Today’s Morning Buzz is by Anthony Santiago, Principal for Outside N Strategies, and a proud National Civic League board member. Anthony currently lives in Central New Jersey, but his heart is always with Newark. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn.
- What I’m reading: The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, by Heather McGhee
- What I’m watching: AP Bio
- A hobby I enjoy: Hiking
- Who my pets are: Luna-Dog, Bella-Cat
- A funny joke I heard: Where are dad jokes stored? In a Dadabase.
Is your community taking sustainability seriously? Perhaps you can be the next All-America City? Each year, communities all over our great nation apply to be one of 20 finalists at the National Civic League’s (NCL) All-America City awards, and in 2025 the theme is “Strengthening Environmental Sustainability through Inclusive Community Engagement.” The UN notes, “sustainable development requires an integrated approach that takes into consideration environmental concerns along with economic development.” Because so many policy decisions can impact the environment in the future, many community leaders are working to do their part to address potential impacts through programs or practices. Before I go into how to enter the competition, allow me to go into what the work might look like, and why it’s important.
Let us be honest; the 100-year storm is happening every three to five years now. And without going into who is to blame, we do not need to look far to see the impact. From bleached coral, to warm water fish being caught off the coast of Rhode Island in November, and unprecedented levels of flooding in areas not previously flood prone, climate is impacting cities, towns, and villages across the globe. Organizations like the New York Federal Reserve are highlighting valuable research, and sharing what some communities are doing to solve for the challenge. In the recent “What’s Possible: Investing Now for Prosperous, Sustainable Neighborhoods” (a collaboration of Enterprise Community Partners, LISC, and the New York Fed) you will find a collection of essays offering practical solutions for clean energy, resilience, and equity. For instance, you can learn about Springfield, Mass.’ National Disaster Resilience Competition, and its newly created Urban Watershed Resilience Zone. The national climate assessment makes clear that we all have a role to play in taking action to address climate change, and some action is better than no action.
A few examples of sustainability efforts that could make your community an ideal candidate for next year’s All-America City award include, but are not limited to:
- Engagement strategies such as appreciative inquiry, citizen commissions, and participatory planning, which empower communities in climate action planning.
- Transportation campaigns that engage residents in efforts to increase biking, walking, carpooling, and public transit use.
- Neighborhood-based climate resilience projects.
- Community forums on climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.
- Working with schools to increase shared awareness and understanding of climate change impacts.
- Raising climate change awareness through the arts and entertainment.
- Community-based workforce development programs focused on increasing and ensuring equitable access to green jobs.
- Conservation projects, renewable energy initiatives, waste reduction efforts, or green infrastructure developments.
To be an All-America City, you must demonstrate your community uses collaborative problem solving and community engagement to address problems like sustainability challenges. Each AAC finalist must demonstrate innovation, impact, equity and inclusiveness, civic engagement, and cross-sector collaboration by discussing the strength of their civic capital—the formal and informal relationships, networks and capacities they use to make decisions and solve problems—and to provide examples of community-driven programs that have addressed a local challenge. (For a descriptions of each of this year’s winners, see this recent National Civic Review article.) Tribes, towns, cities, counties, and regions are all eligible for the award. The competition consists of two parts: the application and, if selected as a finalist, the in-person presentation. In the application you will be asked to describe three programs or projects from the last five years. Only one project must be focused on the year’s theme of environmental sustainability. For additional information, watch this overview video and download the 2025 application.
If you are interested in applying for the award, optional letters of intent (LOI) are due on December 30, 2024, and applications are due February 27, 2025. The LOI is NOT a requirement, but by completing this template, you can reduce your application cost from $250 to $150, and become eligible for application assistance from NCL and/or a past AAC applicant community. Additionally, completing a LOI does not commit you to applying. The 20 finalist communities will be named in March of 2025 and will be invited to attend the All-America City Award event in Denver, Colo. in June, during which the 10 eventual winners will be selected and announced. Have more questions? Send me a note: anthony@outsidenstrategies.com.
The photo with this post is of 2024 AAC winners, Lexington, Ky., entering the room for their presentation at the AAC finals in Denver, Colo.