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

 

 

“I just wanted to thank you for putting together a fun and interactive meeting. It was a very positive experience.” 

 

Is that the feedback you usually get after running a meeting? That’s what we heard recently from our partners in Bellevue, Washington.  

 

How about: “ Kim is a master facilitator. For the stakeholder working group meetings, we crammed so much into two hours, but it was done so efficiently and so interactively. People really felt like they were heard and that their input and their feedback has been carried through in the plan.” 

 

Those words came from our partners in Henderson, Nevada, this spring.  

 

 

Over the course of KLA’s 10 years, we have facilitated countless meetings for or with our clients – everything from small internal strategy sessions to stakeholder working group sessions to full-blown community events. We’ve learned a ton along the way, and we proactively invest in facilitation as a cornerstone of our climate action planning services.

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Topics: SAS talk, SAS Talk Podcast

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

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Topics: SAS talk, SAS Talk Podcast

To kick off the new year, we’ve reignited the KLA Sustainability Action Series podcast with rock star guest Dallase Scott to discuss why facilitation is such an undervalued skill and how to run more effective and inclusive meetings.   

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Topics: podcast, community engagement, SAS Talk Podcast

Kim's latest Sustainability Action Podcast is a conversation with longtime Environmental Planner for Cambridge, MA 

We hear a lot about turnover in local governments, but for more than two decades with the City of Cambridge, MA, John Bolduc bucked the trend. During that time he also became an icon in the world of local climate action planning. 

He joined Kim on her SAS Talk podcast recently to reflect on his career, Cambridge's many achievements, the importance of cities showing bold leadership, and what he sees on the horizon.

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Topics: local leadership, SAS Talk Podcast, climate leadership

Summer is winding down, and National Preparedness Month is upon us.  It’s been a summer filled with headlines of devastating wildfires in California, heat waves around the globe and extreme rainfall and flooding events from the US to Japan. It’s clear that communities big and small should be thinking about the impacts they might face now and in the future with climate change.   

Among strategies to prepare for natural disasters, “resilience hubs” are gaining momentum as well as a reputation for fostering equity, neighborhood development and local community power.

In my latest podcast episode of SAS Talk with Kim, I spoke with Kristin Baja, Climate Resilience Officer at USDN and formerly with the City of Baltimore, about the concept, value and logistics of resilience hubs and more of USDN’s work on climate resilience.  

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Topics: sustainability, resilience, SAS Talk Podcast, cities

I have spent a good chunk of my career travelling around the country for work. Whether for conferences or to meet with local government clients, I spend enough time in the air to maintain elite airline status. Once I had my daughter, regular travel became a bit harder, but once I arrive at my destination, I am all in. It is so gratifying and inspiring to engage with so many talented people -- many of whom have become not just peers and colleagues but good friends along the way.

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Topics: sustainability, podcast, climate action, local leadership, climate adaptation, climate resiliency, conferences, SAS Talk Podcast, cities

In 2017 KLA brought you 20 episodes of our SAS Talk with Kim podcast on topics ranging from the circular economy to smart cities. We’re underway with recording new podcasts for 2018, but we’ll also be checking back in with our previous guests to see what has transpired since our chat and what new insights they have to share with you.

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Topics: sustainability, podcast, community engagement, climate action, local leadership, SAS Talk Podcast, DC, cities

Smart cities. Everyone wants to live in one. Plenty of cities are trying to become one.

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Topics: sustainability, podcast, Florida, local leadership, SAS Talk Podcast, cities, smartcities, Orlando

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Topics: sustainability, podcast, local leadership, SAS Talk Podcast, cities

If you live in a coastal community or one prone to flooding, you might have watched Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey with a bit of trepidation.

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Topics: climate resiliency, flooding, SAS Talk Podcast