{"id":2299,"date":"2018-07-25T16:20:36","date_gmt":"2018-07-25T20:20:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lifeaftercarbon.net\/?page_id=2299"},"modified":"2018-08-27T09:27:55","modified_gmt":"2018-08-27T13:27:55","slug":"rebel-alliance","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/in4c.net\/rebel-alliance\/","title":{"rendered":"Rebel Alliance"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Life After Carbon<\/em> dedication:<\/h1>\n

For Urban Climate Rebels,
\nour friends, tribe, and inspiration<\/span><\/h3>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.9″ custom_padding=”31px|0px|0|0px|false|false” transparent_background=”off” prev_background_color=”#222222″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”The Rebel Alliance” _builder_version=”3.9″ use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n

The Rebel Alliance
\n(From Chapter 5)<\/span><\/h2>\n

Do. Or do not. There is no try.
\nMaster Yoda (The Empire Strikes Back<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Cities learn from and teach each other. They naturally \u201cconnect, interact, and network,\u201d points out Benjamin Barber in If Mayors Ruled the World<\/em>.<\/p>\n

For more than two decades, growing numbers of cities have been doing what comes naturally: engaging with each other worldwide in formal and informal networks to share what they\u2019ve learned about urban climate innovations and collaborate on developing and refining new innovations. These cities recognize that, for perhaps the first time in history, the success of any individual city depends, to a large degree, on the success of cities collectively. In meetings, conference calls, and online chats just about every day of the year, mayors and city managers, community activists and nonprofit leaders, architects and other professionals, business owners and bankers enthusiastically share their know-how and war stories. Within this multitude, innovation-lab cities function as generative hubs, producing innovations and connecting with and inspiring other cities to make climate innovation come alive.<\/p>\n

We call this global mesh the Rebel Alliance, after the band of insurgents in Star Wars<\/em> and Rogue One<\/em> that pitted its meager resources against those of the Galactic Empire and plotted to destroy the planet-obliterating Death Star. The emergence of thisdense web of connections among urban climate innovators and early-adopters of innovations has been spurred by visionary mayors, like London\u2019s Ken Livingston and New York\u2019s Michael Bloomberg, and funded in large part by philanthropies, as well as governments. It\u2019s a self-organizing, tireless swarm with no commander-in-chief, following the \u201cNorth Star\u201d of climate action. Its participants apply what they learn back to their cities, where they engage with elected officials, community organizations, business leaders, and others to refine the world\u2019s growing, tested knowledge into workable local actions.<\/p>\n

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Acknowledgements: It Takes an Alliance<\/h2>\n

Our community of courageous urban climate rebels has encouraged and supported our commitment to figuring out and sharing what is known and can be done, so that others may follow and contribute.<\/p>\n

First a roll call of joiners, then a few call outs.<\/p>\n

Thank you J\u00f8rgen Abildgaard, Richard Anderson, Susan Anderson, Michael Armstrong, Bernardo Baranda, Tim Beatley, Jessica Boehland, David Burdette, Christopher Chan, Amy Chester, Gary Cohen, Carl Costello, Lois DeBacker, Dong Peng, Marcia Ente, Fan Dongxing, Barbara Finamore, Adam Freed, Aaron Straus Garcia, Alan Greenberger, Guo Jianli (Jerry), Mami Hara, He Dongquan, Linda Holmstrom, Amos Hostetter, Eva Hsu, Bjorn Hugosson, Frank Jensen, H\u00e5kon Jentoft, Kate Johnson, Sadhu Johnston, Roya Kazemi, Paul Kirshen, Bryan Koop, Jean Ku, Mette S\u00f8s Lassesen, John Lee, Robert Lempert,Mindy Lubber, Atyia Martin, Vincent Martinez, Ed Mazria, Fei Meng, Nils Moe, Steve Nicholas, Michael Northrop, Melanie Nutter, Manuel Olivera, Donnie Oliveira, Henk Ovink, Johanna Partin, Mariella Puerto, Mark Raggett, Debbie Raphael, Trude Rauken, Graham Richard, Bud Ris, Rodrigo Rosa, Mary Skelton Roberts, Gregor Robertson, Christina Salmhofer, Eric Sanderson, Seth Schultz, Neelima Shah, Brendan Shane, Ian Shears, Malcolm Shield, Kelly Shultz, Jill Simmons, Doug Smith, Dean Stewart, Dr. Susanna Sutherland, Brian Swett, Ken Thorp & family, Aisa Tobing, Tian Zhan,Maggie Ullman, Bill Updike, Mijo Vodopic, Sarah Ward, Morley Winograd, Darryl Young, Zang Ao Quan, and Joe Zehnder.<\/p>\n

The Kresge Foundation provided a crucial grant, without which we would not have been able to undertake this project. Jessica Boehland, senior program officer for environment at Kresge, served as partner and sounding board, bringing her extensive knowledge and critical judgment to the project. The Summit Foundation provided additional funding for marketing the book, a hard-to-get resource in the nonprofit sector that we inhabit. Darryl Young, director of sustainable cities at Summit, offered wholehearted support when the book was just a two-page concept paper. Much thanks also to the Barr Foundation, which has been a lead funder of John\u2019s work with the Boston Green Ribbon Commission.<\/p>\n

To our publisher, Island Press, we offer thanks two ways. Thank you to the Island Press team\u2014Heather Boyer, David Miller, Sharis Simonian, and TK\u2014for betting on the potential value of this book before it had been fully articulated, and for ushering us through the manuscript development, book design, and production processes. (We weren\u2019t always easy to work with, we know.) And thank you, Island Press the organization, a nonprofit started in 1984 with a mission to communicate ideas for solving environmental problem. The Island Press canon, especially books concerning the built environment, was a fabulous resource for us. Time after time, books that provided important insights and examples turned out to be Island Press publications. We hope Life After Carbon\u00a0<\/em>adds to the written bounty.<\/p>\n

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Calling All Urban Climate Rebels<\/a><\/h1>\n
\"Pete<\/a> October 19, 2017<\/span> | Cities<\/a>, Rebel Alliance<\/a>, Urban Climate Innovation<\/a>
\n by Pete Plastrik<\/a><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \"\"\n

On the big screen at the front of the darkened hall, these words appeared:<\/p>\n

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Familiar music blared out: the theme from\u00a0Star Wars<\/em>. Then more words:<\/p>\n

Episode XXX<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

THE ALLIANCE AWAKENS<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

It is a time of deep unrest. Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide have broached 400 parts per million, and the effects of CLIMATE CHANGE are being felt in weather disasters around the world.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The fossil fuel industry remains all powerful, and the United State has abdicated leadership in the quest for climate stability.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, hundreds of CITIES have emerged as a global force for climate action. History has seen nothing with the focus and scale of this Rebel Alliance, but its members need help…<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Enter Darth Vadar and storm troopers of the Empire, Princess Leia and defenders of the people. Light sabers flash and clash. Cue panel.<\/p>\n

We are at the 30th annual meeting of the Environmental Grantmakers Association.<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n continue reading \u00bb<\/a>\n<\/article><\/span>\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>[\/et_pb_code][et_pb_code admin_label=”Urban Climate Tribe!” _builder_version=”3.10.2″]\n\n\n

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Urban Climate Tribe!<\/a><\/h1>\n
\"Pete<\/a> August 28, 2017<\/span> | Cities<\/a>, Climate Innovation Laboratory Cities<\/a>, Innovation Network for Communities<\/a>, Rebel Alliance<\/a>, Urban Climate Innovation<\/a>
\n by Pete Plastrik<\/a><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \"\"\n

MELBOURNE \u2013 Effective networks can have amazing reach, a big multiplier effect.<\/p>\n

In July, the 21 cities of the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance, a global network of city governments most aggressively innovating to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, met in Melbourne, along with five visiting cities, for their fourth annual get together. (As an advisor to the network, I\u2019ve been at each of its annual sessions.) There were perhaps 50 people present in the meeting room of the Community Hub in the Docklands area, a city redevelopment site. Among them was Ian Shears, head of sustainability for the host city government. Ten years earlier when Ian started working for the city, it was just him and one other staffer. Now there is a city staff of 60\u2014with duties ranging from \u201clow carbon future,\u201d “climate resilience,” “open space planning,” “urban forestry and ecology,” and “sustainability integration.” This growth in local government staffing for sustainability, and particularly for climate-change work, is not unusual in the increasing number of cities worldwide that take the work seriously.<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n continue reading \u00bb<\/a>\n<\/article><\/span>\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>[\/et_pb_code][et_pb_code admin_label=”Briefing: How Boston\u2019s Green Ribbon Commission Provides Leadership for the City\u2019s Climate-Change Strategy” _builder_version=”3.10.2″]\n\n\n

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Briefing: How Boston’s Green Ribbon Commission Provides Leadership for the City’s Climate-Change Strategy<\/a><\/h1>\n
\"John<\/a> April 9, 2018<\/span> | Climate Adaptation<\/a>, Climate Innovation Laboratory Cities<\/a>, Urban Climate Innovation<\/a>
\n by John Cleveland<\/a><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \"\"\n

Re: The Boston Green Ribbon Commission<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mission:\u00a0<\/strong>The Boston Green Ribbon Commission<\/a> (GRC) convenes leaders from Boston\u2019s key sectors to support the outcomes of the City\u2019s Climate Action Plan.<\/p>\n

The Commission plays three important roles in advancing the regional vision for climate action:<\/p>\n