Crookston is a 7000+ person community in the northwest corner of Minnesota that has big ambitions to improve the life of its residents by leveraging the clean energy transition. We interview City Council Member Tim Lenard, Exec. Director of Crookston Housing Development Karie Kirshbaum, Exec. Director of NW MN Regional Sustainable Development Progr…

The negative impacts of the fossil-fuel based energy system and policies have disproportionately harmed and burdened low-income and BIPOC communities. As we transition to a clean energy economy, how do we make sure that what we put in place is equitable and just? We interview Michelle Vigen Ralston, Principal and Founder at Common Spark Consulting,…

YoGo BikeShare is launching a new 100% e-bike micro-mobility platform in Youngstown, a city of about 60,000 in population. We interview YoGo President Ronnel Elkins and VP of Operations Corey Patrick, and learn about their vision, the obstacles they've faced, and how the service will address the first and last mile problem of public transportation.…

There's a heat pump revolution happening in Maine. Already over 100,000 of the 600,000 homes in Maine have heat pumps, and their plan is to be over 300,000 by 2027. One out of every 14 heat pumps in the U.S. is going to Maine, though it is only 0.42% of the US's population. We talk to Andy Meyer, Senior Program Manager at Efficiency Maine, to learn…

Lincoln Nebraska may not be the first city that comes to mind when you think of climate action, but maybe it should be. We interview Kim Morrow, Chief Sustainability Officer for Lincoln, about some exciting city programs, including EV infrastructure, an innovative approach to Rental Rehabilitation using Tax Increment Financing (TIF), heat pump reba…

There's a lot of exciting things happening in the world of geothermal power. We explore geothermal in general and examine a novel approach leveraging groundwater to substantially reduce the footprint needed. We interview Darcy Solutions CTO Dan King about how their technology is being used by some cities to provide carbon free heating and cooling. …

Abby, Larry, and Isaiah review 2023 and talk about what's coming in 2024.By Isaiah Eagles, Abby Finis, Larry Kraft

On the shores of Lake Superior, Duluth has received publicity as a "climate proof city" though faces distinct challenges with its cold weather climate. With grants, they are pursuing exciting approaches to creating a geothermal district heating system from their waste water treatment plant and separately, creating resilience in their building stock…

Groundswell's exciting SOUL (Save On Utilities Long term) program is rolling out right now in LaGrange, GA. SOUL is a Pay As You Save model that reduces utility bills by improving home energy efficiency, without upfront costs. It prioritizes households with lower incomes and high energy burdens. We interview Nicole Sonderegger of Groundswell and Le…

Morris is a small community in conservative western Minnesota that is doing groundbreaking sustainability work. Inspired by students at the University of MN Morris and a partnership with Saerbeck Germany as part of a unique "Climate Smart Municipalities" program, local leaders have come up with "The Morris Model" that guides the community's efforts…

Regenerative Agriculture can improve soil health and water quality, sequester carbon, and increase farmer profits. It has become a key part of Boulder County's climate action. We interview Natural Capitalism Solutions President Hunter Lovins to understand regenerative agriculture's potential, and Boulder County Sustainability Office Director Susie …

Elected Officials to Protect America (EOPA) empowers local elected officials and civic leaders to fight the climate crisis, with a special focus on lawmakers who are veterans. With leaders from all 50 states and Puerto Rico, EOPA is an organizing force for local officials to increase their impact in their own communities as well as on regional and …

Larry recently visited Saerbeck, a village in northwest Germany that has done incredible things with renewable energy, biogas, and now green hydrogen. We interview Martin Sammler, Manager of Saerbeck's Climate Action Department, about how this village of 7200 people is producing 4 times the energy it needs with renewables, is planning to decarboniz…

With this summer of one climate disaster after another, Abby and Larry talk about how they deal with the depressing parts of climate change, and especially, what gives them hope.By Larry Kraft, Abby Finis

More and more we're learning that protected bike lanes with physical separation from car traffic are the best at changing behavior and getting a lot more people to cycle. But they can be time consuming to construct. We interview Bike Program Coordinator Kyle Kozar, Mobility Manager Jason Kligier, and Principal Civil Engineer Selim Eren, from the Ci…

Though Hopkins is one of the smaller Minneapolis suburbs, it packs a big punch on climate action. We dig into two really innovative programs they're doing on reducing the urban heat island effect and speeding deployment of clean energy and energy efficiency solutions with a cost share program. We speak with Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon and Special …

Transportation is now the #1 source of greenhouse gas emissions in the US. While electrification is the most obvious emissions reduction strategy, it isn't enough. We must reduce VMT, or vehicle miles travelled. We interview Anna Zetkulic, senior associate on the Carbon Free Transportation team at RMI and Miguel Moravec, an Associate with the US pr…

Minnesota recently finished a state legislative session for the ages. Democratic control of state government for the first time in a decade, combined with a historic budget surplus, led to the adoption of transformative investments and policies in most every area of government. We dig into new climate policies that especially impact MN cities. Abby…

In 2015 St. Cloud MN set a goal to get 75% of municipal operations electricity from renewable energy by 2035. Only five years later in 2020, emanating from work at their wastewater facility, they actually hit 100%. We interview Public Services Director Tracy Hodel and Public Service Analyst Liz Kramer about how St. Cloud smashed their initial goal …

We revisit Ann Arbor, Michigan and their dynamic Sustainability & Innovations Director Missy Stults, to check in on their audacious plan to reach net zero by 2030. They are pushing the envelope in so many ways, from their taxpayers approving $7M per year for climate action, to being on the verge of setting up a new Sustainable Energy Utility, to re…

We're back to Boise Idaho to hear about the nation's largest geothermal energy system and the big role it plays in heating the city. We again interview Director of Public Works, Steve Burgos, and Communications Manager Natalie Monro, this time to learn the long history of geothermal heat in Boise as well as how it's working today, and what's next. …

In December 2020 Santa Fe County adopted a resolution to conserve 30% of its land and water by 2030. We interview County Sustainability Manager Jacqueline Beam to understand how the resolution happened, what it means, and how it's being implemented. Plus, we even learn the role beavers are playing! Resources Santa Fe County Sustainability webpage R…

Abby and Larry review some of their highlights from the year's episodes and share some big news about the podcast.By Abby Finis, Larry Kraft

As Boise is in the high desert, water is increasingly a precious resource. In 2021 Boise voters approved a 20-year $570M bond for water renewal, including a major focus on recycling wastewater. We interview Director of Public Works, Steve Burgos, and Communications Manager Natalie Monro, about how the bond referendum was approved, and how they have…

Solar energy's direct benefits are well known. But Bob Blake, CEO of solar installation company Solar Bear, and Executive Director of Native Sun Community Power Development, has a much more expansive vision for the Red Lake Nation (in Minnesota) and other tribal nations. In our interview with Bob, we learn how he's using solar to reduce energy burd…

Beautiful urban forest -- abundant green spaces -- easy to get around without a car -- and a commitment to climate protection. Freiburg seems to have it all. We interview Freiburg City Council Member Sophie Schwer and learn how Freiburg does it, and how over the past 40 years car use has been cut almost in half, and bike use has more than doubled. …

** The Inflation Reduction Act is a monumental and transformative piece of legislation. For the first time the federal government has passed a law that "meets the moment" and puts us within striking distance of reaching critical climate goals. We interview Dr. Pete Wyckoff, Sr. Policy Advisor for Climate Energy and the Environment in the Office of …

Heidelberg is nearing completion of the Bahnstadt, one of the world’s largest carbon neutral districts. Built on a former brownfield site, this development includes passive-house construction, a combined heat and power station with district heating, green infrastructure to reduce the risk of flooding, access to transit, biking and walking paths, an…

Will rooftop solar be the cornerstone of a modern clean energy system? We interview Anya Schoolman, executive director of Solar United Neighbors and learn how this growing organization is helping neighborhoods go solar around the country, and how this is transforming our energy system. Resources Solar United Neighbors website Solar resource guides,…

Rotterdam, and The Netherlands in general, have a long history of fighting water. But how are they adapting to climate change where they can have both too much and too little water? We interview Johan Verlinde, Program Manager for Rotterdam's Climate Adaptation Plan about their efforts to make Rotterdam climate proof by 2030. This is an episode com…

How do you make sure your city's zoning isn't unintentionally slowing down residential solar and ideally encouraging equitable solar development? And for communities with farmland or less developed areas, how do you proactively guide larger scale solar to maximize benefits to the community? We interview Brian Ross, Vice President of Renewable Energ…

Building off of Abby's recent sustainability tour of several European cities, we interview Holger Robrecht, Deputy Regional Director of Sustainable Resources, Climate and Resilience for ICLEI Europe. We learn some similarities and differences to how European cities pursue climate action and sustainability, hear about a terrific success around wood …

There's no such thing as a free lunch, right? Well, maybe there is in solar. Cities participating in the free Solsmart program have been shown to have almost 20% more solar installations than cities that don't. We interview Theresa Perry, Solsmart Program Director at the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) about some of the hidden and soft c…

Driven by community members, in 2020 Flagstaff declared a climate emergency and adopted an aggressive goal of carbon neutrality by 2030. We interview Flagstaff Climate Analyst Ramon DC Alatorre and learn how that goal led the city to identify carbon removal as a necessity and about their first "concrete" steps to implement a carbon removal program.…

You wouldn't expect a clean energy revolution to be emanating from a small county in northeastern Iowa. Yet, Winneshiek County has something like 10X the solar per capita deployments compared to the rest of Iowa, has one of the first green banks in the Midwest, and has become a model for about ten other counties. We interview Andy Johnson, Director…

We're on a mid-summer break, and are re-releasing the Tempe AZ episode from a few months ago, in recognition of the extreme heat being seen in many parts of the US. We'll be back with new content next week. Extreme heat is now commonplace in Tempe, with 100 days per year over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and 30 days a year over 110. And those numbers are…

Having met their initial goal of 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 (from a 2005 baseline), officials in Fort Collins, Colorado, realized they needed to do something transformational to hit their next goal of 80% reduction by 2030. We interview Energy Services Manager John Phelan and Climate Program Manager Honoré Depew from the City…

How would you run for local office on a climate platform? We interview Max Gruenig, co-founder of Climate Candidates, about their program that provides knowledge, insights, and a peer support group for climate champions running for local and state office. Resources Climate Candidates website POCACITO website…

Larry interviews Abby about her trip to Europe that is happening as the episode releases. We talk about what she hopes to learn from visits with officials in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Bremen, Heidelberg, and Freiburg in Germany, and Barcelona in Spain. Rotterdam Climate Proof Neighborhood Benthemplein: the largest water square in the world, and…

Though near the Bay Area, Contra Costa County has very different political dynamics when it comes to climate change. And yet a group of organizations are collaborating to get climate action language into cities' general plans and even getting climate emergency resolutions adopted. We interview Lynda Deschambault, President and Co-founder of Contra …

The Quinault Nation is on the front line of impacts from climate change, having experienced a dramatic drop in their blueback salmon fishery, as well as rising sea levels forcing the relocation of one of their two main villages. We interview Fawn Sharp, the Vice-President and former President of the Quinault Nation in Taholah Washington, and the 23…

What are microgrids and how can they save money, reduce air pollution and provide carbon-free power and backup power? We interview Rachel DiFranco, Fremont's Sustainability Manager about the trail they blazed five years ago when they installed microgrids on three fire stations. And we're joined by Menlo Park Council Member Cecilia Taylor and Menlo …

Extreme heat is now commonplace in Tempe, with 100 days per year over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and 30 days a year over 110. And those numbers are increasing. We interview Dr. Braden Kay, Tempe's Director of Sustainability, to learn how Tempe's is adapting while trying to change its built environment to reduce the urban heat island effect. Resources C…

Climate change discussion is often filled with science, data, and graphs. But to move people, organizations, and governments to action requires emotional connections and empathy. It requires storytelling. We interview Jothsna Harris, founder of Change Narrative, who is dedicated to building capacity in the climate justice movement through the power…

In March, 2020, inspired by a small city in California, Honolulu sued 8 oil companies for their role in causing local climate change damages. A few months later Maui County did the same. We interview some of the key people involved to learn how it happened, why they did it, and what they expect to gain from it. Our guests are the former Mayor of Ho…

Keene NH, population 23K, has been leading on climate action for over two decades. While their first formal action was in 2000, they've since done a Climate Action Plan, Climate Adaptation Plan, and now a Sustainable Energy Plan. We interview Mayor George Hansel and Planner Mari Brunner, to learn about the powerful alliance of citizens, elected off…

Columbia Missouri is a "One Stop Shop" city, with their own utilities in electricity, water, solid waste, stormwater, and sewer. We interview Office of Sustainability Manager Eric Hempel and explore how their electric utility is an integral part of Columbia's climate goals. We also learn about a Habitat for Humanity net zero home project that has h…

ICLEI, Local Governments for Sustainability, has been helping local governments with climate action for three decades. Learn how they're evolving with some exciting new tools, cohorts, and programs. And hear how the Race to Zero is showing cities that it's possible to cut carbon emissions 60% in 8 years. We interview Executive Director Angie Fyfe, …

We review our first year of podcasts, including what we've learned, emerging themes, and our biggest takeaways. See out our episode map for a geographic view of our episodes. Support City Climate Corner on Patreon and check out our store.By Abby Finis, Larry Kraft, Maggie Morin, Amelia Southern

On July 20, 2021, Santa Barbara City Council voted unanimously to ban natural gas from all new construction in the city. A powerful partnership, encompassing grass roots activism, staff analysis, and city council support, led the way. We interview Council Member Kristen Sneddon, Acting Sustainability & Resilience Director Alelia Parenteau, and Sier…