Keeling Curve

Primary Project Category:

Secondary Project Category:

Project Summary / Description:

The Sustainable Neighborhoods Program (Program) provides local governments with a model for empowering neighborhoods to act in support of climate action. The Program is a catalyst for building resilient neighborhoods while advancing community climate goals. 

The innovation of the Program is rooted in the combined power of citizen-driven participation and the use of systematic tools to implement strategies with residents. The fluidity of the program allows neighborhoods to identify their own initiatives and is the hallmark of its success. Since its inception, the program has supported more than 1,110 projects while engaging more than 38,000 residents in four Colorado communities.

Regions of Operations:

Best Estimate of GHG Avoidance/Reduction of This Project (Tonnes CO2 Equivalent/Year):

Sustainable Development Goals:

Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

The Sustainable Neighborhoods Program empowers residents by creating personal leadership opportunities and encouraging residents to take climate actions into their own hands - both at home and in teams at the neighborhood-level. When neighborhoods apply to join the Program, they are asked to specify how the neighborhood leadership team will be inclusive in all projects and events and encourage diversity in program participants. This may include but is not limited to engaging and providing leadership opportunities for residents of diverse race and ethnicity, residents of varying age and generation, residents who live in various types of housing, and residents of varying socioeconomic background. 

During the project planning and implementation phase, neighborhoods are provided with resources to engage those populations that are typically underrepresented in the climate movement. This includes assistance curating a neighborhood-level communication plan that incorporates multi-lingual outreach; program certification credits for providing outreach materials and resources in multiple languages; identifying local community partners that have a direct connection with climate-vulnerable communities, people of color and youth. 

Neighborhoods are also provided with direction on how to engage residents living in various housing types. Often times, household and neighborhood-level climate actions are targeted toward single-family homeowners. This leads to a disparity in accessibility to sustainability-related programs for residents who rent ‚ whether it is an apartment or a house. The Sustainable Neighborhoods Program provides opportunities for all residents to lead programs, despite housing situations. Neighborhoods are provided guidance on how to approach multi-family residential management companies to discuss sustainability, participation in efforts and how they can support outreach efforts. 

Women are empowered and serving as community leaders in the Sustainable Neighborhoods Program. Over 70% of neighborhood leaders are women and on average, 75% of participants network-wide leadership opportunities have been women. 

At the network level, the Board of the Sustainable Neighborhood Network has identified environmental justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion as a top priority in its work. The Board recognizes that systemic inequities exist that have excluded those who will be most harmed by climate impacts from contributing to the conversation and being a part of the solution. This Program aims to take a diverse and inclusive approach to creating climate crisis solutions and creating climate leaders at the neighborhood-level. 

Percent of participating Sustainable Neighborhoods compared with respective city averages: 

33% of neighborhoods have greater population over age 65 
47% of neighborhoods have greater percentage people of color 
43% of neighborhoods have greater proportion of people who speak English less than very well 
47% of neighborhoods of neighborhoods have greater percentage people who did not graduate high school 
53% of neighborhoods have lower individual median income 
43% of neighborhoods have greater percentage of people below 100% of the poverty level

Sub-Categories: