The Sustainable States Network members give local governments an achievable pathway to sustainability. The over 2,000 communities participating in our programs are recognized and rewarded for completing sustainable actions. Many of our programs use community-level metrics to demonstrate success and help communities identify and track environmental and social progress.
Read MoreThe Sustainable States Network (SSN) is building momentum and growing our impact as we support the state and regional technical assistance providers and programs that help local governments and municipalities act on sustainability, climate resilience, and mitigation measures.
Read MoreThe Green Communities program of the Atlanta Regional Commission is the newest member of the Sustainable States Network. Lola Schoenrich, the SSN Network Coordinator, talked to Kelsey Waidhas, Water Resources Planner & Sustainability Coordinator at the Atlanta Regional Commission about the program and why they were excited to join the Network.
Read MoreAmidst a pandemic that has greatly exposed the wounds of our public health system, climate policies, and racial landscape, we have been reminded of the power that comes from collective effort. Honest progress towards a better future rests on individuals joining together to innovate and collaborate for a shared vision. These are the ideals of the Sustainable States Network (SSN), a multi-state network of state-wide programs that support local sustainability and climate action, whose vision is “build a future where sustainability is the norm for every community.”
Read MoreThe Sustainable States Network (SSN) consists of 14 state-level programs that support local government action on sustainability, climate, and/or clean energy. As of 2020, they engage over 2,200 municipalities and counties, with a combined population of over 65 million people. These numbers have grown each year since the Network’s founding in 2015 as increasing numbers of local governments seek support to be cleaner, greener, and more equitable. The Network fosters shared learning, collaboration on resources and best practices, and multi-state collaborations that deliver action at scale across the United States.
Read MoreSustainable CT launched the Community Match Fund in September of 2019, to broaden our network, work with new groups and people, and support grassroots-level sustainability action all over Connecticut. The program is an innovative funding model that removes the traditional barriers that grants can impose and broadly engages the community in the work while giving residents the ultimate say in determining the projects in their communities.
Read MoreThe Sustainable States Community Energy Challenge is working with 30 cities in five states to assess their clean energy goals and initiatives and to support additional projects with tools and technical support. The challenge will compare clean energy achievements across similarly-sized cities, help the cities to assess future initiatives, and provide project implementation assistance. Additionally, participating communities will be a part of topical multi-city peer cohorts and will receive technical assistance in completing press clean energy initiatives.
Read MoreAt Sustainable CT we believe that our communities can thrive and truly be sustainable only when social equity is achieved; when people’s race, gender, zip code, etc. does not dictate their life outcome. Working toward social equity is a core tenet of the program, and in our ever-growing menu of sustainability best practices, it is our only required action. We’ve created an Equity Toolkit that walks communities through a process of intentional inclusion, to meaningfully engage those not usually at the table in municipal decision-making, and to co-create a solution that benefits all.
Read MoreThe Sustainable States Network Steering Committee has chosen Lola Schoenrich, vice president of communities at the Great Plains Institute (GPI) to manage the Sustainable States Network.
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