Best Practices
Providing reliable and objective information helps residents understand the causes, impacts and solutions to climate change. Involving the public in the development of climate change policies and programs builds community awareness and support for local actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including the co-benefits of actions that reduce climate change.
Promoting Community & Individual Action Goals
- Promote individual actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve natural systems that store carbon.
- Promote cooperation among agencies and communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve natural systems that store carbon.
- Provide opportunities for public engagement that will support successful implementation of climate change actions.
The table below offers specific suggestions on how to achieve these goals. You can download the entire Best Practices Framework under Documents & Resources on the right side of this page.
Promoting Community & Individual Action
|
| Goal |
Best Practice |
| Promote individual actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve natural systems that store carbon. |
- Survey businesses and residents to understand attitudes and behaviors related to climate change.
- Develop and implement a community climate change education program that provides community members with basic information about climate change. (www.ca-ilg.org/ClimateChangeandPublic)
Examples (www.ca-ilg.org/ClimateCivicEngagementStories):
- Develop information and positive messages about activities individuals can take to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions, such as reducing energy and water use, recycling, and using transit.
- Identify the multiple benefits from actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including environmental, community and financial benefits.
- Include information on actions that individuals can take to address climate change in local agency mailings, websites, and other communications.
Example (www.ca-ilg.org/ClimateCivicEngagementStories):
- Develop a community climate change outreach and education program that enlists participation from schools, museums, service groups, business organizations (such as local Chambers of Commerce), neighborhood and homeowner associations, and other community partners.
Examples (www.ca-ilg.org/ClimateCivicEngagementStories):
- Include climate change related projects as part of youth commission activities. (www.ca-ilg.org/ClimateWhitepapers)
- Challenge community members to go on a “carbon diet” to promote individual action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Provide programs and/or incentives to individuals, groups, and businesses that adopt practices that reduce their carbon footprint. Incentives can be financial or non-financial, such as official recognition of an individual’s, group’s, or business’ efforts.
Examples (www.ca-ilg.org/ClimateCivicEngagementStories):
|
| Promote cooperation among agencies and communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve natural systems that store carbon. |
- Collaborate with other local government agencies to share information about climate change and best practices to reduce greenhouse gases.
Examples (www.ca-ilg.org/ClimateCivicEngagementStories):
- Create an inter-agency local or regional climate action partnership and/or action plan with one or more sister agencies or neighboring jurisdictions.
Examples (www.ca-ilg.org/ClimateCivicEngagementStories):
- Initiate the regional action plan.
- Participate in the development of a regional blueprint or other long-range planning process to assess the climate impacts of future growth and develop a preferred climate-friendly growth scenario.
- Initiate a Community Climate Action Partnership with a Global Sister Agency.
|
| Provide opportunities for public engagement that will support successful implementation of climate change actions. |
- Organize and promote community dialogues that educate residents about climate change and its possible impacts on the community.
Examples (www.ca-ilg.org/ClimateCivicEngagementStories):
- Include representatives of diverse communities of interest (such as renters, business owners, neighborhood leaders, immigrants, low income residents and youth) when developing climate change policies and programs.
- Develop informational material for residents about climate change and opportunities for individual action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Example (www.ca-ilg.org/ClimateCivicEngagementStories):
- Use public involvement processes to develop recommendations from residents and businesses about the city or county’s climate change action plan and actions the agency is taking to respond to climate change, such as through green building, energy conservation, efficient transportation, and other actions.
Examples (www.ca-ilg.org/ClimateCivicEngagementStories):
- Provide opportunities for interested residents to stay engaged after the initial planning to help monitor and assess ongoing efforts and recommend plan adaptations as needed.
Examples (www.ca-ilg.org/ClimateCivicEngagementStories):
- Collaborate with local non-profit organizations to assist them in promoting activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Provide participants in agency-sponsored public engagement activities with easy to understand information to help them participate effectively.
|
RSS Feeds