The Climate Bravery of the Midwest
What’s round on both ends & decarbonizing in the middle? O-H-I-O
Companies and organizations are starting to greenhush their sustainability efforts and dampen their Diversity Equity and Inclusion focus - walking back recent progress or at least dimming the spotlight on it. While I know it’s imperative to be strategic about organizational survival in the long-term, I think we must also be brave and stand by the convictions that define us.
Greenhushing: the practice where companies underreport or deliberately withhold information about their environmental efforts and achievements. This phenomenon stems from various motivations, including fear of criticism, skepticism, and the desire to avoid the spotlight until substantial results are achieved.
Earlier in my career I had the privilege of leading sustainability for the City of Cleveland in Mayor Frank G. Jackson’s administration. When we’d talk strategy, he’d sometimes offer this piece of gritty advice, “Never run with a scared man. A scared man will get you killed.”
A Vietnam Veteran, the Mayor’s adage was based on his service in the military, but as a metaphor it is applicable across situations. Over the years, the advice has resurfaced just when I needed to remember it. Choosing who I run with, has been critical in making sure that my values and integrity survive.
What does it take to have a strong sustainability compass in these highly politicized and uncertain times? One solution: Coalitions!
Coalitions are bravely advancing an equitable and resilient future in what will likely be increasingly unfavorable conditions. These coalitions are comprised of resolute individuals united and made even more courageous by amplifying their voices, advocating as a collective, combining resources and working together to make progress at scale.
The vast middle of the US contains some of the most difficult places to implement equity-focused sustainability, yet our communities are comprised of some of the residents who need climate resilience the most. With state level support waffling at best, progress is nonetheless being accelerated because of strong and effective coalitions in the Midwest.
Coalitions help to smooth out the political and ideological divisions that can limit the power of individuals and lone communities. By bringing rural, urban and suburban communities together we find common ground to make advocacy and implementation less partisan and much more powerful.
Power a Clean Future Ohio
I had the pleasure of attending Power a Clean Future Ohio’s (PCFO) annual meeting and awards event in Columbus last week. PCFO’s mission is to build momentum now for a clean, prosperous future by equipping local leaders for equitable, community-driven carbon reductions in Ohio.
Founded in 2020 with support by a statewide coalition of advocates committed to developing and implementing proven climate solutions at the local level, PCFO now has 50 member communities around the state of Ohio. These communities are leaning on PCFO for technical assistance and collaboration to achieve their sustainability aims.
A Stunning Example
A stunning example of impact is clean energy aggregation in Ohio.
Ohio is an “energy choice state” which means consumers can choose their energy supplier. Local governments in Ohio can serve as an aggregator and procure energy on behalf of their residents and small businesses. This allows them to provide fair pricing while also meeting other aims such as 100% renewable electricity at a price lower than the utility’s standard offers.
While Cleveland and Cincinnati pioneered this practice more than a decade ago, it took PCFO’s network of communities to take this practice and scale it across the state with more than 35 PCFO communities now offering renewable energy aggregation.
PCFO is also assisting localities with greenhouse gas inventories, climate action plans and collaborating on funding strategies for renewable energy projects like Lima, Ohio’s floating solar project on their water treatment reservoir.
Check out the work of some of these other brave and powerful coalitions in the Midwest:
Midwest Climate Collaborative Home | Midwest Climate Collaborative | Washington University in St. Louis
Great Lakes Climate Adaptation Network Great Lakes Climate Adaptation Network (GLCAN) | GLISA
Who do you choose to run with? What other powerful coalitions should we lift up? Leave a comment and share what you know.
I'm adding Greater Cincinnati's Green Umbrella to the list! https://greenumbrella.org/