This month, my family took the next step in our journey to "electrify everything": we bought an electric vehicle! Please say hello to our new blue Hyundai Ioniq 5 (name pending, suggestions welcome). 

Technically, we're leasing this vehicle for three years with the intent to buy it after that. The dealership offered additional rebates for leasing in addition to the federal tax credit ($7,500) that expires on September 30. The premature expiration date of this federal incentive was really what pushed us to make the switch to an EV this calendar year. If you're even remotely interested in taking advantage of these funds before time runs out, here are your next steps:

From the New England APWA and national PWX conferences to the Northeast Public Power Association, utility partnerships was a summer theme for KLA

KLA Ranks No. 3316 (99^th in Government Services) on the 2025 Inc. 5000 List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies

Guest post by Carlyn Bacci, KLA's Community Engagement and Communications Specialist 

The SAS Talk with Kim podcast is back with Episode 35 on navigating careers, motherhood and the climate crisis with four KLA clients and partners

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.