KLA Perspectives

Guest Post by Saahithi Achanta, KLA Summer 2023 Marketing & Engagement Intern.

Saahithi is a rising senior at Boston University studying Environmental Policy and Analysis.

My summer as KLA's Marketing and Engagement Intern exposed me to three top strategies for driving behavior change as we fight the climate crisis, including the value of storytelling, the importance of knowing your audience, and the critical role of effective communication tactics in planning. 

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.

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. 

Community engagement is a critical part of our sustainability work and the linchpin for setting and meeting long-term goals. KLA teamed up with Emie Michaud Weinstock of Reveled Up, a branding and event marketing boutique, for a recent SAS Talk with Kim podcast. She shared so much useful information about how to design an event that engages everyone in your community that we have two companion blog posts: Part 1 focuses on event content and design; Part 2 on speakers and facilitators.

This article originally appeared in the May 2017 edition of the APWA (American Public Works Association) Reporter on page 50. You can access that publication here. 

The KLA team just got back from the American Planning Association's National Planning Conference in New York City. Here are 10 of our most memorable moments and key takeaways from the event:

Just over two years into my new company, I took a step back in order to take a giant leap forward. I went through a comprehensive branding exercise, the kind that I -- like many of us in start-up  mode -- had glossed over in the early days. The end result was a new name (KLA), new logo, new website, new marketing collateral -- and a new appreciation for why I do what I do. That journey and the lessons I learned along the way could prove instructive for your community programs. 

The weather and nascent blooms certainly make it feel like spring. The question is: Spring 2017 or Spring 2005?

There’s nothing like hopping on to social media to see an empowering headline like “Climate change is happening now -- here’s eight things we can do to adapt to it” and then noticing the byline is one of your most esteemed colleagues. That was my much-needed jolt yesterday when I read the Guardian headline in my Facebook feed posted by the article’s author Missy Stults.

I’ve just posted the most recent SAS Talk podcast and during our conversation my guest Erin Deady of Erin Deady Law, who helped get Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing off the ground in Florida, says she expects 2017 to be “The Year of PACE.” We explore that and more as we kick off a Financing Solutions series, shining the spotlight first on PACE as one of many tools local governments have at their disposal to support clean energy, climate protection and sustainability projects in their communities.