just Communities,” Just Communities, Partnership for Southern Equity ≫

An EcoDistrict is a neighborhood or urban area where sustainable development, smart infrastructure, and social inclusivity come together to better the lives of residents and reduce the ecological footprint of the associated district. This includes making sustainability improvements to nearly all infrastructure; energy, water, waste, and transportation.

Some EcoDistricts may also have other focus areas. For example, Lloyd EcoDistrict has four major programs: pollinator placemaking, path to decarbonization, residential resiliency, and climate adaptation.¹¹“Our Programs and Projects,” Lloyd EcoDistrict ≫

Citizens, community leaders, business owners—all the individuals who make up a community—these are the folks whose support and passion will enable a community’s successful transition to a healthy and sustainable future. These are the people with the stories that are often the most impactful for instigating change.

The power of community voice and resilience cannot be undersold. The love of people for their communities is a major driver of change—one that needs to be supported by additional funding and resources. When community members spread the word about the importance of open spaces, clean energy, pollution-free air, and fresh, healthy food, it has a positive impact on their neighbors. It inspires.

From schoolteachers to religious leaders to restaurant owners and everyone in between, positive change—to be truly effective—starts with the people.

Local, grassroots organizations are simultaneously the most powerful and underfunded organizations in the country. Grassroots orgs, along with local chapters of national environmental nonprofits, are most often the groups making significant changes for their neighbors and neighborhoods.

When it comes to educating the public on the importance of sustainability and how to execute sustainable solutions that are both achievable and effective, the leadership of these organizations within their communities is second-to-none. As critical proponents of positive local change, these organizations need to be consulted in (if not spearheading) the formation of a local sustainability plan. Together with citizens, businesses, and local governments, nonprofits will be instrumental in the development of community resilience both now and into the future.

When it comes to building resilient communities, much of the foundational work starts at the local level. Local governments have the power to establish ordinances, funnel local money toward local projects designed to make the community stronger and more resilient, as well as determine how local land is used. By prioritizing critical resources and updating utilities contracts (land, water, waste, energy/power, open spaces, etc.), local governments can help uplift their communities to support themselves without diminishing their natural resources—all while improving the lives of residents.

To do this, however, local governments and municipalities need increased funding and support. City officials across the country are overwhelmed and under resourced. They have mandated goals around climate emissions with little knowledge of how to effectively and efficiently achieve them. Federal and state governments should be providing additional support, guidance, and capacity building to make these goals achievable. Local nonprofit organizations dedicated to sustainability in the community can also assist.

According to the United Nations, cities consume 78% of all global energy (more than 70% of which comes from fossil fuels) and collectively produce more than 60% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Despite this, they only account for a collective 3% of the surface area on Earth. The population of people living in cities is in the billions, and urban living is seeing a steady increase year-over-year as more and more people seek out the convenience of city life. More people means bigger cities, greater energy requirements, and more pollution. Unless something is done to change things.¹²“Generating Power,” United Nations ≫; “68% of the world population projected to live in urban areas by 2050, says UN,” United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs ≫

This poses a strong opportunity for cities to make significant, fast-acting change by transitioning to clean energy. Investing in innovative technology like electric public transit as well as clever sustainable architecture like rooftop gardens—which not only reduce stormwater runoff but help insulate buildings, lowering overall energy costs—also provide benefits for a clean energy system. By investing in these cleaner solutions, our cities can significantly shrink their carbon footprint, taking positions of leadership and steering us into a future without fossil fuels.

Urban sprawl, or the spread of low-density urban development, has been steadily on the rise for decades—increasing human reliance on cars and needing utilities to reach farther. Today, scientists are finding that stopping the sprawl and, instead, focusing on more condensed development (where streets are connected, public transportation is an option, and cars aren’t required for travel) result in up to a 10% decrease in transportation-related CO₂ released.¹³“Rapid rise in urban sprawl: Global hotspots and trends since 1990,” PLOS Sustainability and Transformation ≫; “Urban sprawl defines unsustainable cities, but it can be undone,” Popular Science ≫

Multi-family, housing dense areas with access to public transit are critical to reducing the overall carbon footprint of these neighborhoods. They should be safe to walk and bike to promote modes of transportation that do not require fossil fuel usage.

Land management is the process of managing and/or developing land as a resource. In an urban setting, this means identifying what land is used for building versus recreation or parks, zoning lands either commercial or residential, and developing policies as to how the land should be taken care of. In a perfect world, land usage is safe, equitable, efficient, and environmentally friendly. In today’s modern world, this is not always the case.

To develop resilient communities, land use can be a solution that helps increase affordable housing options (e.g., modular building) as well as increasing green space and incorporating critical resources—like urban gardens—that help communities be more reliant on themselves rather than diminishing natural resources. Green roofs, balcony vegetable gardens, community gardens, and creating pollinator corridors are other innovative examples of sustainable land use and green space placemaking.¹⁵“Why building more won’t make houses affordable,” University of Sydney ≫; “Increasing Affordable Housing Stock Through Modular Building,” Center for American Progress ≫