The “I Love New Bedford” Campaign Helped Broaden the Appeal of Hazard Mitigation Planning 

Does this sound familiar? You’ve got a new plan or project that you need the community to comment on or an action you need them to take. So, you plan an event at City Hall or the library, invite local partner organizations to set up tables, and hope that people turn out.  

And just maybe you’ve been disappointed with turnout, you’re still struggling to bring in new voices, or you want to expand beyond a one-and-done event (even if it’s annual like Earth Day)? 

You. Are. Not. Alone.  

Engaging every corner of the community can be challenging, especially when trying to keep people involved through all the stages of planning and implementation. 

Over the past couple of years, the City of New Bedford, Massachusetts, has been trying to spread awareness around hazard preparedness—but they faced challenges with attracting attendance to events focused on heavier topics, especially among residents from historically underrepresented neighborhoods and those who live in areas with the most extreme climate impacts.  

That’s where KLA stepped in.  

We partnered with New Bedford (a long-time KLA partner) to support the Community Resilience Awareness Campaign and the Prepare NB event, a fair to promote resilience and emergency preparedness throughout the community. KLA’s goal in planning for Prepare NB wasn’t just to help boost turnout—it was to plant the seed for an ongoing conversation about climate impacts and hazard preparedness that would grow far beyond just one day of fun activities.  

Here’s how we did it.  

Our CEO Kim, Senior Climate Communications Manager Joey and Sustainability Project Coordinator Margot just got back from the American Planning Association’s National Planning Conference – NPC25 – in Denver. From their perch at KLA’s booth in the Exhibit Hall and attendance at multiple sessions and receptions, they shared these 7 observations:   

When it comes to climate action, we’re not going to sugarcoat it. What we’ve seen in terms of words and policies from the new administration is frankly dangerous. Federal support in principle and in practice is being slashed. These moves threaten to erase impressive progress and stall momentum at a time when the climate crisis is full blown, showing up in backyards from Western North Carolina to Los Angeles.  

The devastation from hurricane flooding and wildfires isn’t a scare tactic at this point – it's a reality check.  

Crossing your fingers and just hoping that your community isn’t next on climate change’s Bingo card is not a smart or effective strategy.  

And even when climate impacts don’t reach global headline status, we’re all getting a front row seat – from the consistent uptick in extreme heat and heat-related deaths to the frequently flooded roads and buildings, widespread power outages and damage after more intense storms. 

We don’t have all the answers, but this is what we find reassuring: One constant regardless of who has been in the Oval Office stretching back 2+ decades has been local leadership on climate and sustainability.  

Travel provides the opportunity to see a new perspective and to think about what works in different contexts. Not to say that any country necessarily has it all figured out, but there are lessons we can find when we get out of our bubbles, see a place that operates very differently and rethink what’s possible. If you're in the climate analysis or community space, you can't go to a new city or country and not see examples of "what ifs" at every turn. A few weeks ago my wife and I knocked out a bucket list trip to Japan -- which I used as a chance to see what I could learn from a country with per capita GHGs that are roughly half of the US. 

I was struck by finding the UN's Sustainable Development Goals displayed in countless places, spying heat pumps everywhere, going from intimidated to pleasantly surprised by transit system, and the notable cleanliness and lack of waste. And while I didn't return home with a check list of ways my hometown or yours can apply the successes I saw in Japan, these observations can help us think through our communities' choices and paths forward.

Guest Post by Tacy Lambiase, Director of Climate Solutions

Just in time for the holiday season, we’re welcoming a new addition to our family. (And no, before you ask, it’s not a baby or a puppy. But it IS something we worked to acquire over the course of about nine months and we are thrilled to see it come to life!) Please put your hands together for…our shiny new heat pump! 

Caption: Our heat pump is a heating and cooling system in one, and it looks very similar to our previous air conditioning unit. What a beauty! 

When my husband and I bought our house more than two years ago, we knew we wanted to eventually electrify everything. We purposefully looked for a house with an electric stovetop to avoid toxic indoor air pollution and existing ductwork that would make it easier to transition heating and cooling systems from natural gas to electricity. After we moved in, we didn’t have a specific timeframe in mind for when we were going to make the switch from our aging gas furnace to an electric heat pump. We simply (and in hindsight, somewhat naively) put “heat pump” on our home improvement wish list and figured we’d get to it down the road.  

As we’ve learned as first-time homeowners, however: You cannot control when things break. So, here’s how we knew it was time to say goodbye to gas.  

Guest post by Carley Petrone, KLA's Climate Analysis Manager

In today’s world, climate change is reshaping the realities that we once held true. With events like Hurricane Helene that devastated Western North Carolina, the deadliest U.S. hurricane since Katrina, the notion of a “climate haven” is proving to be increasingly uncertain.

In one week, Helene dumped 40 trillion gallons of water across the Southeast —or enough rainwater to fill 60 million Olympic-size swimming pools. Unfortunately, this event is not expected to be a one-time occurrence. With climate change, scientists expect storms to become more frequent and intense as rising ocean temperatures fuel stronger winds and warmer air holds more moisture, leading to heavier rainfall and increased flooding. 

The economic toll of natural disasters tells the same story. In 2022 alone, the cost of natural disasters exceeded $360 billion across the globe, including more than 40 weather events causing over $1 billion in damage. These numbers reiterate the urgent need for every community, regardless of geography, to invest in resilience and adaptation measures. Side note: Generally speaking, resilience indicates the ability to prepare for, recover from, and adapt to climate impacts and adaptation is described as “adjustments to how we live, work, and play to keep us safe from the impacts of climate change.” They are sometimes used interchangeably though there are distinct differences. For purposes of this article, we’re talking broader climate resilience.

The good news: every $1 invested in resilience and disaster preparedness saves $13 in economic impact, damage, and cleanup costs after the event, according to the Climate Resiliency Report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Allstate, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Bottom line is it’s a smart investment whether you’re staring down more hurricanes, flooding, or extreme heat.  

At KLA is fresh off two conferences: the American Public Works Association (APWA) PWX Conference and the New England Chapter of APWA (NEAPWA) Conference. Speaking to an audience of public works professionals at both events, we joined our partners on panels to discuss public works’ ongoing role in climate action implementation and how to embrace collaborative approaches that integrate sustainability considerations across all local government operations.  

We've shared some broad brushstrokes from those presentations here, the focal point of both being our Climate Action Framework -- a tool that can help make your climate, sustainability and resilience plans stick. 

At KLA we're on a mission to elevate local climate action to match the urgency of the climate crisis. For us, the last few days have only sharpened that focus. 

We're coming off Climate Week in NYC, under the banner of "It's Time." We could not agree more and echo what we heard in the opening remarks: "It’s Time to think about the crucial decisions and action we need to start taking right now."

Hurricane Helene and other storms then underscored that urgency with a path of destruction across the South, devastating mountain communities in Western North Carolina hundreds of miles from any coast. No place is immune to extreme weather exacerbated by climate change. 

Guest post by Annabel Coplan, KLA's Summer 2024 Climate Analysis Intern.  

This summer, I was a Climate Analysis Intern at KLA as part of my studies at Boston University focusing on Environmental Analysis and Policy.  An area that my internship touched on that I found both interesting and so relevant to my work and our world is the notion of social vulnerability. I wanted to share a bit about what that is, how it's measured, and why it's a critical piece of climate action and resilience planning. 

Guest post by Theresa Acheampong, KLA's Summer 2024 Climate Storytelling Intern. 

My summer at KLA has exposed me to key elements that make a product successful on all ends through understanding user behavior.  

One of the most interesting aspects of this internship was gaining a deeper understanding of how to think about the end-user. For example, a study revealed that 57% of viewing time for users was primarily at the top part of the webpage, known as the “fold”. Another study found that on average, it takes 50 milliseconds for users to process and assess the visual appeal of a website. These studies, among others, highlight the importance of how KLA thinks about implementations to the Dashboard and Dashboard services.   

Through my daily tasks and research, I learned so much about the importance of viewing a product from the end-user's perspective. Here are three of the many ways I’ve learned to think about the end-user through my internship with KLA: