KLA Perspectives

Kim Lundgren

Kim has spent the last 15 years designing, securing funding for, and implementing sustainability programs focused on climate change adaptation and mitigation. As one of the early municipal sustainability pioneers, Kim developed the first climate action plan in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and one of the first municipal adaptation plans in the country. Her emphasis on continuous improvement and innovation has helped local governments across the country get closer to achieving their sustainability goals.

Recent Posts

New "Talking Action" Video: Echoing Climate Week's Call for Urgent Action

Posted by Kim Lundgren on Oct 1, 2024 11:16:33 AM

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. 

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Topics: video, climate action, climate resiliency

Making Earth Month (Actually) Count for Sustainability Goals

Posted by Kim Lundgren on Mar 28, 2024 12:28:57 PM

It’s Time to Go Big to Protect Our Home. 

It’s unavoidable: if you are a local government or community group representative, taking part in upcoming Earth Month and Earth Day events is a must. 

And for good reason: every April, there is a surge of interest in eco-friendly solutions – in fact, Google searches surrounding climate change and sustainabilityoften peak this time of year. Unfortunately, many Earth Day promotions and events are focused on surface-level, individualistic solutions (think re-usable straws) that don’t truly match the urgency of the climate crisis.  

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Breaking the Ice: How Storytelling Bridges the Climate Conversation Gap

Posted by Kim Lundgren on Nov 14, 2023 11:04:52 PM

We get it. Especially around the holidays, many people tend to avoid conversations that they perceive to be controversial: whether that be politics, personal life, or the climate crisis. But the recent uptick in understanding and concern about the latter provides the opportunity for climate conversations with friends and family to not only be uncontroversial, but productive in facilitating positive climate action. 

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Topics: sustainability, community, community engagement, storytelling, communications

Translating Trust into Climate Action

Posted by Kim Lundgren on Nov 1, 2023 6:29:43 PM

Climate ambassadors in Cary, NC spread the word about the Count Me in, Cary! climate action strategy

You might not be surprised to learn that trust in federal elected officials is in the basement. Only about32% of Americans have a “great deal/fair amount of trust” in Congress – 23% have “none at all”.  Top billing for trust among government institutions is local governments with 67% (though even that number has dropped from 75% just a few years ago). 

Source: Gallup

Perhaps that reflects your own opinions or rings true with what you see in the headlines.It’s one of the many reasons why KLA focusesalmost exclusively on local governments. But our laser focus on US cities, towns and counties is rooted more in the positives than the negatives: they are perfectly positioned and extremely motivated to meet the urgency of the climate crisis. Not through municipal operations alone but by sparking and enabling behavior change in the community.  

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Topics: sustainability, community engagement, local government, climate action, local leadership

Power of Preparedness: Collaborating to Address Climate Vulnerability

Posted by Kim Lundgren on Sep 21, 2023 10:23:34 AM

Stakeholder meeting between Cary, NC sustainability staff and first responders

September is National Preparedness Month, and as the world comes out of a scorching summer with seemingly never-ending climate hazards (think wildfire smoke on the East coast, freak flooding and hail events in the Southwest, and record temperatures across the country), integrating emergency preparedness into climate action planning is more important than ever. Summer 2023 was Earth’s hottest on record, with over 97% of the American population experiencing at least one summer day notably influenced by climate change.

For many municipalities, it might not be standard operating procedures for a sustainability team to actively collaborate with first responders and public safety officials during the climate action planning process – but it absolutely should be. When it comes to best preparing your community for the effects of climate change, cross-departmental collaboration isn’t a tick-the-box or nice-to-have. It’s absolutely essential.

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Topics: sustainability, climate action, equity, preparedness

Regional Climate Action Planning: Webinar, Resources, & Expert Advice

Posted by Kim Lundgren on Aug 2, 2023 12:48:40 PM

In July, KLA held a webinar to discuss regional climate action and collaboration in a new age of federal funding for sustainability and resilience planning. The fact that the webinar took place among record deadly heat across the country only underscores the need for smart, ambitious climate action. 

Our expert panel, consisting of regional climate veterans from Clark County, NV and Washington, DC, discussed all things regional climate planning, from tips for regional GHG inventories to critical considerations for equitable engagement strategy.

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Topics: sustainability, local government, solutions, climate resiliency, equity, planning, Regional GHG Analysis, Regional Climate Action Planning, CPRG, Webinars

Welcoming the 2023 KLA Summer Internship Cohort

Posted by Kim Lundgren on Jun 27, 2023 6:06:15 PM

As a small business working with local governments, the strength of KLA is in our people. Every member of our team plays a crucial role in shaping the work we do and driving positive change in the communities we work with. Our work with local governments requires the collaborative efforts of individuals across the country with different backgrounds, experiences, and fresh perspectives – so we are thrilled to be welcoming a new class of bright and talented KLA interns to our team! 

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Topics: sustainability, community engagement, climate action, equity, Core Values

Clark County NV, Leads The Way: Top 5 Tips to Create a Legacy of Leadership

Posted by Kim Lundgren on May 23, 2023 6:03:47 PM

Leadership and climate action are KLA's bread and butter, or... our solar panels and sun. If you know us, then you know leadership is one of our five core values. We have seen how strong local leadership can make or break a sustainable future, so our focus is squarely on equipping our clients with the tools and skills to navigate difficult decisions, budget restrictions, and competing priorities to create a legacy of leadership.

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Topics: climate action, climate leadership, Core Values, Regional GHG Analysis, Clark County, Regional Climate Action Planning

Strengthening the Story: 5 Tips for Compelling Climate Communications

Posted by Kim Lundgren on Apr 11, 2023 12:42:20 PM

It’s finally Earth Month, and in 2023, the opportunity for change is bigger than ever. With growing public awareness and concern about climate change (which peak around Earth Day!), local governments have a unique opportunity to catalyze action and drive change in their communities. However, in order to effectively communicate about the urgency and importance of taking action, it’s crucial to craft climate messages and stories that inspire your audience.  

Building quality climate communications means answering critical questions: Where does the public stand on climate action? What kind of content encourages interest, concern, and action? And when it comes to talking about climate, how do we pick the right words? 

With research surrounding climate awareness and action quickly evolving in recent years, it can be difficult to sort through the noise and find the most current and relevant answers. So this Earth Month, we’re boiling down five basic concepts you should understand to harness heightened public interest and inspire action in your community. 

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Topics: community engagement, communications

Beyond a Buzzword: Why Equity is a KLA Core Value

Posted by Kim Lundgren on Mar 29, 2023 10:43:29 AM

When it comes to local climate action planning work, we want “equitable” to be more than just a buzzword. As one of KLA’s core values, we make it central to our approach from start to finish both for how our company operates and the products and services we deliver to our local government clients. 

Why? Because a truly resilient, sustainable future means all members of the community are able to share in the prosperity and benefits it brings. To us, equity is non-negotiable.

In this post, we’re breaking down the value of equity in our line of work and how KLA centers it in our climate action planning.  

Four of our Climate Ambassadors on the Clark County engagement team. 

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Topics: community engagement, local government, equity, Core Values